Jared Strom--Church Visit #2

Church Name: The Second Baptist Church (Maywood)

Church Address: 436 S 13th Ave, Maywood, IL 60153

Date Attended: October 25^th

Church Category: Different Racial Demographic

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

I attended the Second Baptist church in Maywood with a couple of friends of mine.  It was clear to me as soon as I walked in that it was definitely a different racial demographic because we were some of the only white people in the congregation, which I had never previously experienced before.  I liked the fact that the worship service was a lot livelier in terms of the praising and singing portion of the worship service and this was very different than my usual context.  In addition, there was a lot of verbal responses from the congregation when the pastor was preaching which is very different from my usual context.  Also, the way people dressed was very different from my usual context and it made me feel a little bit out of place because the congregation dressed a lot more formal than I was dressed.

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

There were a lot of things that I found interesting and appealing about this type of worship service.  One of the things that I found to be interesting was the style of worship.  As I mentioned before, the service was a lot livelier than my usual context, which allowed my to be more invested into the worship and praise as well as stay more focused during the sermon which is usually difficult for me to do.  In addition, I liked the fact that it seemed like the whole congregation knew each and it seemed like one big family.  This aspect is similar to my usual context and it made me feel like I was at home and very welcomed.

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

Overall I really liked the service and there were not many things that I found challenging or disorienting about the worship service, but there were still a few things that challenged me.  The main aspect that challenged me was how long the service was.  In my usual context the sermon usually lasts about twenty to thirty minutes and at this church the pastor spoke for an hour and a half.  Although the sermon was very invigorating and the congregation’s verbal responses to the sermon kept me invested, the length of the sermon made it so that I had trouble staying invested in what the pastor was saying at times.  Overall, I thought that despite the challenges I faced the service was very good and I enjoyed it very much.

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

There were many aspects of scripture and theology that this worship service illuminated for me.  The pastor talked a lot about reconciling sin in our lives that may have affected others by our wrong doings.  This really convicted me to reconcile with people in my life that I may have done something wrong to and the pastor gave great perspective on how to do this.  I liked the fact that the pastor chose this tough subject to preach about because many churches avoid sin because it is a hard subject to talk about.  As a result of the service I think that I will definitely take action in my own life and try to reconcile with people I may have done something hurtful to. 

Jared Strom--Church Visit #1

Church Name: Warehouse Church

Church Address: 308 E Galena Blvd, Aurora, IL

Date Attended: October 17^th

Church Category: Lower Socioeconomic

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

There were a lot of differences in this worship service at Warehouse church that differed very much from usual church context.  To begin, the church was kind of run down, which was very unusual to me because my regular church context is not like this at all.  It was clear to me that I was in a lower socioeconomic context as soon as I walked into the church and this is also very different from my church.  One thing that I found was similar to my usual context was the worship music that was played.  Although my church sings a lot hymns, we also worship more contemporary music and there were a lot of familiar songs that I heard at this service.  I really enjoyed the similarities and differences that I experienced because it allowed me to see how different styles of worshiping can also be very effective.

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

There were many things that I have interesting and appealing about the worship service at Warehouse church.  One of these aspects is how even people that are struggling in a lower socioeconomic context praise the Lord and give their lives to Him even when they are struggling socioeconomically.  This gave me a lot of perspective and allowed me to realize that there is so much that I need to be more grateful for and to not take what I have for granted.  Another interesting aspect was although the church was a little bit run down, this did not change the passion that the church praised the Lord in.  I thought that despite the shape of the church the praise and sermon were still very interesting and effective and allowed me to realized how God’s word can be spread in a different way.

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

Due to the fact that this was a lower socioeconomic context than I am used to, there were many challenges that I faced throughout the worship service.  To begin, I felt as though I was a bit overdressed at the service and it made me feel like I stuck out too much.  There were also lots of references to hardships with money in the congregation and it really convicted me because I have been fortunate enough to not have to worry about this in my life.  The whole time that I was there from the time I arrived until the time I left I felt like everything I had from my car to my clothes were too different and it made me rethink the way I approach certain aspects of my life.  Overall, these challenges helped me to realize that I need to change certain aspects of my life and not take certain things for granted that I have in the past.

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 main aspect of scripture and theology that stuck out to me at this church service was how many times it talks about loving the poor. I definitely experience a congregation that was socioeconomically poor, but this did not take away from the passion that the congregation had for Christ and each other, and it almost made the bonds that the congregation had greater because in some instances I felt that God was all that they had to get them through hard times.  In addition, I feel like going to this service put many aspects of my life in perspective and there are many things in my life that I intend to change as a result of attending Warehouse church. 

Silas Helm – Church Visit #3

Church name: Holy Trinity Church – Pilsen  

Church address: 1940 W 18th St, Chicago, IL 60608

Date attended: November 1, 2015

Church category: Lower Socio-Economic  

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

The church was dissimilar to College Church. Located in an elementary school, the church was made up of faithful servants of Christ working together to spread the Gospel. The chairs were folding, and whole thing felt temporary in the best way. It was far from a production. Instead, it felt like genuine worship. 

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

I found the music most interesting. The songs varied from contemporary Christian worship songs to traditional hymns. The variety within the music intrigued me because music is a common denominator between people. By diversifying the music, the service becomes more approachable to a wider audience of believers.

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

The hardest part was following along with the sermon. The mic was quiet and the pastor’s speaking was declarative. We were also going through a whole chapter of 1 Samuel. While I appreciated the expository preaching, it was difficult to follow along. The text seemed distant. At the end though, the pastor related the importance and qualifications of king and savior to Jesus and then connected that to our need for Him. I can’t say it was a bad sermon, because it wasn’t. Instead, it wasn’t engaging. The delivery was difficult to track with which was disorienting and definitely a challenge.

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

Much like my church visit to Hamnee, this service reminded me of humanity’s humility. We desperately need Jesus Christ. Without Him we are hopeless. I think something really valuable is the faithful servant hood that comes smaller churches. It seems like everyone was working together to make this happen. The people were devoted to the church and ensuring the spreading of the Gospel.

Silas Helm – Church Visit #2

Church name: Hanmee Prebysterian Church

Church address: 1149 W Bloomingdale Rd, Itasca, IL 60143

Date attended: October 25, 2015

Church category: Different Ethnicity

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

The church reminded me a lot of my youth group in high school. We met in a smaller room. There were folding chairs. The band included drums, two guitars, two vocalists and a piano. My regular church isn’t Presbyterian, but many of the pastors are ordained Presbyterian. The most obvious difference was the ethnicities of the people attending. Because Hanmee is a Korean church, I was only one of two white people at the church. The overall format of the service was similar to my home church. The only major difference was the casual nature of the service.  

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

I really liked that everyone prayed at the same time. It felt much more communal. The people at this church seemed like they knew each other. I appreciated that act of participating in something together. I also found it interesting how much they talked about the PCUSA. Being tied to a denomination, they clearly held different convictions, causing divisions within the church. But, I appreciated their candid conversations about their difficulties, the mindset they had, and that the wrapped their fears and worried in fervent prayer.

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

I found it difficult to get to know people. While they all knew each other, and I sensed a strong community, I didn’t feel like it was easy to enter into community to others. Yet, the short interactions and lack time to gain shared experience makes it difficult to enter into a community in general.

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

Through the service at Hanmee the importance of humility was illuminated to me. I go to College Church and while they place little emphasis on experiential worship, there is still a sense of something spectacular. Through the formalities of their services, and the intricacies of their sanctuary, I know I am worshipping a holy God. Yet, I felt this more intensely and intimately gathering with the people of God. The place didn’t matter; the eloquent speech didn’t matter- the emphasis was on Jesus Christ. In the meekness of the room, and the casual nature of the service I was reminded of my unworthiness. I was reminded that the church consists of sinners coming together to worship the one true God. Through this I was very encouraged and felt clarified.

Leah Michelsen - Church Visit #3

Church name: Uptown Baptist Church

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

Date attended: **I didn’t have a chance to go to a church of a different race/ethnicity during this class, so I’m writing about a church I attended last year. I know it’s supposed to be a church I haven’t gone to before, but I thought it would still be helpful to think about these questions.**

Church category: Different race/ethnicity

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

The worship service was similar to my church in the order of service and the general way things went about. However, the peace lasted a long time and so many people in the church came up and greeted us. They were pleased to know we were from Wheaton College and introduced us to the students visiting from Moody. During worship, which was led by a man and four or five women singing, people were shouting and yelling “Amen!” There was a lot of energy and dancing. The service lasted a long time because of the extended time for the Peace and the worship. The pastor prayed specifically for people. At my church, people don’t yell out during worship and the Peace doesn’t last very long. There’s only enough time to meet a couple people around you.

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

The most appealing thing about the service was the way we were welcomed. Even though we were some of the very few white people at the church, we were treated as one of their own – as family. This part is so neat to me. It seemed like one community working to support and love each other. There was no animosity or awkwardness between people. At my church, people are kind to each other, and I’m sure they love each other, but it’s not very obvious. You kind of do your own thing, instead of like at Uptown Baptist where it seems like everyone does everyone. The pastor was also very interested and accessible, not just sitting up on stage disinterested in the people. He got in there and met people.

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

The thing that bothered me the most was that I felt like I couldn’t really relate to the other members of the church. I’m of a clearly different race and I didn’t grow up in the middle of Chicago, so I have much different life experience. Obviously, that’s not the story of everyone at the church, but we didn’t quite fit in with the rest of the congregation. Even though everyone was extremely welcoming, even that seemed to highlight the fact that we were different and didn’t quite belong. It was a good experience though, because rarely do I get to see what life might be life for a minority who is welcomed, but still stands out and has different traditions. I’m not sure if I would have felt differently once I had been going there for a long time – I assume I would and hopefully that’s true.

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 freedom we have in Christ was really illuminated for me in this context. People weren’t as composed during the service or worship. When they like something, they let you know it, even if that meant shouting during the sermon. Everyone was worshiping in the way they felt most comfortable. I didn’t feel like I needed to stand or put my hands a certain way. I could sit or stand or dance or cry or shout. There wasn’t any judgment and people were genuinely excited about worship. To some degree, this occurs and is acceptable at Rez, but here it was a lot more open and obvious. It allowed me to concentrate on worship and really think about the way Christ has broken down barriers and the law.