Church name: Uptown Baptist Church
Church address: 1011 W. Wilson Ave., Chicago, IL 60640
Date attended: **I didn’t have a chance to go to a church of
a different race/ethnicity during this class, so I’m writing about a church I
attended last year. I know it’s supposed to be a church I haven’t gone to before,
but I thought it would still be helpful to think about these questions.**
Church category: Different race/ethnicity
Describe the worship service you attended. How was it
similar to or different from your regular context?
The worship service was similar to my church in the order of
service and the general way things went about. However, the peace lasted a long
time and so many people in the church came up and greeted us. They were pleased
to know we were from Wheaton College and introduced us to the students visiting
from Moody. During worship, which was led by a man and four or five women
singing, people were shouting and yelling “Amen!” There was a lot of energy and
dancing. The service lasted a long time because of the extended time for the
Peace and the worship. The pastor prayed specifically for people. At my church,
people don’t yell out during worship and the Peace doesn’t last very long.
There’s only enough time to meet a couple people around you.
What did you find most interesting or appealing about the
worship service?
The most appealing thing about the service was the way we
were welcomed. Even though we were some of the very few white people at the
church, we were treated as one of their own – as family. This part is so neat
to me. It seemed like one community working to support and love each other.
There was no animosity or awkwardness between people. At my church, people are
kind to each other, and I’m sure they love each other, but it’s not very
obvious. You kind of do your own thing, instead of like at Uptown Baptist where
it seems like everyone does everyone. The pastor was also very interested and
accessible, not just sitting up on stage disinterested in the people. He got in
there and met people.
What did you find most disorienting or challenging about the
worship service?
The thing that bothered me the most was that I felt like I couldn’t
really relate to the other members of the church. I’m of a clearly different
race and I didn’t grow up in the middle of Chicago, so I have much different
life experience. Obviously, that’s not the story of everyone at the church, but
we didn’t quite fit in with the rest of the congregation. Even though everyone
was extremely welcoming, even that seemed to highlight the fact that we were
different and didn’t quite belong. It was a good experience though, because
rarely do I get to see what life might be life for a minority who is welcomed,
but still stands out and has different traditions. I’m not sure if I would have
felt differently once I had been going there for a long time – I assume I would
and hopefully that’s true.
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 freedom we have in Christ was really illuminated for me
in this context. People weren’t as composed during the service or worship. When
they like something, they let you know it, even if that meant shouting during
the sermon. Everyone was worshiping in the way they felt most comfortable. I
didn’t feel like I needed to stand or put my hands a certain way. I could sit
or stand or dance or cry or shout. There wasn’t any judgment and people were genuinely
excited about worship. To some degree, this occurs and is acceptable at Rez,
but here it was a lot more open and obvious. It allowed me to concentrate on
worship and really think about the way Christ has broken down barriers and the
law.
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