Allie McDonald Church Visit #2

Church name: Lawndale Community Church

Church address: 3827 W. Ogden Chicago, IL 60623 

Date attended: October 11, 2015

Church category: Different socio-economic level 

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

Lawndale was full of life from the minute we walked in. We were a good 20 minutes early which I think is a record for me for church services but even then we were greeted kindly by a couple ladies who gave us a program for the service. The worship was very vibrant and many people dance along and raised their hands. There was much more freedom and more encouragement to move than the church I normally attend. However, freshman year I was in the gospel choir so it was so fun to sing some of the same songs and have that freedom in worship. The sharing of prayer requests was also something that was different and new to me. Couch's sermon almost seemed like a motivational speech but I think also because the theme was being renewed in Christ in our health, particularly in smoking and obesity. 

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

I loved the worship and the encouragement to praise God with our whole being. This is something that I definitely miss when I attend my home church, especially no longer being in gospel choir. The sharing of prayer request was awesome to me. On the way home we discussed how you could feel that the church was also a community and not just a church that gathered once a week. We talked about how sharing prayer requests like that would probably not fly in our churches because we just don't feel comfortable enough with our congregations. We loved that Lawndale felt like a big family that took care of one another. 

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

There were some technical difficulties and the first song did not have any words on the screen. However, this didn't seem to be an issue for most of the congregation because they knew the song well and were able to sing it with out the words. That example just made me aware of how comfortable they were in their own worship context and made me realize that while I thought I was comfortable, I needed the scaffolding of the words on the screen. I would say in a couple small ways this carried into the sermon, just in the way people felt naturally led to respond vocally or in body language, and I felt like a stiff white girl sitting listening and taking notes. It has made me think about the various postures or even norms of worship we bring into a service and how mine could be so different from a regular attendee of lawndale. 

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 church I grew up in and the church I currently attend very much value having a pastor that has gone to seminary and has a deep theological training. My pastor growing up gave us the greek and all the historical context and sure, he wove in life application but he really wanted to teach us the Word in a way that was very "theologically sound". Like I mentioned before, Coach's sermon was almost a motivational speech to me, but it was so interesting and effective. He took us through so much practical application and really brought the word that our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit and we need to respond to that. I think there is so much value in just letting Scripture convicting us to change as Coach did. 

Jared Strom--Church Visit #3

Church Name: St. Michael Catholic Church

Church Address: 310 S Wheaton Ave, Wheaton, IL 60187

Date Attended: November 1^st

Church Category: More Liturgical

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

The church service that I went to at St. Mike’s was very different from my ECC background.  One of the main differences was the participation in Eucharist because my church only commemorates the Lord’s Supper with communion once a month.  It was clear through my visit to St. Mike’s that by taking Eucharist every week you are participating in the body of the church.  Another difference from my usual context was the scripture readings.  I became aware that all Catholic churches follow the liturgical calendar and use the same scripture readings known as the homily.  There were two scripture readings, one from one of the gospels.  Although there were many differences, the largest similarities were in the music because of the hymns that were sung and the use of the organ and piano, which is common at my church.

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

I found many things interesting and appealing about the worship service, one being that I found that the Catholic tradition puts a large emphasis on commitment to early church traditions.  From the clothes that the church leaders wore to the structure of the church itself it was clear that the Catholic Church is very tradition focused and it has been that way since the incarnation of the Catholic church.  In addition, another aspect that was appealing to me about the worship service at St. Mike’s was that the service placed a focus on God’s word and action of the church rather than the interpretation of a sermon.  Also, the service was very organized which I liked a lot because it kept me focused. 

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

There were a few things that I found a bit disorienting and challenging about the worship service at St. Mike’s.  I definitely attribute this to the fact that the catholic tradition is so much different that my usual church context.  One thing that I found challenging—and that I think many others find challenging regarding the Catholic Church—is that the service felt more communal rather than personal.  To clarify, the service felt as though it was one group working to praise God through actions rather than a personal time with God where you are directly praising Him and worshiping Him yourself.  This caught me off guard in a way and it is something that has been challenging me ever since. 

What aspects 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 that could not have been illuminated in my regular context.  The Priest and Deacon read from Revelation 7, 1^st John 3, and Mathew 5.  It was interesting hearing the scriptures read the way they were in the Catholic Church, especially in regard to the fact that it follows the liturgical calendar, which I was not aware of until this visit.  I went with a couple of friends I know that are catholic and they did a really good job explaining things to me that I did not understand which allowed me to interpret the scripture and theology that was presented more effectively.  The main thing I would say that I learned about scripture and theology during this visit is that it does not matter who or how the word of God is presented, because there are multiple effective ways to do this. 

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.