Rachel Thomson - Church Visit #3

Church name: Second Baptist Church - Wheaton 

Church address:  1520 Avery Ave, Wheaton, IL 60187

Date attended: November 1, 2015

Church category: Different Ethic or Racial Demographic 

Describe the worship service you attended. How was it similar to or different from your regular context?

For starters, the worship service was significantly longer than what I am used to.  Kira and I arrived for service at 10:15 only to emerge three hours later surprised by the liveliness and constant movement required of us throughout the entirety of the service.  The service began with gospel worship led by six talented women and carried into scripture readings, an alter call for the needy and sick, further worship and announcements, a sermon, and finally an offering and benediction.  Throughout every aspect if the service, the speakers, whether congregation members or pastors, spoke and prayed with vigor and expectation, calling on the almighty God whom they so evidently believed would come through for them.  Something definitely different than my normal church context was the introduction of each guest to the congregation.

What did you find most interesting or appealing about the worship service?

The most appealing aspect of the worship service was the emphasis on welcoming and loving fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.  Although I was initially uncomfortable sharing my name and reason for coming to Second Baptist with the entire congregation, I realized the purpose in the exercise as I was greeted and welcomed by more than 15 church members throughout my time at Second Baptist.  Although I obviously stood out among my African American brothers and sisters, I left feeling welcomed and loved.  Another thing I appreciated about the service was the exclamations of joy and recognition of God’s power and work I heard spoken and sung during worship, prayer, and preaching.  Praise of God’s power, provision, and faithfulness was an undercurrent of the entire service, providing a platform for many challenges to be given to church members regarding how they spent their money, time, etc.

What did you find most disorienting or challenging about the worship service?

The most challenging part of the service was the worship, prayer, and preaching style.  Although I found it refreshing to listen to and observe the joy they found in the Lord, I found myself wishing multiple times that there could be a more quiet time where I could personally approach God or reflect on what was being sung or taught.  Another challenging thing, more so than the first, was the feeling of being the “other.”  The message was on the appropriate response to the problem of African American murders by police in American.  Although the preacher addressed the issue well and challenged the congregation with sound Biblical truth that in no was meant to target white people, I nonetheless felt a sense of being “the outsider.” 

What aspects of Scripture or theology did the worship service illuminate for you that you had not perceived as clearly in your regular context?

The content of the message given by the preacher reminded me of the power of the devil and our place as Christians in continual spiritual battle.  At one point in the service, the preacher said,  “The greatest trick the devil played was convincing the world that he didn’t exist.”  This struck me because I realized in how many situations I have seen the truth of this in my life.  How often do we mask the actions of the devil by just saying, “that’s just how the world is.”  The preacher at Second Baptist reminded me firstly that the devil is the ruler over this fallen world and has power, but secondly that the devils power is simply laughable in comparison to our almighty God who is always for us.  Just because we are on God’s side, however, does not mean that we should not be alert to the attempts of the devil.