Kathryn McGregor - Church Visit #1

Church Name: St. Michael Catholic Church
Church Address: 310 S Wheaton Ave, Wheaton, IL 60187
Date Attended: September 17, 2015
Church Category: Catholic 

The service was a morning mass service. The service began with some readings from a book of common prayers, and some members of the congregation read aloud some passages from the Bible. The Priest then shared a very short message, which he seemed to rush through very quickly. Then we again sang a hymn, and prayed more. The process of communion was very different than most other churches I had attended. The Priest poured the wine into a chalice, and the whole process was much more elaborate. Two kids, also dressed in robes, assisted him through the process and brought him the supplies that he needed. The congregation then proceeded to take communion, all drinking from two common chalices. The whole service was much more liturgical than services that I normally attend. The priest was dressed in formal robes, and the entire service seemed scripted and rehearsed.

I found the process of communion most appealing about the worship service. In some churches, communion seems to be just a trivial thing we do. Often times the significance and reverence is lost. In the Catholic service, it was clear that communion is an act that should be regarded with great reverence and importance. It is a very integral part of the service, with a very precise process and protocol for how it should be carried out. In the Catholic church, this is obviously the case because of their belief in transubstantiation. After only just learning of this belief, it was very interesting to see how it influences the way in which they partake in the communion during their services. The whole process was very different from how I have typically seen, but it was a great reminder of the significance of the breaking of Christ's body and the shedding of His blood. 

From the beginning, I felt very out of place. No welcome was given to us as we entered, and the people attending sat very far away from each other, the people seemed very isolated from one another. The whole service seemed very formal and intimidating, as though if anyone said something out of place it would be very inappropriate. The priest also seemed to rush through all of the service, as though he wanted to be done promptly. The service felt like it was done out of obligation or as though it were a duty. The churches that I have grown up in emphasize community and greeting one another. The services also just seem less scripted and more informal. It was a challenge for me to feel welcome and comfortable there, though this is probably  because of my very limited exposure to Catholic church services, and liturgical churches in general. 

As I mentioned before, communion was illuminated for me far more than I had ever experienced in the services I regularly attend. The reverence and importance of the act was refreshing for me, and brought new light to how I should approach communion in the future. Also, although the increased liturgy felt very foreign to me, it helped me again to appreciate the history and tradition of the church. The sayings and prayers included in the service that we all spoke together in unison have been said by countless others throughout time. This is helpful in attempting to unify the church across time as well as across the world. Though I felt very out of place in the service, it was helpful to see and experience a different style of worship. 

Leah Blobaum - Church visit #1

Church name: All Souls Anglican Church
Church address: 25W741 Jewell Rd. Wheaton, IL 60187
Date attended: 13 September 2015
Church category: Significantly more or less liturgical

Describe the worship service you attended. How was it similar to or different from your regular context?
I grew up in a non-denominational mega church, making this service at All Souls a completely opposite experience for me. I thoroughly enjoyed the change! I walked into a small but ornately decorated sanctuary that filled the upper level of the church, and was struck by the hushed reverence everyone in the congregation had. The service began with the procession of the cross and the Bible, carried by the church leaders to begin the Call to Worship. Prayers and readings from the Scripture were structured as a Call and Response. Hymns were interspersed in the service. About halfway through the service, the sermon was given by Dr. Gordon, who spoke on the importance and power of our words. Following the main sermon, were Call and Response prayers of intercession, and the Eucharist. The receiving of the Eucharist was the most powerful part of the service for me, personally. 
What did you find most interesting or appealing about the worship service?
My favorite parts of the service were the Eucharist and prayers. Everything was approached with reverence and care, and not in any way as only a callus rite. Instead of passing around trays of tiny little cups and wafers, we were dismissed row by row to kneel at the altar and receive the elements from one cup and piece of wafer. The way Eucharist was approached gave me a great sense of unity with the other members of the congregation. We were all reverently approaching God together, in community. Even though the prayers were something I was following along with from a sheet of paper, I could hear the sincerity of those speaking around me, and was, myself, speaking sincerely. Overall, I was thoroughly interested in the different approach to an equally, if not more strongly, sincere worship service. 
What did you find disorienting or challenging about the worship service?
Some of the very things I liked most about this experience I also found challenging. The liturgical layout of the service was something I have participated in before, but not on a regular basis. I was not familiar with this particular layout, and it was easy to get distracted by trying to follow along and say the correct words. Some of the worship service traditions, such as the procession at the beginning, were things I had never experienced before in a worship service. While I had personally never been in a service quite like that before, the sincerity with which the worship was approached was something I found myself easily drawn to. Another more minor thing that caught me off guard was the very small size of the congregation at the service. Again, this was purely out of my comfort zone and not something I found offensive. I felt like much more of a spectacle as a newcomer in such a small congregation. 
What aspects of Scripture or theology did the worship service illuminate for you that you had not perceived?
The sermon by Dr. Gordon on the importance of Words was something that clearly ministered to me from the service. I found myself both encouraged and challenged, walking away feeling refreshed. Additionally, the importance of tradition in Christian worship was made more clear to me through this overall experience than it ever had at my home church. I enjoyed the new perspective All Souls' service gave me in its worship. I have begun better appreciating church tradition and the incorporation of it into worship services. The early centuries of church history had their struggles, just like our churches do now, but they were ever closer to the beginning of Christianity. This is another reason it is important to take seriously what has been passed down to us. 

Denise Garcia- Church Visit #1

Denise Garcia- Church Visit #1

Church Name: Iglesia del Pueblo at Wheaton Bible Church

Church Address: 27W500 North Ave, West Chicago, IL

Date Attended: September 20, 2015

Church Category: Nondenominational church, predominantly Latino-American congregation

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

The worship service I attended was very similar to my regular context (First Baptist Wheaton), as well as my home church (nondenominational church, predominantly Chinese Filipino congregation), in terms of how it was structured. The service began with singing a couple of worship songs and tithing (wherein the offering plates were passed around by ushers) followed shortly after. Then the message was preached and the service came to a close through a song of response and a final prayer. Despite the similarities, I also noticed a couple of differences. One of them included dismissing children and teenagers to Sunday school and youth worship after the offering. Another difference is the musical style, as Iglesia del Pueblo has a band and only contemporary worship songs were sung whereas First Baptist only has a full band once a month and in both First Baptist and my home church, both hymns and contemporary songs are sung during worship. There was also a lot more participation among the congregants not only during worship, but also whenever the pastor asked questions or said something that resonated with them during his message. I also noticed that as the service approached its end, it did not become more solemn, as it usually does when a congregation prepares to receive the benediction.

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

The most appealing aspect of the worship service was the way the congregation was engaged and responsive not only during worship, but also during the message. I couldn’t help but notice that when the pastor greeted the congregation at the beginning of his sermon, he received an audible and unified Spanish greeting back instead of hushed mumbles. I also sensed that people were very comfortable with each other and most worshipped together as families.

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

I attended Iglesia del Pueblo’s Spanish service, and the most challenging aspect was the language because I do not understand Spanish. It was not as hard to figure out when to stand or greet people because I just kept watching the people around me for cues, but it was difficult to know whether the worship leader or pastor was leading the congregation in prayer or was just talking because not everyone bowed their heads or closed their eyes. Aside from the language barrier, I cannot think of anything else because the majority of the service style and structure were similar to the context I’m used to.

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 worship service illuminated the concept of the body of Christ very clearly to me. From the small details like pews filled with families (from grandparents to babies) to how prayers were not only about individual matters, but also included the problems of nations like Chile allowed me to understand how I am a part of something bigger and how my faith is and should be enriched by being in community and doing things together with fellow Christians.

                                                                                                                                        

Caroline Saylor - Church Visit #1

Church Name: Wheaton Chinese Alliance Church (WCAC)

Church Address: 1748 S Blanchard St, Wheaton IL. 60189

Date Attended: September 20th 2015

Church Category: Difference Ethnic/Racial Demographic 

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

Besides the more dominant difference of the service being spoken in a different language, there were certain aspects of this worship service that I had also never experienced before. The structure of the service seemed to follow the standard traditions of most worship settings. We sang hymns, read Scripture, listened to a sermon, and concluded with prayer and a benediction. Although this was similar to the church I usually attended, there were slight variations in tradition that I found interesting. For instance, we sang the hymn “I’m so Happy”—however after we sang through it once, we stopped reflected on the words and then sang it three more times each with different parts of the room singing at one time. The men would sing half the verse and then the women would finish and then we switched. In total we sang the hymn about five times. Another difference was having a powerpoint slide accompany the sermon. It helped outline the points of the sermon along with funny little comics to illustrate the lessons. I had never experienced a powerpoint with comics within a sermon. Many churches, including the one I grew up going to, conclude their Sunday services with a time of fellowship. Same was true with  WCAC, however being a visitor they welcomed me a little extra. After the service they asked if they could take a picture of me for their visitor records and gave me a present. I had never experienced such open arms welcoming me into a new church.

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

I appreciated the strength of the community in the Church and especially how it carried over into the worship service as well. The announcements were held at the end of the sermon and included the prayer requests of the congregation. Following the requests, people from the congregation would stand and give updates on previous prayer requests. The service I attended ended with the celebration of a women in the congregation that just defeated her battle with cancer. The church I grew up going to would often recognize the development of past prayer requests, but it always seemed to take place in a guest speaker setting. They would pick one person to share their story for a designated fifteen minutes. Having people stand up in the crowd and share their story in a much less formal setting made it seem more authentic. Something that I found very interesting about the Church was that their preacher communicated his sermon through Skype. There wasn’t a formal speaker but instead a big screen with the speaker speaking from elsewhere. I understood that as major dedication this church had to their pastor. I had never seen anything like it but deeply appreciated the lengths they had to accommodate to meet every Sunday to worship together.    

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

Although this church offered English speaking services, I challenged myself with attending the Cantonese speaking service. Not a single word was spoken in English so I entered this experience with a lot of nerves. I mostly feared being disrespectful and not being able to communicate with those around me. All of the programs, hymns and sermon notes were in Cantonese characters which also made the entire experience disorienting. However, what I think was most challenging was the using the headset for the translator. I was already nervous about standing out by not singing or reading along with the Scripture, so putting on huge black headphones felt like I was placing a neon sign over my head recognizing that I was misplaced. Although I was extremely thankful for the translator (I would of not been able to get anything from the sermon without it) I still struggled trying to follow along two languages going at once.  

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 sermon I attended was speaking on the fruit of the Sprit according to Galatians 5:22-23. That particular Sunday the focus of the sermon was on Love, one of the first fruits of the Sprit. The preacher explored the implications that coexist with Christian love and finished the sermon with a practical application that we, as Christians, can carry out to embody Scriptural love. The topic of Christian love was anything but foreign to me, seeing as it is a foundational concept when living out a life seeking Christ. However, considering the topic within the context of a completely different cultural church broadened my view of what it means to love one another. What stuck out to me the most during and especially after the service was how welcoming the congregation was towards me. The entire Church service was in Cantonese, however every usher continually would walk up to my seat and hand me translators and translated Hymnals and English handouts. I felt so cared for and loved even as this stranger that was obviously different. At the end of the Sermon they made an announcement of their newest guest “Caroline Saylor” and made me stand up to wave at everyone. After the service almost every person in the room made their way over to shake my hand and personally welcome me. I stood in awe at this visceral example of what it means to love one another. I came into this experience extremely nervous that I would step on toes and feel extremely out of place, yet I left feeling overwhelmingly loved. 

Becca Hamilton - Church Visit #1

Church Name: St. Michael’s Catholic Church

Church Address: 310 South Wheaton Avenue, Wheaton Il 60187

Date Attended: September 12, 2015

Church Category: More Liturgical

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

This service was very different in many ways from the service I regularly attend. I go to a nondenominational church in Naperville, so all of the Catholic traditions were very new to me. Everyone in the congregation knew exactly when to stand, sit and kneel. I had never kneeled in church before, so I probably seemed very confused when I was trying to figure out the kneeler. The music was also different in that there was only one woman cantor who would sing all of the chants and hymns. Many of the members in the congregation didn’t even need to follow along in the hymnals, which was surprising. The priests all wore white robes, with one man in particular wearing a green, ornate robe on top of the white one. There were even alter girls helping during the service. Also, the entire congregation took communion at the front of the church instead of passing the plates around, which is different from my church experience as well.

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

I think what was most appealing was the respect for tradition that the Catholic church had. To say the liturgy every Sunday, like the Nicene Creed, and to receive the same blessing from the pastor every week would engrain those truths into the mind. With those statements taken to memory, they could be used more readily in everyday life. I also like that everyone could have the music right in front of them in the hymnals so people felt more comfortable to sing. Sometimes in my church people don’t sing because they don’t know the songs; but if they had the music in front of them, that could help more people to sing.

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

I think the most disorienting part of the service was just trying figure out what was happening next. The congregation had been through the motions so many times that they seemed to be doing everything without even needing to think, and so we seemed fairly out of place. They didn’t write in the worship program when to stand and sit, which some churches do, so we just had to be observant. Also the members would do the cross across their body multiple times, and when we didn’t do it with them we also seemed out of place. I wanted to be able to blend in as much as possible, but since we had no idea what was coming next we couldn’t blend in at all.

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 service illuminated for me how important reading the Scriptures carefully is. The entire sermon was on how works should be the loudest proclamation of your faith, which is partially true. However, the pastor seemed to have not continued reading about how faith and works should be paired together to proclaim faith.  I feel like I always knew how important it is to fully read Scripture, however seeing an instance like this one solidified to me how truly important it is. It can be so tempting to ‘read with Bible with a Sharpie’ and only pay attention to what you like. Interpretations can be difficult, and that is why the Bible requires so much study and discussion before it is taught to hundreds of people.

Ben Norton - Church Visit #1

Church name: Iglesia Cristiana Community (Community Christian Church East Aurora)
Church address: 76 S. LaSalle St., Aurora, IL 60505
Date attended: 9/20/15
Church category: Significantly Lower Socioeconomic Demographic

Describe the worship service you attended. How was it similar to or different from your regular context?
The service had several substantial dissimilarities from what I have grown accustomed to at Resurrection. I arrived at the time the service was scheduled to begin, and was surprised to find that it had already begun—my entrance did not go unnoticed. I was surprised to find that only several dozen people were in attendance, and the pastor acknowledged my entrance with a “welcome to Iglesia Cristiana,” amidst the church news and updates. The building itself was small, hot, and uncomfortable in comparison to the open floorplan at Rez. As noted by someone else on the blog, the service was presented in both Spanish and English. In my experience, there were not many families in attendance—most of the congregation had come alone, and sat in the service as far away from one another as possible. At resurrection, the pastoral staff seems less welcoming, but the church body is significantly more hospitable. Despite all of the uncomfortableness, the structure of the service felt familiar. It was a little over an hour in length, and opened with several songs that I had heard before. This was trailed by communion and a message, and the service concluded with a benediction.

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

Without question, the most appealing aspect of the service was that it was bilingual, and that the community was over half Latino. This, coupled with the informality of the service, fostered a “come as you are,” vibe. This and the friendly pastoral staff made the church more inviting. The idea of a mixed ethnicity church offers a wider variety of perspectives on life, which is an essential part of a strong community. I was told by the founders of Mission Possible Clinic (Aurora, IL), where I work, that this was a low income church community. This was readily apparent, and I appreciate that greatly—a body of believers gathering to celebrate Christ alongside one another, despite circumstances. While the church building was uncomfortable, I genuinely feel that this added appeal for me. The whole experience felt more authentic and less hypocritical. People weren’t gathering to socialize in a ten million dollar building, they were there to worship.

What did you find most disorienting or challenging about the worship service?
As often is a barrier to moving to a small church, people seemed to know each other, and had little interest in getting to know guests or other people. I felt very uncomfortable because people weren’t talking amongst one another, and everyone seemed to be there alone. I sensed a tension—almost hostility—between members of the church. While I love the multiethnic facet of the church, there almost seemed to be two separate churches with the bilingual service, and the obvious racial division down the aisles. I found the communion a little disorienting, as I am used to intinction, followed by quiet prayer. In this setting, the congregation took communion together, and there was no time to reflect, confess, or praise, which subtracted from the meaning of the action.

What aspects of Scripture or theology did the worship service illuminate for you that you had not perceived as clearly in your regular context? 
In this setting, I was much more responsive to the message, which was on servitude and love. Growing up in several large churches, where the congregation is comprised of predominantly the upper-middle class, this message is often hard to listen to. At Iglesia Cristiana Community, the pastor was telling the underprivileged to humbly serve the community. In a place where the people have so much less (no $70,000 cars or Tom Ford suits on display), it was easier to hear the message: that we should give of our time and resources regardless of how much we have been given. This was as evident in the offering as in the message. The director of MP had notified me that many homeless people go to the church. It was not evident by the way that they gave.

Emma Sargent - Church Visit #1

Church Name: Lawndale Community Church

Date Attended: September 20, 2015

Church Category: Church of a significantly lower socioeconomic demographic

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

The worship service was highly interactive and lively. People trickled in at the beginning, during praise songs. The music was louder and of a different style than I was used to, but I recognized one of the songs. There was a short time of announcements, and I realized that the relaxed atmosphere and conversational style of the pastor was similar to that of my home church in rural Vermont. However, in general, there was more response from the congregation throughout the entire service than I was used to. After announcements, the choir sang. I am not used to choir-led worship, but it was beautiful, and people were praying and praising God through it. There was a scripture reading, and then special music shared as a sort of testimony. While this sort of thing is familiar to me, the style of the music and the sharing was unfamiliar. The sermon was longer than I am used to, but very engaging.

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

Overall, I appreciated that the atmosphere of the service felt natural and unaffected. People spoke what they felt, and the sermon was delivered clearly and supported by vivid examples. I was also struck by the aesthetics of the sanctuary. I have grown up in mainly traditional evangelical churches, and love the beauty of traditional church buildings; however, I think that the gym and the folding chairs represented a focus on God and practical service. I came away with the impression that this church was very deliberately not contained within the service and the building. The announcements all pertained to midweek gatherings and tangible ways to serve the community. I got the impression, even from a single service, that this was an active body of Christ, and I was just witnessing a small aspect of it.

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

I was a bit disoriented by the way people would respond in the congregation, by shouting out agreement and “Amens.” While I enjoyed this interactive type of worship, it did make me feel out of place and uncertain. Likewise, while I enjoyed the worship music, I had a hard time entering into praise when I did not know the music and was unfamiliar with the style of worship. Because I was uncertain of the “unspoken rules” of conduct, I was slightly self-conscious and felt like I must be noticeable as an “outsider.” This was also a racially diverse church, where the majority of people were African-Americans. As a Caucasian who has attended predominantly white churches, I felt somewhat conspicuous. So even as I enjoyed the service and felt that I was able to enter into worship, I was slightly on edge the whole time simply because I was out of place.

What aspects of Scripture or theology did the worship service illuminate for you that you had not perceived as clearly in your regular context? I left the service thinking about the nature of the body of Christ in the world. As I mentioned above, I think that this church very deliberately emphasized the ministry of the church in the greater community. The pastor spoke about the need for Christians to commit themselves wholeheartedly to the gospel, to enter into transformation without holding anything back. This was, for me, a healthy reminder of the practical implications of Christianity. In my regular context, I can become caught in a spirituality of the mind, and forget about basic acts of service and outreach. Lawndale Community Church emphasized that they were concerned with the spiritual and physical needs of their community; everything about their worship service supported this. I was able to see the incarnational nature of Christianity in their authentic worship and practical concern for healthcare and teenage mothers. Words like “transformation” can so easily be tossed around in academic or “spiritual” discussions – however, I could see that Lawndale Community Church was concerned with the mess, discouragement, and faithfulness that makes up everyday transformation.