Daniel Phelps - Church Visit #3

Church name: Iglesia Cristiana Community Christian Church
Church address: 76 S. LaSalle Street Aurora, IL 60505
Date attended: 10/11/15
Church category: significantly lower socioeconomic demographic

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

I unknowingly attended a service that was dedicated to generosity and giving, so the usual structure and order of the service was different. There was basically just a time for worship followed by a brief message, communion, and then a description of the four different organizations or ministries that you could give to. The church that I currently go to has a normal structure, but is more than willing to changing it up on the spot according to the Spirit's guidance. I liked that at this church it was actually planned in to have this kind of a special service dedicated to giving. During the service there was also some time spent reflecting on how this particular church tradition started.

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

As I mentioned earlier, I loved the fact that the church was more than willing to change up the service and that there were only a few parts that seemed 'necessary' - worship, communion, couple points of a sermon. The focus was totally on the giving and generosity for that particular day. It connected the church to it's darker times in previous years when they were going through hard times financially and felt called to increase giving. I really liked that the focus of the sermon was not on teaching, but rather on living. The opportunity to give and to participate in ministry throughout the world was put in the forefront rather than doctrine or instruction. In this way, I think the church was able to better facilitate Christian living and community.

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

I found that it was a little uncomfortable not really knowing what was happening next. A lot of the service was spent simply watching a video feed from a projector, so it was easy to stop paying attention and lose track of what was going on. In addition to this, since there was a mix of economic classes in one room, it seemed odd to make giving the center of attention since obviously some are far more capable of giving than others. However, the giving itself was done in concealed envelopes, which helped alleviate that tension. Finding the room to meet was also a challenge, since it was not in a church building but rather just a rented room near downtown Aurora. In one sense it felt very tucked away from the rest of the world, which was exceptionally quiet on that Sunday morning.

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 mentioned this earlier, but I think that seeing the body of Christ really put the action forward rather the teaching was something that was surprising to me. There was no real teaching or encouragement for people to give because I think that everyone knows that it is good to be generous. Instead, the focus was on the ministries and the impact they were having locally and globally. For someone like me who generally is very stingy and very skeptic about various ministries, it took my mind off of what I personally wanted with my money and helped me focus on where and what I could put my attention to.

Ben Norton - Church Visit #3

Church Name: St. Peter & Paul Catholic Church

Church Address: 36 N Ellsworth St. Naperville 60540

Date Attended: 11/1/2015

Church Category: More Liturgical (Tridentine Mass)

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

The mass began with the sprinkling of holy water conducted by a priest. Priests then congregated at the foot of a central altar. This was followed by a Latin recitation of Psalm 42 and Psalm 124. After several moments for silent confession, the priest gave the sign of the cross, and conducted what I understand to be typical aspects of a Catholic mass: the Introit, Kyrie eleison, Gloria, and Collect. These parts were all sung, and were accompanied by organ, harp, and several other classical instruments. The music was beautiful and sound reverberated throughout the sizable cathedral. New testament scripture was read, primarily from the Epistles. The choir, predominantly middle-aged men and women, sang Alleluia and several other notorious pieces. Up to this point, the entirety of the service was in Latin, with English translation of liturgy given on screen. This changed when the priest began the lesson. After a brief sermon, the service concluded with a reading of the Nicene creed (in Latin). Many aspects of the service were familiar: the ethnicity of the congregation, the length of the service (which was appreciated after a 4 hour service at the last church I attended), the clothing worn by priests and the congregation, and the music. The service greatly differed in that it really on drew from the Gospels and the Epistles. It was also in Latin, which is an obvious difference.

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

The music in the service was beautiful. A positive personal reception to the music of a church is generally a good indicator of whether or not I will continue to attend. While this may sound petty, music is one of the places in which I encounter God most fully. The echo in the large sanctuary and the communal voice of the choir communicate what words often cannot. I believe that God speaks to the soul through music--it can be healing and it can reveal things that were not obvious before. I left the service infatuated by the Alleluia chorus. I also really appreciated the tradition. Like the Coptic church I visited, it affirmed a sense of reverence for God's sovereignty and divinity. Another thing that appealed to me was how welcoming the church body was. The priests were very inviting and many younger people and families were in attendance. 

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

The most obvious challenge was that the service was in Latin. This wasn't entirely troubling for the majority of the service because I had the English translation to fall back on. I tried to listen to the Latin and decipher all that I could from my limited Latin knowledge, and I speak Italian so there are some core similarities. This was only a big issue during the sermon, as there was no translation. However, many people were sleeping or distantly attentive, as they couldn't understand either. The lack of physical Bibles was not surprising, but it was still bothersome. In past Catholic churches that I have attended, physical copies of liturgy have been absent as well. I was somewhat confused by several of the rites at the beginning of the service. Some of the congregation would kneel rather than sit at times, and I was unaware of what was appropriate.

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

There is something to be said about hearing Scripture and liturgy read aloud in a different language. I felt that whether or not I could communicate in the language, God's love was universal. It connects people across cultural boundaries. I also felt that hearing the Latin connected me to Christian tradition across time. While I know Latin was not the language of Jesus Christ, I felt as though there was definite and concrete value behind the tradition associated with the Roman Catholic Church. Similar to the Coptic church, I was able to more fully grasp God's magnificence through the music, and His divinity and sovereignty through the tradition and liturgy. At times, things did feel mechanical and bureaucratic, which made me question what Christ would say if he was in attendance. However, the priests and congregation seemed genuine and authentic, which I have doubted in previous churches I have been to.

Caroline Saylor - Church Visit #3

Church Name: Lawndale Christian Community Church

Church Address: 3827 W Ogden, Chicago, IL 60623

Date Attended: November 1st 2015

Church Category: Lower Socioeconomic Church

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

I left with the lasting impression that the church service I attended was filled with caring and God-loving people. There were general similarities that I connected my home church to, such as the structure of the service and singing some of my favorite worship songs. I also found comparison in the manner in which the pastor took scripture and generated a thoughtful and insightful interpretation for the modern Christian living in today’s society. The major difference I noticed was within the manner of how the congregation interacted throughout the service. Especially during the sermon I noticed how many of the people would vocalize either their support of the statement or their opinion on what was being said. There were times in which a person from the congregation would suddenly become the focal point of the story being told by the pastor. There was a man who become concerned that the Facebook example the pastor was explaining was about him and voiced his concern. Although I had to adjust to this style, it affirmed the strong community that the church embodies.  

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

I found myself gaining a deep appreciation for the pure form of loving God that this church represented. I initially noticed this during the time of musical worship. Each choir member and church member for that matter seemed to be teeming with passion and enjoyment as they sang to their Lord. I also witnessed this adoration towards Christ in the way that they embodied a strong community. Every person I met was extremely friendly and even by observing the congregation each person went out of their way to welcome their siblings in Christ. I was even stopped as I left the service by two different men that were self-acclaimed as the exiting committee. Each time they thanked me for coming and offered a warm welcome. Too often can Church become either a social event or somber religious practice without touching on the reality that it should be an integration of both. This church was able to express their somber respect for the love of Christ through living it.      

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

There was one moment in particular that I found to be very difficult to affirm. The sermon was on relationships, as expressed through Adam and Eve. The scripture was from Genesis and the pastor explored the realities of living in relationships, whether healthy or toxic. In an attempt to provide examples of the different relationships we experience, the pastor included the term “side-chick” as an instance of relation we might find ourselves to be in. While knowing both the definition and connotations of this term, I felt extremely uncomfortable with using it in the context of a church service. Although arguably it could be portrayed as an effort to integrate current culture I still do not believe it should be condoned within the church, especially coming from a pastor. Although the pastor might have not explicitly stated his opinion on the term, the fact that it was included in the list of examples made it seem as though it was generally accepted as a legitimate relationship—which is something I’m not comfortable with discussing in church. 

Theodora Beschel- Church Visit #2

Church name: Lawndale Community Church
Church address: 3827 W. Ogden Chicago, IL 60623
Date attended:10/25/2015
Church Category: Different socio-economic status

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

From the beginning I noticed that Lawndale Community Church was a much stronger and tighter community than my home church here in Wheaton. Before the service started, people were very active in greeting each other, conversing, and inquiring into each others lives. The time of prayer requests reflected this interweaving of lives as well. Everyone in the church appeared to know the family and friends that were lifted up in the prayer requests. Most of the prayer requests were not for people independent of the church, but rather for those who the church community had strong ties with. Although this sense of community is lacking from my home church in Wheaton, it is very similar to a small baptist church I grew up in in northern Virginia. It is fascinating to me that an almost exclusively white, southern, conservative church in Virginia, has a similar feel to a predominantly black, inner city church in Chicago. Humans have more in common with each other than we realize.

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

As I spoke of in the previous paragraph, the strong sense of community and interweaving of lives was very appealing to me. Aside from the community feel, I really appreciated the worship style. I feel God strongly in beautiful music and some of the voices of the singers displayed God's beauty so clearly to me. I also liked the choral structure of worship. It was good for my soul to sit back and appreciate the beautiful combination of voices being lifted up to the Lord. The repetitive nature of the lyrics also added strength and sincerity to the worship. As the chorus repeated each line, I felt a gradual build in strength and meaning until an emotional climax was reached. Overall, listening to the beauty and power of the choral music helped me connect with the Lord.

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

The part of the worship service that was most difficult for me was the sermon. On the week that I went, Coach preached on emotions and how we need to contain our emotions. It was difficult for me to follow the whole sermon and connect with his teaching. I am not sure whether it was the specific sermon I heard or the preaching style in general which I had difficulty with, however I did not take much away from the sermon. For me personally, the worship and the time of prayer leading up to the sermon was much more enriching and spiritually fruitful than the sermon itself. Another part of the service which seriously bothered me was the presence of about 30 Purdue students. I may be completely unreasonable and unjustified in my frustration, but I felt as if it was a bunch of white people coming in and watching how the under privileged operated as if they were going to a museum. But, I can't really talk because that was exactly what I was doing.


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 biggest difference in emphasis from my normal church was the transformation power of the Holy Spirit. So much of the service at Lawndale repeated how we are fundamentally different from who we used to be because we now know Jesus. One line in a song which was sung remarked "I won't go back, can't go back, to the way it used to be, before your presence came and saved me" (sorry if I got a few words mixed up there). Usually I felt that in my regular church, the emphasis is placed upon spiritual development and perfection once we know Christ rather than our time before we knew Christ. I assume this is because most people in my regular church accepted Christ at a young age, while (and this is a big assumption) most people at Lawndale Community Church accepted Christ later in life. I really appreciated Lawndale's emphasis on our changed identity in Christ because it reminded me of how powerless I am to rid myself of sin and how gracious our Lord is to bear my sin for me.

Emma Sargent -- Church Visit #3

Church Name: Uptown Baptist Church

Church Address: 1011 W. Wilson Ave., Chicago, IL 60640

Date Attended: October 25, 2015

Church category: Different ethnic or racial demographic 

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

This church felt like a very large family; as people filtered in at the beginning of the service, the noise level swelled with greetings and laughter. I was here as a part of the Wheaton College Concert Choir – we sang as people came in. It was strange to be in front of the congregation instead of a part of it, especially as visitors. But after the pastor introduced us and we sang worship songs with them, I could tell that this was a very relaxed and welcoming church. After our time of worship, there was an extended period of announcements; we then sang an offertory, and then sat back down. As it was apparently pastor appreciation Sunday, there was then a long time of pastor appreciation; there were at least four pastors, and five or six different elders and deacons gave short speeches on how they appreciated the service these pastors were doing. The tone of the service and the familial atmosphere reminded me of my home church in rural Vermont. The preacher spoke directly to the people in the congregation, referencing neighborhood events in his sermon.

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

As I mentioned above, the atmosphere of the church service was very welcoming and relaxed. It seemed like this was a church that was willing to laugh at itself. At one point in the series of pastor-appreciation speeches, the American flag on the stage fell over. Two of the young men spent about five minutes trying to fix the flag stand as people in the congregation chuckled and the pastors were given another gift from the church youth. I could tell that the people in this church knew each other very well, and were ready to support one another in their faith.  

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

As mentioned, I was with a group of Wheaton College students – however, we were some of the only white people in the service. I was surprised by how conspicuous I felt. While I was very grateful for the welcome of the congregation – all the people I “greeted” in the passing of the peace were very kind – it was hard not to feel out of place. We were also singing pieces that were decidedly different from the church’s usual style of worship – intentionally so. It was a chance to share worship styles, but I found myself wondering if we were facilitating or inhibiting worship at the 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?

Despite my self-consciousness, I left the service struck by the warmth of the people and the joy of the community. I grew up in a very small church in rural Vermont, and in some ways this service reminded me of that community. It was relaxed, friendly, and funny. I could see that the people there loved each other and were close to one another. I go to a relatively large church here at Wheaton. Uptown Baptist Church reminded me of the beauty of the body of Christ – how a congregation can become almost literally brothers and sisters to each other. This was encouraging to see.

Nate Heeren - Church Visit #2

Church name: The Greek Orthodox Church of St. Demetrios

Church address: 893 N Church Rd, Elmhurst, IL 60126

Date attended: 10/25/15

Church category: Different ethnic or racial demographic

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

I wasn’t sure exactly what to expect as I drove down to the first Greek Orthodox Church I had ever visited in my life, but it ended up being far more than the simple evening service. It wasn’t just Vespers, but Great Vespers, and it wasn’t just Great Vespers, but Great Vespers of the Feast Day of St. Demetrios. That is correct: By happenstance, I went to the Church of St. Demetrios on the Feast Day of their patron saint.

The sanctuary was packed, with the members of the congregation being mostly elderly and having what I thought to be a “European look” about them. But as I would soon discover, what was most different was that almost everything was spoken in Greek, restricting my understanding rather severely. But I can say this much: It was extremely ritualistic. The clergy were all dressed in robes and did a great deal of liturgical chanting, to which the congregation joined in rarely. To be very brief (the service lasted 2 & ½ hours), there was an incense procession, a recitation of the Lord’s Prayer in Greek and English, a revering of St. Demetrios’ icon, and a sermon that (thankfully) switched to English!

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

More than a few years ago I visited a Catholic church for a weekday mass along with a friend, and his comments after the service struck me: He said that the style of the place, the low lighting, the smell of the incense, and certain other factors had all contributed to a sublime feeling of reverence for the divine, something that (particularly non-liturgical) Protestant churches are prone to miss with their often modern, sterile buildings and more casual approach. The service at St. Demetrios exuded much of the same feeling as that mass. Its architectural style was ornate and often felt medieval, the lighting was natural and dim (for the first half or so), and the chant-singing often constant. When the incense procession began and the clergyman began ringing the incense flail-bell, which I think may have been filled with myrrh (strongly associated with St. Demetrios, apparently), its smell permeated the room longer after he had ceased. There was something very reverent and personal about it, in its own way.

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

The language barrier, was, of course, by far the most disorienting part, and its implications are so obvious that I don’t feel the need to elaborate on that front. While I was appreciative of the English component of the sermon, to be brutally honestly it sounded like a great deal of superstitious nonsense to me. There is undoubtedly theological nuance I do not appreciate in their honoring of a saint and the reverence of relics, but it nevertheless strikes me as misguided and potentially idolatrous. The preacher spoke about the many alleged miracles of St. Demetrios, claiming that he was still performing them long after his martyrdom. The story that stood out to me the most asserted that angels had come to his burial place to bring him to heaven, but he refused on account of his work being unfinished here. I immediately wondered about the theological justification for this story. After all, angels presumably act upon the orders of God in tasks such as this, so was St. Demetrios then refusing God’s will?

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

As I sat in the service, with its community closely tied by their ethnic identity, I wondered about this question: Is this model desirable and sustainable? I never think about this question in my regular church context, and now I wonder if mine is also ethnically homogeneous in a de facto sense, but I digress. On the one hand, this ethnic focus binds the community together, fostering greater depth of unity. Yet, particularly in the case of a Greek Orthodox church where Greek is predominantly spoken, it is utterly inaccessible to outsiders. This raises the question of whether each and every church should try to be prepared for every type of newcomer, or if it is sufficient to rely on a network of churches, with each church covering a different demographic. Is this “separate but unified” approach (more like the salad than the melting pot) something we ought to be aiming for as the Church? I have more questions than answers, but I’m glad that my experience at St. Demetrios helped me to realize these issues more clearly.

Meagan Jackson - Church Visit #3

Church name: Lawndale Christian Community Church

Church address: 3827 W Ogden, Chicago, IL 60623

Date attended: 11/1/2015

Church category: Community Church in low-income community

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

The service started with songs of praise, which were led by several singers on the stage, however the band was off-stage, which was a different setup that I have ever seen before. Next, there was a call to worship, the choir sang a song, and a pastor read from scripture. The pastor also spent 10 minutes talking to the children of the church, reading them a story and teaching them about Jesus. He then dismissed the children and spent about 30 minutes talking to the adults about how Christ can transform our relationships. This was followed by taking the Lord’s Supper, something that this church does about once a month.

Overall, this worship service seemed very similar to ones that I usually attend. The children’s message was different, and I think that it displayed the church’s emphasis on ministering to all types of people, whether they are young children or people who have recently been released from prison. It portrayed the importance of healthy families within a healthy community.

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

Dr. Wayne Gordon, the lead pastor at Lawndale Church, does not speak as one would expect from a highly theologically educated pastor. Instead, the name that the congregation uses to address him, “Coach,” seems much more applicable. The sermon that he gave focused on several biblical passages, applying them very specifically to how Christians should live life. He focused on everyday situations that impact the overall lifestyle of a person, e.g. how to react to someone that you are mad at. This seems to reflect how the church values the transformational power of the gospel, which applies to all parts of life, not merely the ones that we would label as “spiritual.” I also think that it reflect how the church leaders are aware of what is needed in their community, as they can address problems that they are seeing in families that are both part of their congregation as well as characteristic of their neighborhood as a whole. The worship service seemed to be purposefully offering people life coaching, setting Jesus as an example and the source of power to change one’s life.

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

There was not much that I found challenging about this worship service, as I really enjoyed visiting Lawndale church. I was a bit distracted by the lack of observable congregational participation. There seemed to be a lot of side conversations happening during the service, which was especially distracting because of the setup of the chairs in a semi-circle around the stage. Some people were very expressive in their singing and worshipping, however some people seemed to not be truly participating in the worship, but merely sitting in their seats. I do not want to judge these people, as it could merely be that they were worshipping in a different way than I am used to or that more side conversations are accepted in the church community as a good thing to do during the worship service. I would like to visit Lawndale Church again in order to better understand the dynamics of the community at the church. However, overall I felt very comfortable in this setting, as the people were friendly and the church seemed a lot like the church I usually attend.

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

During this service, the choir sang a song which addressed the members of the body of Christ, saying, “I need you to survive.” Because of the stories which Dr. Lee has told in class about the needs of the Lawndale community, this line of the song really stood out to me. I was struck by the importance of the church in coming around people and supporting them through hard situations, which seems to be even more applicable in a neighborhood like Lawndale, where there are many financial needs and the rate of violence is so high. The members of this church truly do need each other to survive, because they are much more safe and able to live well in this environment if they support each other. This line also challenged me to think more broadly about the Church as a whole, and how we need each other to survive. The suburban churches of Wheaton need the Lawndale church to show them how important the church is in transforming a neighborhood, so that they are encouraged to support them as well as do the same in Wheaton. The church of the West needs the church of the Global South to remind us that our debates about liberalism and fundamentalism are not that important and that we often forget the parts of the Bible that talk about widows, orphans, and strangers. God created the Church with purpose, and part of our calling as the Church is to support each other and depend on one another to survive, whether in the literal sense or in a more spiritual sense of learning more about God through others.