Noah Anthony - Church Visit #1

Buckhead Church

3336 Peachtree Road

Atlanta, GA 30326

9/13/15

Megachurch

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

            The service I attended was very simple and modern. The church itself was very wealthy and well put together. It was massive! It was about 4 stories tall and even had different themed levels for youth and adult ministries. Their sanctuary had a very large auditorium feel. It was dark with lots of modern lights behind the stage. Their music and worship was fantastic. When they did their worship I felt like I was at a concert which can be a good and a bad thing. There were a few things different about this church that I attended. The church was located in the middle of downtown Atlanta whereas my church is located in the suburbs. The size of the church and the sanctuary was much larger than the church I go to. It was a bit more of a modern style, which I liked. The service was very relatable and useful to everyone there.

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

            The one thing that was very interesting to me was that the pastor wasn’t actually there on stage for the service. What they did was they had a very large screen that had him on video preaching from another campus. It was very weird because at first it seemed like he was actually there but then we realized that it was just a large screen and that he was at another campus. This is different from my church, which has two campuses. My church has different pastors and messages at both campuses. I later found out that Buckhead Church is one of six churches that is a part of North Point Ministries, Inc. I had never seen a ministry that was incorporated before. I also found that 30,000 people attend North Point Churches each week and that their sermons are accessed over one million times each month via their North Point websites. I thought it was very cool that they are able to reach that many people to share the good news.

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

            I personally liked the service a lot but at the same time the church was almost too much. The building was so big it felt like a mini skyscraper and did not really have a church feel to it. I thought that the themed floors were cool but at the same time it’s like do you really need all that? The sanctuary was a very large auditorium and felt like a small stadium. It also was a bit too dark in there. There were some things that I liked about it though. It was casual, modern, and the message was relatable. The modern feel of the church I think is what makes it so appealing to a lot of people. It makes them feel more comfortable. I understand that but at the same time, it did not feel like I was at a church. Maybe, this is how more churches will be in the future and I did appreciate their willingness to make people feel comfortable at church.

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

            This service to be honest did not contain a lot of scripture. This is part of how I said earlier that the service was simple. The pastor focused on John 10:10-11 and Romans 6:16. The series that they were in was called “What Makes You Happy.” He talked about the difference between happiness and pleasure and how we in our lives struggle with pleasure. This topic is very relatable as we deal with these types of problems all the time. I liked how the message was relatable, but at the same time there wasn't a lot of scripture provided. The message was good but I felt that it did not dive deep enough into God’s word. I am used to seeing more scripture in sermons when I go to church. Using more scripture helps us learn more about God and how we should live as Christians. I personally thought that the service could have used a bit more of that. But this goes to show that you can have a good sermon without a ton of scripture.

Abby Spencer - Church Visit #1

Church Name: St. Joseph Orthodox Church
Church address: 412 Crescent St. Wheaton, IL 60187
Date Attended: September 20, 2015
Church Category: Significantly More Liturgical

Describe the worship service you attended. How was it similar to or different from your regular context?
I went to the Divine Liturgy service in England. The whole time was call and response. Most of what we said was sung or chanted. We were given books to follow along. Different priests would rotate when they were leading the liturgy, and they mostly stayed behind the iconostasis. It was extremely liturgical and there were a lot of times where we kneeled, sat and stood up. The priests and bishops wore these very elaborate robes and there was a lot of iconography inside. There was a lot of participation by the congregation. This is different from my regular church because church usually takes about an hour and a half, for everything but here the call and response took 1.5 hours and then the priest gave announcements and then there was a sermon, so everything took longer than I was used to. 

What did you find most interesting or appealing about the worship service?
The most appealing part was the participation by the congregation. It was nice to all be reciting the same words and hymns and praying to God. Part of the call and response was praying for others and praying for those in the world that need help and I liked that. I thought it was interesting that the liturgy was mostly sung because I felt like it makes you pay more attention to the words because you have to pay attention to singing the right thing. I also liked how they did the sign of the cross whenever the Trinity was mentioned, which was frequent. At the beginning of the service a woman read a long piece of liturgy in the same singing/chanting voice and I thought that was very interesting and I wondered what the purpose was of that. And at the end the priest acknowledged birthdays and anniversaries and then people of the congregation raised their hand and added birthdays and anniversaries to the list.

What did you find most disorienting or challenging about the worship service?
Many times they referenced Mary as being highly revered and I thought that was interesting and unexpected. I know Mary is very important in Catholic traditions, but I didn't realize it would be in the Orthodox church and that made me a little bit uncomfortable because of my very evangelical upbringing. At the end of the service, the priest stood by the door with a little cross and when people passed by him they kissed it which was very disorienting and confusing and I wasn't sure if we were supposed to or what it was even for, so that was challenging. At the end they also sung a prayer that talked about the Orthodox church in America or something and this was challenging to me because I didn't know what they were praying and to an outsider it seemed somewhat heretical and since I'm not Orthodox I didn't know whether I should say the words.

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 Trinity was something they mentioned many many times throughout the service and everyone did the sign of the cross when it was mentioned. In my regular contexts the Trinity doesn't get as much attention and recognition. The recited the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed which talks about the Trinity and its relationship to us and to each other. The service illuminated for me the participatory aspect of church that I don't usually see because we don't do long extended liturgies and worship is only a small part of the service. During the announcements, as I said they talked about things happening in people's lives and afterwards they had a fellowship hour with food and everything and this emphasized that the church was a community, even if it is a small one. 

Beth Yan-Church Visit #1

Church name: St. Peter's Church

Church address: 110 W Madison St, Chicago, IL 60602

Date attended: September 6, 2015 

Church category: Liturgical

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

I attended a Sunday Morning mass service held at a Catholic Church in Downtown Chicago. In comparison to my regular worship context, the differences began immediately with the facade. From an architectural standpoint, this worship space was significantly less modern than what I was used to. The interior displayed large biblical scenes in marble, a grandiose gilt altar space in the front, and stained glass panels near the entrance of the church. Additionally, the atmosphere of St. Peter's was significantly more reverent than my regular context. There were hardly any pre-service conversations taking place, with individuals tending to sit quietly by themselves. Once the service started, I began to recognize some of the components of the service. Singing from hymnals, listening to the reading of scripture and a short message, responsive readings, and communion were all elements of church services that I was familiar with. However, many of the things that accompanied these actions--crossing oneself, rising and sitting and kneeling at appointed times, and dipping one's hand in the baptismal pool--were quite foreign to me. 

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

Although the intricacies of the worship flow were foreign to me, I greatly appreciated the attention to detail that was paid throughout the service. This could be seen in the order in which the church leaders walked out carrying their respective items such as incense or the Holy Bible. It was also very apparent in the careful way communion was presented, prayed over, wafted with incense, and served. The enormous attention to detail and the overall pageantry of the experience communicated a high level of respect and intentionality. I deeply felt that many aspects of this service were rooted in tradition and that gave a sense of weight and authority to each action.

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

I found some of the more ritualistic parts of the service confusing at times. For example, the use of incense throughout the service was very disorienting to me. In my mind, incense was something that had always been linked with other religions, namely Buddhism and ancestral worship. Thus, seeing incense in the context of a Christian worship service was very strange. Additionally, my general lack of knowledge concerning the order in which to perform certain tasks (i.e. kneeling, crossing, etc) made the entire experience a bit disorienting. It was difficult to like a unified church under Christ when my ignorance made me feel like an 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?

Overall, I feel that this experience highlighted for me the majesty of our God. In my regular worship context, the messages, songs, scripture, and call to communion often emphasize the less daunting attributes of God--his grace, compassion, unconditional love, and mercy. Worshipping at St. Peter's really illustrated the fact that we worship a supreme and all-powerful God. While the other attributes of God were also mentioned throughout the service, the general attitude of the church leaders and attendees conveyed a deep sense of respect for God. While God does love us intimately, he is also to be feared and held in awe. 

Caleb Luk - Church Visit #1

Caleb Luk – Church visit 1

Church of the Resurrection

935 W. Union Ave. Wheaton, IL 60187

September 20, 2015

Significantly more liturgical

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

The worship service began with the hymn, Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise, praising the Lord for who He is. Afterwards, there was then a person who led the congregation to response titled the Celebrant. Inside the handout given, the words to respond with were printed out. In the church I regularly attend, there isn’t much within the handouts. The handouts of my church are more of an outline of the service rather than the detailed pamphlets that this church gave. The worship service also had multiple readings of Scripture from various passages of the Old and New Testament, not just the passage on which the sermon was based on. During Communion, there was the choice of either grape juice or wine. Also, there was gluten-free bread available for participants as well. In my regular church service, there is only grape juice and a wafer. At the end of the service, the Celebrant gave a blessing and dismissed the congregation.

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

The diversity in the way that the service used the gifts present was truly incredible. For example, the music group did not only consist of the contemporary style – guitarist, bass, drums, and singers, but also had a choir of various age as well. What made the choir even more interesting was the fact that the conductor of the choir was a college student. To see that the church was willing to allow someone who was fairly young lead the choir group was great to see. Another aspect that diversity was seen was that the leaders of the service had both genders helping out. There was a woman deacon as well as a man deacon. I thought this symbolized well the fact that God has given gifts to all people. To see that the church allowed men and women to serve with the gifts that God had given them was a great testimony to God’s work within the church.

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

There honestly wasn’t much about the worship service that made me disoriented. Having visited another Anglican church, I was aware of the liturgical aspect. What I still was adapting to was the fact that it wasn’t the head pastor who was giving the sermon. From a participant’s perspective, the Celebrant with the robes that he wore seemed to deem him as the one leading the congregation in the service. To have one of the deacons give the sermon was a bit of a surprise to me.

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 think that by not having the head pastor give the sermon alluded to me that the sermon was not the focal point of the service. Communion was the main focus in the service. The head pastor lead the service in this point of the service, and the choices in song during this time pointed to the importance of this action. I was reminded that the Christian life is not about amassing knowledge of who God is, but rather it is a relationship with Him. Communion reminded me that I am utterly dependent on God to live a life that is bringing me closer into His likeness. If it was not for His sustenance, I would not be able to go through life. By partaking in the Lord’s supper, I am strengthened and nourished to travel on the journey.

Krista Schuh- Church Visit #1

Krista Schuh- Church Visit #1

Church name: Karen Baptist Church

Church address: 2001 Lakeview Dr. Wheaton, IL

Date attended: Sep 13^th, 2015

Church category: Different ethnic or racial demographic

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

I attended a worship service at a Karen Baptist church with the family that I tutor in ESL. It was very different than my regular context on the surface, but still unexpectedly similar in many ways. The congregation used another church’s facility after their service was over, and started the service around 1:30pm (much later than any church I’ve attended). The 40-person congregation was seemingly wholly comprised of Karen people, similar to my family of Burmese refugees who had been living in Thailand before moving to the States. Though I couldn’t understand the words being spoken (the entire service was in Karen), the structure of the service was very familiar. First, there was worship (about 7 songs, a mix of hymns and other lively, contemporary worship), then the children were dismissed, the offering was taken, and then the sermon was preached (which was also slightly longer than sermons I’m accustomed to). After the sermon, the kids came back in and many sang a worship song together, then the whole congregation sang the doxology (again, in Karen) and was dismissed to help tear down.

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

The intensely communal aspect of the church was something very appealing and awe-inspiring to me. About half of the non-child congregation was up at the front as they sang worship songs. Even during the service itself, members would occasionally speak up and say something. Whether it was a page reference or a comment of great depth, I’ll never know, but the ability for church members to do that was very interesting and encouraging to me. It was clear that this is a tight-knit community of believers who care deeply about each other. After the service, nearly the entire congregation stuck around to eat McDonald’s together in honor of one of the member’s birthdays. Even though I was very clearly an outsider as the only white American there, they welcomed me in and insisted that I eat with them. A meal from McDonald’s has never seemed so appealing as it did in the company of those incredibly hospitable brothers and sisters.

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

Though simple and probably fairly obvious, the most challenging part about the service was that I could not understand the specifics of it as a result of the language difference. Though I understood the gist of the service, it was impossible for me to enter in at a level of depth with the brothers and sisters standing near me because of my inability to understand the service.

Apart from that obvious challenge, it was disorienting to see a group of people so culturally different from our society’s norm worshipping in largely the same way as the surrounding majority society. Though this was encouraging to me in some ways, it also brought many questions as to why they were choosing to follow the model of typical western churches. Of course this isn’t wrong, but it disoriented me nonetheless as I think of their experiences and unity as refugees.

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

Though this is a common theme when around believers who are unlike yourself, I was nonetheless struck by how amazing it is to be a part of the global Church. If the other members of the church are anything like the refugee family that I spend time with, the people I had the honor of worshiping alongside are some of the most persistent and loving people I’ve ever met. Though I could not understand the words they were speaking, about half of the songs sung were familiar melodies, including the doxology. It’s incredible to think of the incredibly strong bond we have in Christ with people that we often don’t even know exist. Though I did not directly hear or understand this from the message of the church itself, experiencing their church service with them led me to a better understanding of and excitement for the time when every tribe, tongue, and nation comes before the throne of the Lamb of God and worships him.

Chris Kil - Church Visit #1

Church name: Iglesia del Pueblo (Wheaton Bible Church)

Church address: 27W500 North Ave, West Chicago, IL 60185

Date attended: September 20, 2015

Church category: Different racial/ethnic background

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

The structure of the worship service at Wheaton Bible Church was very similar to that of the church service I regularly attend at Restoration Community Church (in Naperville.) The praise team leader welcomed the congregation (children and adults together) and said a few words before leading us in worship. In between the praise songs, the leader asked for us to greet each other and we did so by shaking hands and saying "hello." After praise, the younger children were dismissed to their classes. This was followed by a time for offering/tithing in which the ushers would pass the offering plates aisle by aisle. Then the service transitioned into the sermon; the pastor came to the podium and preached, continuing his series on Jesus and the ten commandments. After the sermon, the praise band came up once again for the closing praise and the pastor led the congregation in a short time of confession before ending the service with the benediction. The only major difference that I could point out was the benediction. At Wheaton Bible Church, the pastor prayed the benediction over us while at Restoration Community Church, the pastor first sings the benediction (Numbers 6:24-26) a capella then the whole congregation sings it to one another.

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

I found the time of praise most appealing. Most of the songs were new to me but I was able to sing along with the rest of the congregation. I love how energetic and passionate the praise band sounded. In addition, I really appreciated the intentionality of the church members. When we were greeting each other, a few members came to me first to firmly shake my hand with a smile; some were sitting either on the opposite side of the pew or were in a different aisle and had walked up to greet me.

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

Perhaps what was most challenging and disorienting about the worship service was that it was entirely in Spanish. It had urged me to take all of the Spanish that I had learned in middle and high school out of my memory to piece together what the praise team leader was saying, let alone figure out what I was singing. By the time I had mentally translated one sentence, there was another full paragraph of words that I had to decipher. Thankfully, a friend who is a member of the church and speaks Spanish was sitting next to me to translate the majority of the sermon.

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

A mental image of Acts 2:2-4 immediately popped into my head as I was singing; this had never happened before. ("Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.") Through this service, I was able to really feel the Holy Spirit kindling a spiritual fire within the congregation as people would sing their hearts out in a language I am not nearly as familiar with compared to my native languages, English and Korean. The service really showed me that the church is global yet unified.

Jonathan Griffin - Church Visit 1

Church name: St. Michael Catholic Church

Church address: 310 S Wheaton Ave., Wheaton, IL 60187

Date attended: 13-Sep-2015

Church category: Significantly more liturgical

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

Upon entering the church, there were many things that seemed normal to my typical church service I have attended growing up. There were greeters, bulletins, and even a couple signs offering donuts in attempt to get more involvement from the church body. Other similarities included the congregation rising and reading the Bible together and worship through singing hymns (although there was no “worship band”). Surprisingly, many of the people around me were very casually dressed displaying many outfits of jeans, t-shirts, and even some hoodies. Apart from these similarities, there were many differences when compared to my typical Sunday morning service. This was the first time reciting a creed during a church service (and I was one of few in the room using the hymnal to remember the words). Many common phrases were recited throughout the service, many of which I was unfamiliar with. It was also very interesting to see genuflection before people entered their respective pew.

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

To me, the incorporation of long standing was strikingly fascinating. In a sense, this experience reminded me of God’s holiness. Often times at my regular church, it is not uncommon to see people drinking coffee, whispering to their neighbors, or eating their breakfast. The seriousness of tradition at this church reminded me of the respect God deserves and it stirred feelings of shame as so often I view church as a casual meeting. I enjoyed seeing and experiencing the long-standing traditions and liturgy of this church. The most interesting part of my experience was when the entire congregation knelt to pray. Overall, the aura of respect through tradition stuck me as an aspect of my faith I need to take more seriously.

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

Although all of the traditions and liturgy foreign to me were fascinating, it was difficult to grasp the meaning within many of the rituals and to understand what was happening when. Many of the short phrases that were repeated throughout the entirety of the service affirmed biblical truths I was familiar with, but the entire congregation recited them easily as if they had been doing the same thing for their entire lives. I attempted to follow closely the order of the service by following the bulletin and watching the people around, but I was inevitably lost with the lack instruction of when to kneel, when to stand, when to sit, and when to kneel again. Overall, the majority of my experience was very pleasant and enjoyable. Despite not knowing what exactly to do and why it is done, there is much value to be found in experiences outside of one’s comfort zone. This particular visit pushed me outside of the bubble I have grown up in.

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

Interestingly, the passage of scripture came from James 2:14-26 talking about how faith without works is dead. Specifically, the primary emphasis of the sermon was about the necessity of works and how crucial they are to one’s faith. Alternatively, this illuminated how important faith plays into the equation as well. The entire service was filled with traditions and rituals. Very easily, one could fall into the trap of going through the motions. James 2 needs to be coupled with Ephesians 2:5; although faith without works is dead; we are still saved by grace – not by any of our own actions. Being raised in a church where “saved by grace” is incorporated into a majority of sermons, its absence was evident in comparison to my personal church upbringing. Particularly, the contrast between this service and the tone of sermons I have heard growing up shed light on the importance of both faith and works.