Alison Chang - Church Visit 1

Church Name: St. Joseph Orthodox Church

Church Address: 412 Crescent St. Wheaton, IL 60187

Date Attended: 2/16/14

Church Category: Eastern Orthodox (significantly more liturgical)

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

I grew up moving from one Korean immigrant Presbyterian church to another in Southern California and Korea. I currently attend Living Water Alliance Church in Wheaton. The worship service I attended was extremely different from that of my regular context as it was significantly more liturgical. The church was divided into three sections, as described in our Christian Thought class (the gathering place, the holy place, and the most holy place). The inside of the church was beautifully decorated with gold, icons, and candles. The priests wore incredibly ornate dress, a woman was the chant/reading leader in the front of the congregation, and children participated in the worship service by carrying candles or golden crosses. Almost the entire service was participated standing up, chanting or singing the words of a book that was most than 40 pages long. The Eastern Orthodox service was much more formal and rigid than what I am accustomed to.

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

I found the physical participation and worship of the congregation in the service as the most interesting and appealing part of the worship service. I really liked how everyone responded to the liturgy, not just with words but also in action as they made the sign of the cross, kneeled, and kissed the floor. It made it more apparent that we were worshipping with our whole bodies and not just with our tongues. I also participated in making the sign of the cross and wonder why the churches I have attended do not do the same.

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

I found much of the ceremonious functions disorienting and challenging. For communion, the entire congregation went up to the pastor and bent low enough for the priests at the front to spoon-feed them the drink that came from the cup. The pastor kissed the people on their foreheads and many people of the congregation kissed the the cup, Bible at the front of the room and the floor. At one point, the priest walked around the sanctuary and spread incense around the edges of the room. However, the whole congregation would turn to face him wherever he went. I was also challenged by the fact that some of the liturgy that was addressed to the Virgin Mary and proclaimed that she was even higher than the angels.

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 illuminated the beauty and fullness of scripture through its use of scripture based liturgy. Although I do like the contemporary worship that I participate in at my regular context of church, I really enjoyed worshipping in a way that was much more scripture and historically based. It was a worship that felt much more directed to God in a deeper reverence and fear of who He is. After the service, the priest also came and introduced himself to a couple of Wheaton students and myself. He easily remembered our names and I quickly felt like a part of the community. The church was very welcoming and reminded me of the importance and integral quality of the unity of the church.