Jared Strom--Church Visit #2

Church Name: The Second Baptist Church (Maywood)

Church Address: 436 S 13th Ave, Maywood, IL 60153

Date Attended: October 25^th

Church Category: Different Racial Demographic

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

I attended the Second Baptist church in Maywood with a couple of friends of mine.  It was clear to me as soon as I walked in that it was definitely a different racial demographic because we were some of the only white people in the congregation, which I had never previously experienced before.  I liked the fact that the worship service was a lot livelier in terms of the praising and singing portion of the worship service and this was very different than my usual context.  In addition, there was a lot of verbal responses from the congregation when the pastor was preaching which is very different from my usual context.  Also, the way people dressed was very different from my usual context and it made me feel a little bit out of place because the congregation dressed a lot more formal than I was dressed.

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

There were a lot of things that I found interesting and appealing about this type of worship service.  One of the things that I found to be interesting was the style of worship.  As I mentioned before, the service was a lot livelier than my usual context, which allowed my to be more invested into the worship and praise as well as stay more focused during the sermon which is usually difficult for me to do.  In addition, I liked the fact that it seemed like the whole congregation knew each and it seemed like one big family.  This aspect is similar to my usual context and it made me feel like I was at home and very welcomed.

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

Overall I really liked the service and there were not many things that I found challenging or disorienting about the worship service, but there were still a few things that challenged me.  The main aspect that challenged me was how long the service was.  In my usual context the sermon usually lasts about twenty to thirty minutes and at this church the pastor spoke for an hour and a half.  Although the sermon was very invigorating and the congregation’s verbal responses to the sermon kept me invested, the length of the sermon made it so that I had trouble staying invested in what the pastor was saying at times.  Overall, I thought that despite the challenges I faced the service was very good and I enjoyed it very much.

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

There were many aspects of scripture and theology that this worship service illuminated for me.  The pastor talked a lot about reconciling sin in our lives that may have affected others by our wrong doings.  This really convicted me to reconcile with people in my life that I may have done something wrong to and the pastor gave great perspective on how to do this.  I liked the fact that the pastor chose this tough subject to preach about because many churches avoid sin because it is a hard subject to talk about.  As a result of the service I think that I will definitely take action in my own life and try to reconcile with people I may have done something hurtful to.