Amanda Short - Church Visit #3

Amanda Short - Church Visit #3

Church Name: Holy Trinity Church
Church Address: 1940 W 18th St, Chicago, IL 60608
Date Attended: 10/18/15
Church Category: Lower Socioeconomic Status

Describe the worship service you attended. How was it similar or different from your regular context? 
    The sermon at this service was very similar to sermons that I've heard before, and that I could imagine having heard at my home church. I knew a few of the worship songs (I don't know about the first few because we arrived after the service had started.) The attire was more or less similar to what I am used to back home - much more casual than most churches in the Wheaton area.  
    Some of the most clear differences were probably related to the location of the church in a lower-income neighborhood (Pilsen). For example, the service was held in a school gymnasium, with metal folding chairs and simple drinks and snacks as compared to the legitimate coffee shops at so several of the Wheaton churches. Others of the differences that I noticed had less to do with SES, such as a few somewhat liturgical elements. There was a mix of traditional and contemporary worship, though the contemporary songs were performed in a way that made them much more dialed down than how they are normally played. Another difference was the demographic makeup of the congregation. I had expected to be in the racial minority, being in the middle of Pilsen, but there were actually a lot of young/emerging adults, mostly Caucasian. I would venture to bet that there were only 3 or 4 people over 40 in attendance. 

What did you find most interesting or appealing about the worship service?
      This church took a fairly long time (or at least what seemed long) for their greeting time. I had time to  introduce myself and have a bit of conversation with 6 different people, all of whom were very friendly and welcoming. I also appreciated that size of the congregation, about 30 total. Much like the first church that I visited, the service at Holy Trinity included a recitation of the Apostles' Creed after a quick word about its significance in the context of the global church. 
     I enjoyed the simplicity of the service and the atmosphere. Nothing seemed like it was too showy or more focused on the culture of the particular church than on the important elements of the service. 

What did you find most challenging or disorienting about the worship service?
     Despite being in a significantly lower socioeconomic setting than I am used to, the simplicity of the service reminded me of my church at home. The only things that I noticed as "lacking" at this church were things that I had only gotten used to since coming to Wheaton. My church at home doesn't have a coffee shop, a huge congregation, or even an unspoken business-casual-at-the-least dress code. So in many ways, I was not at all disoriented by this church visit, other than the chaos of public transportation trying to get there. The only point of the service during which I was confused was at the very end when instead of ending with a prayer and benediction as I had expected from the bulletin, the pastor closed with a prayer and moment of silence. 

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 know that I've said this every time, but I felt a sense of humility pervading the "sanctuary". Thinking back, something that seemed different to me was a tiny detail, but it significant in my opinion. During the service, even the more interactive/unstructured segments, no one was looking around at the other people. People weren't sizing each other up like I've come to expect here at Wheaton. I dress more formally and with a lot more effort for church now than at any other point in my life, due mostly to my experiences Freshman year and the strange looks I got when I wore jeans instead of a dress. 
     Another element of scripture and theology that I appreciated about this church was the range of apparent socioeconomic status within the congregation. The respect and grace shown between people of clearly very different economic backgrounds was refreshing and clearly indicative of the diverse church that God desires. 
  

Meagan Jackson - Church Visit #2

Church name: Holy Transfiguration Orthodox Christian Church

Church address: 28W770 Warrenville Rd, Warrenville, IL 60555

Date attended: 10/11/2015

Church category: Orthodox Christian Church

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

I attended an Orthros at Holy Transfiguration, which is a worship service focused on the psalms and prayer. The service started as the priest moved throughout the room with incense. There were two chanters who periodically read from Scripture or chanted parts of traditional liturgy. Six psalms were read, and throughout this time the congregation would chant “Lord have mercy” and “Glory to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and into ages of ages.” There was a short reading from the gospel about the women who visited Jesus’ tomb after he had risen from the dead, and a time of remembering saints, councils, and when different icons were made.

This entire worship service was centered around liturgy, which is different than my usual context. It was also different that the priest was behind the iconostasis and usually faced toward the altar.

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

The most interesting part of the service was how differently it reflected the divinity and majesty of God. Because of the incense, the gold, the chanting, it was as if you were standing before a king that you must approach with humility. The content of the liturgy also contributed to the contemplation of God as Majestic and completely other, as the most common idea was about our need for God’s mercy. Because the priest was always facing the altar and focused on Jesus, who is depicted on the altar, the focus of all the action was on Jesus and worshipping him, not on how to encourage Christians to do more or believe the right thing.

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

The most challenging part of the service was the prayer to Mary the mother of Jesus. I grew up attending several Catholic masses, and I always ignored the parts of Catholic theology that worship Mary as one without sin. As I went to this Orthodox church wanting to participate in their worship, it was challenging to come upon a prayer that I did not feel like I could participate in because I did not understand the Orthodox theology behind this prayer. This experience made me wonder whether there was any discussion about this worship of Mary in the early centuries. If there was so much emphasis on how to worship and speak about Jesus correctly (and so much debate about how divine Jesus was), it seems like there would have also been debate about Mary. So I want to learn more about this.

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

This service very clearly expressed the connection of the church to churches of the past. This connection was expressed through continuing the use of traditional liturgy. The liturgy does not seem to have changed much since it was initially established, and I heard a lot of the phrases and words that we have talked about in Christian Thought (“theotokos,” “Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,” etc.). The service also acknowledged all of the thought and work that went into forming these traditions. They thanked God for calling people (such as Basil the Great) to his church in order to help people find truth. Overall, the service as a whole reminded one that the communion of the saints is a large group of people from many centuries, and we must all come together as people in need of the mercy of God. God is so other that without the help of many Christians, we are not able to worship him correctly, in spirit and truth.

Caroline Saylor - Church Visit #2

Church Name: St. Basil Greek Orthodox Church

Church Address: 733 S Ashland Ave, Chicago, IL 60607

Date attended: October 11th 2015

Church Category: Highly Liturgical

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

The service I attended was highly liturgical and followed a strict Greek traditional style. Characterized by continual Greek Orthodox chants and prayer, the service portrayed a typical Orthodox tradition. The service began with the Martin’s service, a call to worship through prayer, continued onto the Divine Liturgy portion and was concluded with the Homily. As guests we were given a packet to follow alongside the Service of Matins which included both the original Greek language alongside an English translation. Many of the practices included communion, and reciting Creeds which is most similar to my regular context. However this church introduced me to new concepts within worship. This particular service included incense alongside the recognition of various icons. The congregation barely spoke which was the most difficult difference for me to process through. What I found most interesting was their practice of communion. The Priest extensively prepared the sacraments and then walked through the congregation exalting the Eucharist alongside two icons. They then invited only those who were Orthodox to join the table of communion. I understand this to be similar within Catholic contexts, yet my regular context allows anyone who believes in Christ to partake. Overall I greatly appreciate this very new and powerful experience of worshiping in an Orthodox Church.  

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

Overall the service was just under four hours, taking up all of my morning. However, what I found to be most interesting is that it barely felt as though it occupied 225 minutes. The service was so beautifully designed to embody a morning of continual worship to God. Although there were separate sessions characterized by specific processes, they all seemed so cohesive I did not even realize there were three sessions until I got three separate handouts. I found this extremely appealing because it shows incredible amounts of dedication, respect and gratitude towards God. The Church I grew up in was never able to capture such fluidity in the various practices we hold. Each process was able to smoothly transition into the other without any breaks or awkward transitions. Each moment was filled with chanting, prayers or appropriate silence. I greatly appreciated the beauty behind the design of the service.  

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

What I perhaps respect most about the Orthodox tradition is their dedication to their traditions. However this respect was mostly developed through intense emotions of discomfort. There were many small but significant details of this service that was unique but rather disorienting. The church I attended was almost completely covered with various icon images that the congregation would kiss each time they passed by them. During most of the prayers (spoken all in Greek) the Priest was come into the congregation carrying incense to spread among Gods people. Each person would immediately show signs of respect while I stood there unsure of how to express my respect. Something that was especially specific to the service I attended was when one of the cantors was exited out of the building on a stretcher. Something had happened during one of the prayers and all of a sudden an elderly man is down, yet the service did not stop. The other cantor—while still singing—motioned for people to come help this man. Soon almost 20 people were on the stage alongside the priest and cantor. Even medics came in to help the man yet the service continued as though nothing was wrong. Although I think this shows extreme amounts of dedication it was extremely difficult to process everything that was happening all 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?

Something unique to this worship experience was the Matin’s service—a 90 minute session of continual chanting and prayers all in Greek. Although I deeply appreciated the deep rooted sense of tradition that this style communicated, I found it difficult to keep from worshiping alongside the hymns and prayers that I was only able to receive instead of act in. The only time the congregation spoke was during the Divine Liturgy service; to receive communion and to recite the creeds. It was through this that I realized truly how much I value congregation participation when I worship. It was only when I remained completely silent for close to four hours that I recognized a deep seated desire to interactively join in the worship. There is something about singing a hymn alongside an entire church that I am able to experience a sense of adoration for my Savior. This experience was able to highlight a specific perspective of Theology found in Orthodox churches that value tradition and a more profound level of worship. 

Amanda Short - Church Visit #2

Church Name: Iglesia Christiana Community Christian Church
Church Address: 76 S. LaSalle St., Aurora, Il 60505
Date Attended: 10-11-15
Church Category:  Multicultural/Different Ethnic Demographic

Describe the worship service you attended. How was it similar to or different from your regular context? 
     I grew up in a non-denominational church, so many of the elements of the service were very familiar. Specifically, the structure of the morning was very similar to my previous experiences. The service opened with a few songs led by a worship team consisting of three people, with the senior pastor on the guitar. After a few announcements, the sermon was given by the senior pastor's wife, followed by communion, the offering, and a closing song. The feeling of close community was a similarity between this church and my own back in Ohio, but something that I have seen lacking during my time at Wheaton.
     The only big difference between this service and my normal context was the fact that it was a bilingual service, and most of the congregation was Latino-American. Another minor difference was the size of the congregation, which was somewhat smaller than my church at home and significantly smaller than most churches in the Wheaton area. 

What did you find most interesting or appealing about the worship service? 
     First off, I loved experiencing a bilingual service, especially one in which the same speaker used both Spanish and English, translating phrase by phrase, as opposed to taking turns with a translator to speak. I really resonated with this intentional stylistic feature. Having the same speaker talking to both those who spoke only English as well as those who only spoke Spanish greatly diminished any feelings of division or separation. At the same time, I felt a sense of contentment recognizing that I wasn't in the majority but still feeling completely at home in this church. I love that God restores and solidifies the unity of His people regardless of ethnicity or language. That is the power of the gospel.
     Another thing about this church that I really appreciated was the size. There were about 30-40 people in attendance at the service I attended. The sanctuary's setup was very comfortable and simply decorated. This made it easier to focus on the service itself rather than the setting or people around. I think that the size of the congregation also allowed for a more intimate feel to the sermon. 

What did you find most challenging or disorienting about the worship service?
     It took a few minutes to adjust to a bilingual setting, but considering my lack of experience in such a setting, it hardly posed a problem. In fact, through my little bit of knowledge of Spanish I was able to understand the Spanish phrases that echoed the English. It was almost as though the speaker was reiterating her points, a powerful tool. 
     At first I was a bit hesitant when I saw what a small church it was, afraid that I would be the only visitor, dreading the special attention (purposeful or not, positive or not) typically given to unfamiliar faces. I braced myself during the greeting time and gave myself a quick pep-talk about how no one here knew how terrifying small talk was for me and that I can actually come across as a pleasant enough person. I quickly found myself in a pleasant conversation with the woman next to me, who introduced me to the head pastor and his wife after the service. 
     Honestly, I kept trying to think of what I found uncomfortable or challenging during the service but couldn't come up with anything.

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 enjoyed being in the ethnic minority because I recognize how often I'm part of the majority. I try to appreciate these opportunities as chances to learn about the perspectives of others. Singing in a language that you aren't very familiar with makes you recognize just how big God is, as well as how diverse and beautiful His creation is. 
     Secondly, the sermon was so clearly practical. The message focused on stress, and the speaker spoke specifically in the context of Psalm 23. The sermon addressed a very real aspect of our lives as physical beings, but without making the physicality and emotionality of our nature seem like simply a byproduct of spiritual issues. Mental health and the conversation surrounding mental illness is something that I am passionate about. This was the first time that I've heard a sermon on stress without the pastor making the claim that depression, anxiety, and other forms of mental illness are purely the result of lack of faith. The sermon just seemed very real and tailored to the congregation, based on some of the speaker's comments. God made us physical beings, and that's not an inherently bad thing. Our human nature is flawed, but is redeemed through Christ. This church seems to understand that.

Ryan Chae-Church visit #2

Church name: Lawndale Christian Community Church

Church address: 3827 W. Ogden Chicago, Illinois 60623

Date attended: 10/11/15

Church Category: Different ethnic or racial demographic

1. The service began with a congregational praise song and reading of the sermon verse. This was followed by a couple songs sung by the choir, a weekly bible verse reading, and another congregational worship song. Before the sermon, there was a time called “Prayer and Praise” where one of the pastors took praise reports and prayer requests from the congregation and then prayed for them. The sermon was given by “Coach” and was about Christians taking care of their physical bodies. He focused specifically on preventable causes such as tobacco smoking, physical inactivity, and poor diet. The major difference between this church service and my own church background was the focus on specific actions that people could take in order to take care of their bodies. A major action that he emphasized was utilizing the discounted rates at the Lawndale Christian Community Health Clinic’s Fitness Center. It served to remind me of how different the area that this church is in compared to my church in Wheaton.

2. The part of the service that I found most interesting was the worship style at the church. People were free to worship as they pleased throughout the service, sitting or standing, singing or not. Many of the churches that I’ve gone to can be characterized as restrictive when it comes to worship. You can only stand when they tell you too, clapping and dancing or discouraged, and applause at the end of the worship is nonexistent. It was very freeing to go to a church that encouraged people to worship in their own way. There were only a few directions about when to stand and when to sit, and even when we were sitting, people were still free to stand as they wished while the choir sang.

3. While I believe this had more to do with the lower income level of the congregation, it was challenging to not judge the “simpler” sermon.  The sermon focused on why it was important to quit smoking and to eat right and to make sure you exercise. I’ve heard sermons from higher income congregations that also stress these points, but the sermons would focus more on scripture and not as much on how to practically carry out those plans. I think it is due to the fact that there are more limited options in Lawndale for healthy food choices and fitness opportunities.  Yet, I still had trouble not criticizing the message in my mind as being too simplistic or that it wasn’t focusing enough on the scripture passage. I definitely felt that this was a very different church than my own church in well to do Wheaton.

4. The church service certainly focused more on the church community helping each other out then my normal church context. The “Prayer and Praise” time definitely highlighted this. The whole congregation was able to hear what was going on in each other’s lives. There was also an announcement telling people to be careful when walking to their cars because a church member had almost been abducted after church and had her car stolen. The church is in an environment where the congregation had to stick together and watch out for each other more so than we do out in the suburbs. This was prevalent even in the message, where “Coach” challenged the congregation to hold each other accountable in stopping smoking and eating healthy.

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.