Becca Hamilton - Church Visit #2

Church Name: Lawndale Christian Community Church

Church Address: 3827 W. Ogden  Chicago, Illinois 60623    

Date Attended: October 11, 2015

Church Category: Lower Socioeconomic Church

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

Though there were many aspects of the service that were different than what I am used to, the core structure of the service was mostly the same. There was a call to worship and then a worship time at the beginning. They even had a choir sing a few songs, like at my home church. Then there was a time for prayer requests and praises, with the sermon following. One structural aspect of the service that was different was the prayer requests and praises time. I had never seen a service were people of the congregation would line up to a microphone to tell the entire church their requests, and then have the pastor pray over all these needs. Another aspect that was different was the vocal-ness of the congregation. Many members would make loud comments and agreements to what was being said in the front, which is very different from what I am used to.

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

                  I really appreciated how close and encouraging the congregation seemed to be. Many times when someone would come up to the microphone to make their prayer requests, the pastor knew them by name and would know exactly what was happening in their lives. When someone was recognized for their special work on a specific project or acknowledged for sharing a testimony, the members would all laugh or smile knowingly, which was endearing and refreshing. The congregation seemed to really support each other and honestly understand the struggles each of them were experiencing. Though I was an outsider in this group, the pastors and welcomers made me feel like I was wanted there and had the potential to be apart of this warm and loving community.

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

                  I think what was most disorienting about the service was mostly just all on my end. I had trouble getting ready in the morning because I didn’t know what I was supposed to wear. I didn’t want to dress too fancy and seem like the annoying rich, white girl, but I also didn’t want to look sloppy either. Then, once I got there I was comforted by the wide range of apparel. Though there were many people in t-shirts and jeans, there were also people more dressed up as well. I think it was disorienting to me because I felt uncomfortable at how petty I knew this struggle was and yet it did matter to me. Another disorienting aspect was hearing about an attempted kidnapping of one of the members the week before. Though they addressed the incident well and appropriately, I was still shocked at how unshocked the rest of the congregation seemed to be about it. It was definitely eye-opening into what many of those members experience regularly.

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 emphasized the practicality of the Gospel in a way that I had not normally heard in my regular context. The sermon was on how to take care of your body in a way that is honoring to God, like not smoking and getting regular exercise and eating right. I really appreciated how the pastor, Coach, took the Bible and applied it in tangible, practical ways in which we can use everyday. Though it is also useful and important to dwell on more theological and philosophical issues as well, having the practicality of the Gospel preached was very refreshing. Sometimes I feel like the worship services I normally attend get too bogged down in the seriousness and deepness of Scripture when the congregation sometimes needs to hear of more practical, surface level applications.

Anna Jakubiec - Church Visit #2

Church name: Lawndale Community Church

Church address: 3827 W Ogden, Chicago

Date attended: 9/20/2015

Church category: Lower socio-economic demographic

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

The service we attended was held in the gym of a health center rather than an auditorium. The set-up of the service felt fairly familiar to me—having musical worship, scripture readings, and a sermon are all part of my tradition. But the style, the way these familiar things were actually enacted by the congregation, was just different enough to throw me off and keep me guessing. Both the singing and service were very interactive and responsive, with the congregation expected not just to listen or repeat what we were hearing but to contribute to it. That’s the way it felt to me. I believe this may be part of the larger African-American tradition, which makes sense given that the most obvious way the service was different was that the congregation was mostly black. It was also much less wealthy than other churches I’ve attended, both at home and in Wheaton.

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

One small, specific thing I found interesting was the pastor’s code-switching. This applied more to the sermon than the rest of the worship service, but I’ve heard the pastor in other settings—the overwhelmingly white atmosphere of Wheaton’s chapel, for instance. His linguistic patterns were different in his own church than they were at Wheaton. This pastor was himself white, but he wasn’t using African-American vernacular in the cheap, appropriative way I hear other white people use it; he was using it in an environment to which he belonged to communicate on the same level as everyone else. And that level wasn’t “lower” than the intellectualism that pervades Wheaton. I think some of us tend to equate “sounding smart” or “sounding theological” with good preaching, but I loved that he didn’t have to sound like a white pastor talking to a white congregation to give a sermon that mattered.

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

I’ve mentioned before that the church was mostly black and lower class than myself, but honestly I loved that. I come from Detroit, and while I don’t go to a particularly diverse church there, I’m used to a more diverse general setting than Wheaton. The difference from Wheaton just as we drove into the neighborhood was stark. In effect, this made me think about how closed-off our community is, as well as something we’ve talked about in my my literature class called the double consciousness—the idea that (black) people see themselves through two sets of perspectives, both their own and the way white people see them. Going to Lawndale put me in a place where I saw myself through two sets of eyes, and I saw the church itself that way. If I could be at least that disoriented every moment of my life, it would probably be good for my soul.

                                                     

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 word that springs to mind first is “community,” not as a buzzword, but in that the congregation really felt like a huge extended family. Everything about the service emphasized the importance of being active with the people around you. It wasn’t about being social, but about support. The announcements centered on community building and on healing as a body of people who are all bound together, and therefore need to support each other in ways that I might not have thought of in another context. While no one implied this kind of building was easy, no one seemed to think of it as a burden, either. It seemed like this was the natural progression of Jesus changing someone’s life (and I think it should be); once Jesus overhauls you, you’re meant to live better because of what he’s done. And “better” doesn’t mean wealthier; it means serving.

Church name: Glen Ellyn Evangelical Covenant Church 

Church address: 277 Hawthorne Blvd, Glen Ellyn, IL 60137

Date attended: 13 September 2015

Church category: Evangelical Covenant

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

Last week I attended Glen Ellyn Evangelical Covenant Church with a friend of mine that goes to Wheaton.  The worship style was very interesting at this church because it was a balanced combination of a more orthodox style mixed in with some contemporary songs.  There were a lot of hymns but there were also a lot of songs played by a band which gave it a good mix.  In addition, at the end of the service the whole congregation held hands and sang a song inspired by a psalm.  It was very interactive which I found very interesting and I was not used to it.  I liked the fact that there was a good mix of more orthodox hymns mixed with some contemporary music to appeal to all ages throughout the service.  I would say that this service was on the similar side to my regular service because there was a mixed style of worship.  The different portions were when there would be scripture readings and after each reading we would sing a portion of a song that would reflect on that scripture reading.  Other than that I thought that many of the songs played were very similar to my normal tradition.

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

I would say that one of the things that I found most interesting or appealing about the worship service was that everyone at the church felt very connected.  By that I mean that there were a lot of families and friends there that seemed like they had known each other for a long time.  This was similar to my church because it is on the smaller side and many of the people in the congregation know each other. In addition, I also liked the sermon which was on the fruits of the spirit.  The pastor emphasized seeing the Lord's blessings in our lives and also talked about setting goals in your life to become more like Christ.  This was especially impactful to me because I have felt that I need to set more goals in my life lately.  Another thing that I liked about the church was that they had a cool college ministry led by a youth pastor that attended Wheaton.  I talked to him after the service and he seemed like a very cool guy that could speak into my life as a college student.

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

One thing that I found disorienting or challenging about the service was how long it was.  I felt like the service lost my attention at times because it was very long.  I also didn't like how the service was split up into actual worship, the sermon, and and announcements.  I am used to the announcements at the beginning and worship at the beginning at end and this service was split up very oddly.  Another thing that I found challenging was that the pastor was not a very good public speaker which made it hard for me to pay attention.  I retained most of his main points but some of the minor stuff I did not retain.  I also thought that worship was a little bit dull and I wished that they had played a few more up beat songs.

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 was on the fruits of the spirit which hadn't been addressed for a while in my regular church.  One aspect of theology that the worship service illuminated for me was seeing the blessings of God in your and auditing yourself down the road in your life to see how much progress you had made spiritually and otherwise.  In addition, the pastor had many stories that gave me real life examples of the fruits of the spirit, which made the service more relatable to me.  I plan on keeping track of the progress I make in my life because I thought that this was a very good idea that the pastor presented.  One other thing that the worship service illuminated for me was that different types of worship can be very affective even if it something that I am not used to.  I think that visiting this church allowed me to realize that other traditions are very insightful and can add to my spiritual life.

Samantha Frank - Church Visit 1

Church Name: St. Michael Catholic Church

Church Address: 310 S. Wheaton Ave, Wheaton, IL

Date Attended: September 17, 2015

Church Category: More Liturgical

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

The worship service was significantly more liturgical than the services I usually attend. During the school year I attend a nondenominational church which is not very liturgical. When I am at home with my family I attend an ELCA Lutheran Church. Although some of our services are liturgical, they were not nearly as liturgy focused as the service I attended at St. Michael’s. I attended mass on a Thursday at 8 in the morning. I am sure this had some impact on the way the service went and was somewhat different than a Sunday Mass at St. Michael’s. The sanctuary was not full and there were no musicians. The service involved readings, some prayer, a short sermon, and communion. It lasted a total of thirty minutes. We sang a short song before the Gospel reading and before communion. The service was given by a middle aged male priest and he was assisted by a young boy and girl. The priest was dressed in formal white robes and followed along with the liturgy of a traditional Catholic mass.

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

One thing I found interesting about the service was the fact that it was on a weekday. It was clear that for some of the people there probably attended mass most weekday mornings. I admire the disciple of attending corporate worship every day. Routines can help us see God in new ways and it was evident that attending mass regularly throughout the week was a disciple of faith for some of the people in attendance. I also found communion appealing. From attending just one short service, it was clear that communion held a deep significance in the Catholic tradition. I thought the fact that communion took up the largest portion of the service was representative of the significance the sacrament. The liturgy leading up to communion was very lengthy and involved lots of kneeling and praying. It served as a reminder to me about the reverence and seriousness one should have when they take communion.

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

One of the most challenging things about the service was that it felt very formal and somewhat unwelcoming. Throughout the service I felt a heightened awareness of the fact that I was an outsider.  Once the service began I realized that I didn’t have one of the books, containing the liturgy, readings, and songs, to follow along with. I looked in the pews and around the back of the church, unable to find one. Despite the fact that many people saw me looking for a book and it was very evident I was a newcomer, no one offered to help me or greet me. Because I didn’t have the book, it was hard for me to feel like I was fully participating in the service. Additionally, the service felt very formal and somewhat forced. The priest giving the mass spoke very quickly and it sounded rushed. The people in attendance knew exactly how and when to respond. Their responses were almost mechanical. I think these things struck me as challenging due to their stark differences from my church experience. As much as I wanted to appreciate the liturgy and tradition, I was uncomfortable because it felt rehearsed and formal.

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 most illuminating part of the service was communion. I was really impacted by the amount of reverence and significance that was placed on communion. As we prepared to take communion at many point we were on our knees praying. There is something powerful about the physical act of getting down on your knees to pray. It was very humbling and also reminded me about the importance and significance of taking communion. I think it can become easy to simply go through the motions when taking communion and to forget what it is we are supposed to be remembering and reflecting on as we partake in it. As I was on my knees I really was reminded that I was to remember what it was Jesus had done for me when he shed his blood. It reminded me that I need to come to the table humbly to be refreshed and renewed in Christ.

Abbie Holaway-Church Visit #1

Church name: Temple Baptist Church
Church Address: 2501 Northshore Blvd., Flower Mound, TX 75208
Date Attended: September 20th, 2015
Church Category: Different Ethnic/Cultural Background

Describe the worship service you attended. How was it similar or different from your regular context?
I was in Texas last weekend for my cousin's wedding. The wedding was on Saturday, so the next morning I went to the church of my extended relatives who live in Texas. Being from the North, this Southern style baptist church was different from what I was used to, but similar in some ways, too. The church was big and there were a lot of different ministries where people can get involved and serve in, which is similar to my own church. The style of the church was more contemporary and relaxed than my home church, and the people of the church were mainly caucasian people who grew up in the South. Generally, the people of Temple Baptist Church were friendlier and louder than the conservative church that I attend in Wheaton. There were also a lot of young families at the church. 

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

I found the music of the service to be very interesting. The style was contemporary and the music was loud, which I liked. More importantly, the people of the church seemed to be very passionate about the worship, and it looked like they generally liked singing and rejoicing as a group. 

What did you find most disorienting or challenging about the worship service?
The service was great overall--good preaching and good worship--so the most challenging part of the worship service was being someone from a different region and being unfamiliar with the church style. The church was big, so my family and I did not necessarily stand out too much, but I think it was obvious to the people we did talk to by our accents that we were not from Texas. Overall, everyone was very nice, though.

What aspects of Scripture or theology did the worship service illuminate for you that you had not perceived as clearly in your regular context?
Temple Bible Church really emphasized the importance of joining a bible study when I attended last Sunday. It was neat to be reminded that not only should we be reading the bible, but we should study the bible with other people so that we are in community with one another. It is easy to only be in communion with other believers on Sunday morning, but I think the Pastor had a great point when he emphasized the importance of committing to a weekly bible study and the benefits that it would bring to the church as a whole. 

Allie McDonald- Church Visit #1

Church name: Grace Haitian Alliance Church 

Church address: 8200 South Shore Dr, Chicago, IL 60617

Date attended:  Sunday, September 13

Church category: Different Ethnic/Racial Demographic 

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

I attended a very small Haitian church with a congregation of about 40 people. The service was almost completely in Creole, a language I have heard some when I visited Haiti last January but not one I would say I understand. I could pick up little pieces here and there but overall, I was the one white girl just observing their worship and trying to participate as much as I could. The service started with very upbeat songs for worship and the congregation was very charismatic in their worship with much clapping and enthusiastic singing. Interspersed in the singing were three different prayer times which where lead by a pastor who would pray in the front while all the members prayed quietly but out loud in the pews. There was a performance by the mens choir and then the service started. The teaching was on a particular passage and had about 6 points which is similar to the teaching I am used to. What was different was the responsiveness of the congregation. They would verbalized when they agreed with the pastor and laughter at a funny point ( which I usually didn't catch on to) was common. The service was also longer than I was used to and the kids stayed in the service and sat in the first couple rows, most without their parents. This is different than I am used to as well. I feel like they stressed the importance of being together as one body rather than taking the kids to their own service. It was funny though to see mothers either on the stage or a couple rows back give their kids the evil eye when they were goofing off. The congregation was also very dressed up, more than I was used to. I was underdressed in my sundress and denim jacket. 

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

I loved the more  charismatic and upbeat worship. One thing I fell in love with while I was in Haiti was how they worship with their whole being. They are also much more confident in their worship than I feel members of American congregations are. While we only put someone with a voice that could be on the radio on our stages to lead worship, they confidently sing praises even if they don't have a jaw dropping voice. I think this is neat because to me it shows they understand that the Lord wants our hearts and not our perfection. They confidently and joyfully praise Him and because of their joy it sounds beautiful. I also thought it was interesting how there was a lot of participation from different people leading the service. Three different men who I believe were pastors lead different prayer times before the head pastor gave the sermon. This isn't that different than what I'm used to but I thought it was neat to see many people take part in ownership of the service. 

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

It was defiantly difficult being the only white person and not understanding the language. I had found this church online last  semester and wanted to visit but never did. When this assignment rolled around I thought I would use it to finally visit. I kind of just decided the night before I would go by myself and didn't put much thought into it. I woke up that morning and prayed about if it was the right decision, particularly if it would be respectful to their congregation. The Lord told me that I need to feel outside of my comfort zone, that I needed to feel like the other, that I needed to feel what it feels like to be singled out. When I arrived at the church I realized how tiny it was. There wasn't even a parking lot and there was probably 10 cars total parked a long the street. It also was not in the best neighborhood and everything in my wanted to keep driving. I was also about 10 minutes late so that didn't help the disrespect I thought I might communicate. I forced myself to park and went in where I was asked "did someone invite you?". However after I explained I had visited Haiti and just found them online, a nice lady in her 20s greeted me and made me feel welcome while they found a place for me to sit- right in the front where everyone could see me. I never really got completely comfortable- I felt the expectation on me to be able to at least speak Creole since I had just showed up here but I couldn't even meet that expectation. I definitely felt like the other and am still wrestling with if it was respectful for me to go or not. However, after the service, I feel like half the church hugged me and welcomed me to come back again and I got to talk with the pastor who went to Wheaton for his masters. 

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 three prayer times that I described really stood out to me as being a more Biblical way to approach prayer that I have experienced. I can't remember exactly but I think there was a time of Worship, Thanksgiving, and Confession. I think prayer has been minimized in some Worship settings to a mere transition from worship to the sermon, or in its best sense a preparation of our hearts to hear the word or to worship but this congregation took it seriously. They set aside somewhere between 5-10 minutes for each of these categories and prayed fervently. The pastor lead but everyone was praying out loud, very different than what I am used to. It was almost like a guided Korean style prayer. For 10 minutes, we adored and worshiped God with our prayers, for 10 minutes, we thanked Him for all He has done, and for 10 minutes we confessed our sin before Him. Prayer was not merely viewed as something to squeeze in or to use as a easy transition but as a huge and essential part of the worship service. I gained a better picture of the importance of prayer, and specifically channelled prayers through worshiping with this Haitian congregation. 

Leah Michelsen - Church Visit #1

Church name: St Joseph Orthodox Church

Church address: 412 Crescent St

Wheaton, IL 60187

Date attended: September 20, 2015

Church category: More liturgical

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

            The worship service I attended at St Joseph Orthodox was much more liturgical and traditional than Church of the Resurrection. When we walked in, the sanctuary was silent and the icons on the wall in front of us were quite prominent. We got there right on time for the service, but people were walking in for about 20 minutes while a lady up front chanted the Great Litany. During this time, a man up front lit many candles. We stood almost the entire service and chanted/sang a series of bible passages and hymns the whole way through. In one family, the two daughters and wife were wearing headscarves. There didn’t seem to be a separate room for children, or parents with children, because there were many of them and they were very loud. Sometimes they would run in the aisle and cry so much I couldn’t hear the rector. Nobody seemed to mind the distraction though. Afterwards, the rector asked if there were any anniversaries or birthdays in the audience and he said congratulations to each individual person.

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

            I thought it was interesting that there was no distinction between the different parts of the service. Instead of addressing the people like most church leaders do during services, he led by reading the content in the books we all had, and we joined in with him. The books did indicate each changing part of the service, but there weren’t any pauses to show it aurally. We went straight through the whole booklet singing, chanting and saying scripture. Since the book didn’t say when to stand up and sit down, we had to follow everyone else who seemed to know what they were doing. It’s neat that they go through the same liturgy that other orthodox churches use, so the services are mostly the same and you could attend a very similar service if you were traveling. I wanted to know if other people felt engaged by this type of service.

  

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

            I never felt like I was connecting with God. After saying a bunch of scripture with the same chant over and over, it just became a pattern of meaningless words. For me it was very unengaging and I had to keep reminding myself to pay attention and try to think or meditate on what we were saying. It seemed like because we were saying a lot of important scripture and hymns without any pause for interpretation or consideration, I wasn’t able to digest the material very well. Once I got used to the type of service and knew what to expect, I may be able to find it more engaging and meaningful, but at the moment it wasn’t ministering to me like I would have wanted. I left feeling unfulfilled and in need of a service at my home church.

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

            It was neat to know that the service was set up to reflect the content and traditions of the early church. I was entering into the lives, in a way, of the early Christians and participating in their worship of God. Because there wasn’t much interpretation of the scripture we were reciting, it emphasized the actual scripture as the ministering agent, instead of the rector/pastor’s words. Although I didn’t really notice this and engage in it during the service, afterwards it was clear that this was a unique and special type of worship. Just meditating on the actual Word of God is enough to work in our hearts and change us. The sermon wasn’t a necessary part of the service. Now, I want to focus more on the scripture readings and liturgy at my church, instead of just getting through it so I can hear the bishop speak.