Leah Blobaum - Church visit #2

Church name: Bethel Presbyterian Church
Church address: 399 N Quentin Rd Palatine, IL 60067
Date attended: 18 October 2015
Church category: Different ethnic demographic

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

  I attended the English Ministries service at Bethel, which is a largely Korean church.  The english-speaking service went on at the same time but separately from the main Korean-speaking service.  In some ways, I was similar with this setting because my home church has a main english-speaking service with other ministry branches for different languages, but it was different in that I was not attending the larger service.  It was also a different denomination than my home church.  The music worship was short, but very heartfelt and genuine.  Another difference for me was that I was one of the only white people in the room.  I am certainly comfortable with diversity in church settings, but I have not attended a lot of churches where I am the minority.  The sermon was something similar to what I might hear at home or from other churches I attend near Wheaton.  

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

  When I walked into the church, I was immediately greeted and directed to where the English Ministry was meeting.  The church members were very friendly and welcoming.  I never felt unwelcome while I was there.  Additionally, as I mentioned before, the music worship was a bit short, but I found myself able to connect well with the sincerity of the worship.  I also greatly enjoyed the sermon.  The pastor taught through a specific passage in Hosea 2, and he based his message on the content of that section of scripture.  It was refreshing to have a sermon taught on a passage of Scripture and dissecting the theme of it, rather than compiling verses that can be used to back up the speaker's own agenda.  In addition to the layout of the sermon, I enjoyed the message talked about our "betrothal" to God.  

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

  One disorienting thing for me at this church service was that there were so few people there.  There were probably a maximum of twenty people in the room aside from the pastor and two worship leaders.  It was a much smaller service than I'm used to.  I was additionally caught off guard by the fact that the Eucharist and offering were not included in the service.  Almost every other church I have attended includes those, and particularly the lack of Eucharist in the service was something I found disorienting.  Despite the fact that we did not have communion in the service, I cannot make assumptions about how they include it in their church community.  With no mention of or time to give in the offering, I do not know their opinion on that subject.  I did not observe anywhere someone could give an offering.  

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

  From everything I observed, the church really seems like it makes a strong emphasis on community.  All newcomers are warmly welcomed, and there were a lot of available activities to participate in within the church.  The church service itself was focused on the theme of God's simultaneous acknowledgment of our brokenness and His promise of our redemption.  This hopeful message also struck me as something that likely united the church in a community of Christ-followers.  It was a great experience; and I was reminded that even with peoples of all different cultural origins, ethnicities, and nationalities, Christ is the unifying culture for all in the church.  

Ryan Chae - Church Visit #3

Church name: Dewey Community Church

Church address: 16 3^rd Street, Dewey, IL 61840

Date attended: 10/18/15

Church category: Lower socioeconomic demographic

1. The service began with a prelude and some announcements followed by a time of worship and scripture reading. The offering and sermon were after this. In terms of the order and style of service, it was very similar to my church worship service in Wheaton. The difference in the service was that the congregation was made up of mostly farmers and other working class occupations in comparison with the largely upper class congregation of my church back in Wheaton. The sermon was on Hebrews 10:19-25 and encouraging the congregation to push on towards further maturity in Christ. The sermon was just as in depth as the sermons normally given to the higher socioeconomic congregation, which I think was mostly due to the strong tradition of Christian faith in Central Illinois. The church congregation ranges from about 100-150 people each Sunday.

2. What I found interesting about the worship service was the simplicity of the sanctuary and the kindness of the people. There were no flashing lights or projected backdrops to the worship music, and the sanctuary had a very comforting feeling about it. The church building is quite aged but the congregation has maintained it and even added a new addition through the labor of its own members and intensive fundraising throughout the community (They didn’t take out any loans on the new building). Secondly, the people in the congregation were very friendly and came up to me after the service to welcome me and introduce themselves. Dewey Church is in rural Central Illinois, approximately 20 minutes outside of Champaign-Urbana. The farming community has a culture of friendliness regardless of your acquaintance to another. This combined with a Christian community makes for a very loving and warm reception for visitors to their church.

3. One of the most challenging parts of the service was getting used to the worship style of the congregation. I have a friend from Sandwich, Illinois that describes a similar experience at church where the congregation is pretty much frozen in place during worship. While some would complain that many Wheaton students and churches are like this as well, this church congregation would simply sing in place with little emotion or expression. However, they were belting out the lyrics and for a small church congregation, they were singing very well. I know that it can be easy to judge others’ worship styles through the lens of your own worship style and I definitely found myself combating that while I visited the church. However, I could tell that while they did not worship through expression, they were certainly worshiping and it was enlightening to see how another culture engaged themselves in worship to the same God that I worship.

4. This worship service illuminated for me the power of the church. One of the points of the sermon was that interaction with fellow Christians will move us toward greater maturity in Christ. Throughout the service, this church served as a reminder for me what the church was capable of when it acts together. The church was very involved in the community. It is the only church in the town of roughly 300 people and as such offers many opportunities for the community to come together both in fun and spiritually. The church built their new addition not only to expand the building of a growing church, but also to be a gathering place for the community. Like many churches, they were hosting a Halloween party but unlike many other churches, one has to remember that there are barely any treat or treating options available for kids in rural Illinois. Besides raising all $600,000 for their new addition without loans, they were also involved in supporting missionaries and supporting local charities.

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.