David Batdorf - Church Visit #3

Uptown Baptist Church
1011 W Wilson Ave, Chicago, IL 60640
October 25th
Multicultural

The worship service would have varied from any of my "typical" Sunday morning worship experiences because I was singing in the service with Concert Choir. Because I was part of a larger group of people all aspects of the service were experienced as "different". However, even if this would have not been so the experience would have differed from any other worship service I have attended for several reasons. First was the racial demographic of the congregation. While a majority of the people were black, there was great diversity and I remember thinking to myself that I expected to feel much more out of place than I did in the moment. As the choir sang to open the service people trickled in, talking humming along with us (even though we were singing more classical-style music). This easy going nature continued throughout the service. People were quick to respond to the preacher, raise their hand, stand up  and even cry. There was a clear lack of stigma. I also noticed the service was preacher centered. He spoke for several minutes at the beginning of the service, sharing announcements before praying. The service clearly climaxed in the sermon, which was very lengthy and explicitly tied social and political matters into the spiritual content.

I found the freedom and gratitude with which the congregants displayed during the service very appealing. Even though the music we were sharing with them contrasted their typical worship music (this was addressed and welcomed by the pastor), the people still stood up and responded to our singing by joining in, waving their hands and clapping. While it felt a bit strange to singing in a white choir at a predominantly black church, I only felt appreciation and  welcome from the people. They seemed genuinely thrill to share their church with us. They were also very thankful for their own people. It was apparently preacher appreciation week while we were there and about 25 minutes was taken to give gifts and words of thanks to each of the pastoral staff by each of the small groups within the church. During the service a slipped off the pole in the front of the sanctuary. Soon the two sound guys come to the front - mid-sermon - and tried to fix it. It didn't feel awkward, it just happened.

In some ways, I did feel like an intruder on their service even though they were very welcoming. There was still an obvious reality that it was largely black church and I was a white guy in a white choir. However, I was expecting to feel this tension and since it was diminished by their warm welcome, I pushed it out of my thoughts and didn't find it very disorienting as the service progressed. One thing I did find myself pushing back against was what felt like to be an overstepping of the pastoral role. I noticed this in the pastor appreciation time. While I think I am simply being over critical of the well intending words of many of the congregants, many of their remarks explicitly mentioned things such as, "you hold this church together Pastor," "Our faith depends on you pastor," and other things like it. While I don't really think that is what is believed it still made me uncomfortable. I was also uncomfortable when the pastor began moving into social and political issues during his sermon. They tended to back up one particular side of the political spectrum and even through I agree with that side I wonder if the pulpit is the appropriate place to address controversial political topics.

As a whole the service illuminated a new aspect of freedom and community to me. While it was a bit awkward at first singing "white music" in a black church, the people quickly shattered that insecurity by beginning to worship with us in their familiar ways of movement and response. It quickly became a beautiful combination of structured music and freedom in worship. There was freedom to worship and display one's heart. During the singing of "I want Jesus to Walk with me" and woman stood up and began weeping with her hands raised. No one in the pews around her look at her strangely, many with their eyes closed nodded their heads and hummed along in agreement. In regards to community, not only were we welcomed profusely, the time of greeting each other in the service lasted 5-10 minutes. It was a real thing. Not a bulletin listing. They were worshiping freely and explicitly with people that they had acknowledged and displayed care to.