Lisa Moore - Church visit #2

Church name: St. Michael Catholic Church

Church address: 310 S. West Street, Wheaton, IL

Date attended: Saturday, March 23

Church category: Liturgical

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

Compared to my usual Presbyterian worship context, St. Michael’s Catholic mass was very different.  I went on a Saturday night Lenten vigil, and I truly enjoyed my worshipful night with that congregation.  The most noticeable difference for me was the songs during the service.  The songs were short lines used as part of the liturgy.  A woman soloist or priest (male) would sing at first, and then the congregation would join along.  Later in the mass, the songs were predominately in Latin.  Since I have sung a lot of classical choral and soloist material, I could understand most of the Latin phrases.  However, there was not a translation, so I am not sure if the congregation knew what they were singing.  The length of the mass also surprised me.  I always thought of Catholic masses as long, but this mass was only forty-five minutes.  That is thirty minutes shorter than my normal service.  One similarity was the stress of Scripture and the high view of Scripture in the service. They made sure to read their scripture in long passages before the whole congregation. 

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

I loved the beautiful liturgy throughout the service.  However, since there were multiple books and papers to be looking at, I would get confused from time to time.  I appreciated that the Catholic calendar ensures that the masses will go through the entirety of Scripture.  It shows the importance of Scripture compared to the priest’s words or any other spoken words.  The Catholic mass was another wonderful reminder of God’s holiness.  The formality of the service and the serious attitude puts the congregation in awe of God and reveres Him. The beautiful clean sanctuary makes the worshipper’s eyes go straight up to the cross; I love that worship theology.  Again, this brings obvious reverence to the Lord and glorifies him with the beauty of the church.

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

The most challenging part of the worship service was coming to grips with the fact that I was not invited to participate in the Lord’s Supper.  I am still unsure as to what they believe in terms of non-Catholic Christians’ salvation, but in that moment, I felt outcasted and ashamed since I could not participate.  I am glad that this rule was made known to me so that I would be able to respect them and their beliefs.  However, I was uncomfortable.  I could not help but pray for the unity of Christians during that time of prayer.  I also did not understand the symbolism and tradition behind different parts of the mass.  I particularly did not understand why the bells were rung three times after the turning of the bread to the body and the wine to the blood.  I am assuming it has to do with the trinity and transubstantiation.  I was also confused and disheartened as to why the congregation rarely sang.  Even when the congregation was invited to sing, nobody sang loudly.  If people were singing at all, it was a murmur.   I had difficulties understanding as to why they did not want to sing praises to their Lord.

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 loved the emphasis that this mass had on the Lord’s Supper.  Instead of the typical evangelical worship service climaxing at the preacher’s human words, the typical Catholic mass climaxes at the Eucharist, a biblical command of the Lord.  In the Eucharist, Christians are invited to the table of the Lord and to share together the presence of the Lord.  This is biblical and very traditional in Christian history.  Unfortunately, I find that evangelicals may overlook the importance of the Eucharist.  The goal of the service should be communion with the Lord, not hearing the preacher’s words.  I wish my church gave communion more than once a month; however, I do understand their concern of doing it too often.  I love how communion was formal, taken seriously, and a completely sacred event.  Again, this shows reverence to God and glorifies Him.

Stephanie Kirschner - Church visit #2

Church name: North Maine Community Church
Church address: Big Cinemas, Niles IL
Date attended: 3/30/14
Church category: Non-denominational

The service itself was much more similar to my own church than I expected. This is probably because the pastor of the church originally ministered at my home church in Park Ridge, but several years ago he felt called to start this new church in an under-served area. He and a small core group of people planted North Maine Community Church in Niles. The service began with worship consisting of fairly loud contemporary music, followed by announcements, and then the offering. After that, we watched a sermon on the big screen. I was a little disappointed that I didn't get to see my former pastor preach, but he explained that the church watches video sermons once a month or so. The service concluded with a closing worship song. Apart from the video sermon, the service was similar to what I am used to.

Though the order of service and overall "feel" of the church was similar, I appreciated that the congregation were much more diverse than my regular context. Having grown up overseas and then having attended a diverse high school in Chicago, it was interesting and appealing to be around people from different backgrounds and cultures. The worship leader and the rest of the staff team was conscious and intentional about including everyone and making us feel welcome. There didn't seem to be any sort of social, racial, or economic divisions. Although the church doesn't have the funds to engage in large-scale missions trips, it was evident to me that the pastor values outreach and the importance of intentional and growing relationships with Christ and with others.

I think the most disorienting part about the worship service was the fact that it is held in a movie theater. I am used to attending churches that take place in various venues, like school gyms and auditoriums, but for some reason this particular setting made it difficult to focus. The bright cinema lights during worship made it a little bit challenging to focus on the songs we were singing, and, it sounds silly, but the smell of popcorn was distracting. However, as the service went on, I got used to the slightly strange setting and was able to engage more freely. Hopefully soon this church family will be able to move into their own building, but for now I am thrilled that this movie theater is available for people to meet and experience Christ.

Something that this worship service helped me perceive more clearly is the seriousness with which Scripture commands us to serve others wholeheartedly and to use our specific gifts for God's glory. Having attended a predominantly white and affluent church for the past several years, I think that I have in some ways become disillusioned and numb to what it means to truly "give" of yourself. This church understands that "giving" does not merely refer to money, but it involves our time, our energy, and the way we choose to live. It was inspiring to witness a church with a lower socioeconomic demographic that was eager to look for ways to serve and to invest in others' lives. It was obvious to me that the church staff truly believes in "Kingdom" work, and that living a Christian life is an all or nothing type of endeavor.

Alison Chang - Church Visit #2

Church Name: Lawndale Christian Community Church
Church Address: 3827 W. Ogden Avenue Chicago, IL 60623
Date Attended: 3/30/14
Church Category: Non-denominational
(significantly lower socioeconomic demographic + at least ten miles away)


Describe the worship service you attended. How was it similar to or different from your regular context?
The worship service was held in a gymnasium and black fold-up chairs encircled a stage that was in the middle. The worship service started with four worship leaders at each corner of the stage leading the congregation into singing gospel music. The choir then continued leading the congregation in worship. There was also a special solo worship song that was really powerful. The pastor was very dynamic in his preaching as he spoke with passion and took up the whole space of the stage in the middle. The worship service was similar to my regular context in the order of service. However, Lawndale's service was different in the ways the room was set up, the styles we worshipped in, the demographics of the people we worshipped with, the length of the sermon, the verbal affirmation of the congregation, etc.

What did you find most interesting or appealing about the worship service?
I found the welcoming atmosphere of the service the most appealing. Even though I might stick out as an Asian woman and it was my first time there, I felt accepted and welcomed. I absolutely loved worshipping. It was so much fun. My favorite song was titled "I can't stop praising Him". I couldn't help but get up and dance. And when the song was over and people started to sit back down, the choir would start singing again! and then again! We really couldn't stop praising Him! The service was so powerful and spoke a lot of God's transforming power. Seeing how so many of the leaders in the church came through Hope House was a witness to God's transforming power. I was in awe.

What did you find most disorienting or challenging about the worship service?
I found the powerpoint slides the most disorienting and challenging because there were colorful and included pictures I remember seeing from Facebook and Instagram. Because I come from a context that keeps my secular life very separate from my spiritual life,  I kept thinking... "Is this ok?"

What aspects of Scripture or theology did the worship service illuminate for you that you had not perceived as clearly in your regular context?
My view of what the church could and should be has dramatically changed. When I thought of church, I thought of it as a place to sing worship songs, to listen to sermons, and to personally be filled by the Holy Spirit. Lawndale's worship service helped me perceive that, though a church is a place for all of the before-mentioned activities, the church is much more than that. The church is really a light to its community. In addition to my own personal heart, God actually does bring healing broken communities. God brings change through His people, the church. I found that surprising to actually be able to see through the work of God through LCCC to its own community. The church can help people, not just is spiritual ways, but in very physical and real ways. Jesus Christ came incarnate and has a physical body. Going to Lawndale reminded me of the truth that God is real and is actively working in tangible ways. It makes me question: in what ways can my own church tangibly address the issues that are before its own community?

David Holmes - Church Visit #2

Church name: Dupage African Methodist Episcopal Church
Church address: 4300 Yackley Avenue, Lisle, IL 60532
Date attended: March 30, 2014
Church category: Different racial demographic

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

Dupage African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME) is very different from my regular church context (a contemporary, non-denominational church called Autumn Ridge Church). One of the most prominent differences I noticed was the manner in which the congregation conducted their worship. The congregation of AME exuded an enthusiasm and joy for the Lord that I have never seen at Autumn Ridge Church. Being led by a male gospel choir, they not only worshiped through their singing, but also through their dancing, clapping, and shouts of praise. The way my friends and I were welcomed as visitors was also a very unique experience. Rather than simply shaking a few hands as we would at Autumn Ridge Church, we stood and introduced ourselves to the congregation. The congregation even sang a song for us as a welcome into their church. The high exuberance of the congregation was also very present during the sermon. The praise band played exciting music during passionate portions of the sermon and the congregation was actively involved, shouting “Amen!” or “Yes Lord!” throughout.   

What did you find most interesting or appealing about the worship service?
I really appreciated witnessing a worship style that clearly demonstrated love for God. The members of the congregation worshiped with their full body, dancing and clapping as well as singing. Unlike the stationary stances and emotionless expressions I often see at Autumn Ridge, the worship style at AME showed that each member of the congregation wanted to give all the glory they could to God. The worship at AME also included music performed solely by the praise band which I found appealing. This instrumental form of worship (which I usually only see during the offertory) was an effective vehicle for reflection and meditation.  I also greatly appreciated how warmly the congregation welcomed their guests. Although my friends and I were very obviously of a different racial demographic, that did not deter them from welcoming us as brothers and sisters in Christ through song, hugs, and heart-felt hellos.

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

Although I appreciated the worship for its enthusiasm, I found it to be very distracting during the sermon, when the congregation was most exuberant. Specifically, I found this enthusiasm to severely detract from the sermon’s message. Based on a passage from Hebrews 11, the sermon emphasized the opportunity we have in Jesus to be reconciled to God. This is a hugely significant tenet of Christian theology; however, the pastor seemed to use it solely as a means to excite the congregation. The way the pastor addressed the congregation, coupled with the jazz-band’s accompaniment, made the sermon feel like a show to animate a crowd. At certain points in the sermon, the praise band and congregation were so loud that I was even incapable of hearing what the pastor was saying. I found this level of enthusiasm to distract me from the deep theological implications of God’s Grace.

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 found the worship service at AME to be an embodiment of the two greatest commandments of the law: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” And “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:36-40). Although I found the enthusiasm of the congregation to be distracting at times, it demonstrated to me what it can mean to worship God with all one’s being. My church rarely claps and never dances or shouts, which causes me to question whether my church congregation is doing all they can do to glorify God. Through one of the warmest welcomes I have ever received, I can better understand what it means to love your neighbor as yourself.  Despite being in the racial minority, my friends and I were welcomed as equals in Christ. I wish this principle was more apparent in my own Church, where I sometimes witness church members avoiding communication with visitors, a tragedy that does not represent the love of Christ.

 

Eva Mendez - Church visit #3

Church name: Living Water Alliance Church
Church Address: 27W344 Galusha Ave, Warrenville, IL 60555
Date attended: March 30th
Church category: Christian and Missionary Alliance

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

The service opened in prayer. They had a small band at the front, with Guitars and drums and even a violin. We sang worship songs which were pretty modern. The worship ended and then a young woman went up and spoke about her mission work that would be coming up. Prayer followed. The sermon was given by the head pastor and it was very good. There was a worship song in response and then the service ended. I think one of the major differences with my regular service is the lack of liturgy, but they prayed and read the Bible verses together, similar to the church I attend.

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

I really really enjoyed the worship, and I even thought that it was too short. I really enjoyed seeing the congregation really get into worship and singing songs. Their whole hearted worship was something really beautiful. They did not care if other people were watching, but they would sit down or kneel and worship. I even saw someone crying. I think that is very real worship. Also, I felt that the congregation did not just sing together, but each one sang the song (there was a lot of harmonies). I have been singing so long in a choir, I had forgotten what it is like to sing freely with many different voices.

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

Well, I found that there was a lack of physical response by the congregation. I felt like even in the church I attend, there is a real component of the congregation verbally responding, and I missed that. It was not such a shock that I could not get over it, but I definitely thought about it, and wondered why I felt a bit off. Regardless, I enjoyed the rest of the service, and did not find anything else that made me feel odd.

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 loved the topic of today's sermon: Humility. I believe that has been an aspect of Christian theology
that has been missing in my life for quite some time now. I think this church really modeled it. The church meets in another's church building, in the afternoon. Their worship is not to draw attention to themselves, but to raise others to worship with all their soul, mind and strength. The pastor seems to be a really funny and yet gentle man. He greets all he members at the door of the sanctuary. There is a palpable sense of welcome and gentleness and humility throughout the entire service. And then the pastor's call to depend on Jesus was so well put. My car ride back to school was a conversation about humility and it was not condemning, but redeeming.

Justine Nham- Church Visit #2

Church name: Second Baptist Church of Wheaton
Church address: 1520 Avery Avenue, Wheaton, IL 60187
Date attended: March 23, 2014
Church category: Different racial/ethnic demographic

Describe the worship service you attended. How was it similar to or different from your regular context?
Second Baptist is an African-American church and the worship service differed from my regular context in many ways. In the Asian churches that I've grown up in and regularly attend, the worship is more reflective and structured so that you always know what's coming next and when to sit/stand. The entire service at Second Baptist was quite energetic and worshipful from the worship through song to the altar call prayer and the sermon. It has been a while since I attended a service where the pastor gave an invitation at the end of his sermon for people to come forward if they want to make a decision for Christ. I also noticed that there wasn't a projection of the words for the worship songs or the Scripture passage or points for the sermon. It was refreshing to worship simply and in a context that had such a tight community praising God together. This was also one of the very few times where I have felt awkward and uncomfortable being the minority. But after being introduced and welcomed, I felt more comfortable and was reminded of the beauty of diversity in the body of Christ. 

What did you find most interesting or appealing about the worship service?
I liked how the service involved many young people- making announcements, leading worship, and singing in a youth choir. The congregation was very involved during the entire service- even as a visitor, I didn't feel like I could just be a spectator. The congregants would constantly be moving from postures of sitting to standing and engaging with what was being said with verbal affirmations. Even the offering collection required the people to walk down the aisles to the front, rather than passing the offering plates through the rows.  I appreciated how welcoming the people in the church were as they greeted guests with handshakes and hugs. The greeting portion of the service was more than the usual "turn and greet the people around you," but a very intentional time for people to greet others across the room and exchange a few words of conversation in the aisles.        

What did you find most disorienting or challenging about the worship service?
During the sermon, I was most distracted by the responses from the congregation and the additions from the organ and percussionist. In my regular context, there are the occasional "Amens" from a few people in the congregation during the pastor's sermon, but it is a lot more sporadic and intentional in affirming the speaker's strong points. But at Second Baptist, the verbal affirmations from the congregation came quite frequently throughout the entire service, sometimes at parts that were least expected. The pastor also spoke loudly, yelling at times, which was distracting for me and even made it hard for me to understand what he was saying at times.    
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 appreciated the emphasis on prayer that the service and the church seemed to embody. I had never experienced an Altar Call prayer where people came up to the front to receive prayer. I thought it was a quite powerful gesture and reminder of humility in coming before the Lord in prayer. Requests for healing and daily provision were acknowledged and prayed over. It was a very Spirit-filled place and had a celebratory atmosphere, which I feel that I often to forget on Sunday mornings when I'm tired or have a lot on my mind. But as the sermon highlighted, the declaration of choosing to follow and serve God is life-changing - and that is something to celebrate and praise God for and to live out in the context of community with other brothers and sisters.

Mark Hansford - Church Visit #2

Church name: Assumption Greek Orthodox Church

Church address: 601 S. Central Avenue, Chicago, IL

Date attended: 03.23.14

Church category: Greek Orthodox

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

What an experience. This was definitely far different than anything else that I have ever attended. I honestly felt like I was worshipping on a different continent. As I have been going to an Episcopalian Church this year (St. Barnabas in Glen Ellyn), I was a little prepared for the service (or at least more than your average protestant), but I was could not have predicted how the service was going to be. For starters, it was over three hours long and the large majority of the service was in Greek. That was not helpful for me, but it seemed that everyone else there (all Greek) understood what was going on. Apparently the service is nearly identical every week. I did not even begin to understand all of the different customs that went on during the service. The taking of the Eucharist was pretty similar to how we take it at my Episcopalian Church, but there was a lot of chanting that I did not understand. I have to say that the language barrier was a big hinderance to me. 

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

The most appealing thing to me was how community oriented the church was. It was obvious that everyone in the surrounding community (who was Greek) came to the church every sunday. Despite there being several hundred people, it felt like everyone knew everybody and saw them regularly outside of church. After the service, there was a big lunch that everyone attended and it seemed almost like it was part of the service and you were expected to stay. The church spans several generations and is well represented by every age group, there did not seem to be any majority age group or even a bimodal age grouping (like many churches will have). I wish more churches could be such a fundamental part of the community as it really felt like Church was both a large social function for them that was also a communal worship of God. 

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

The most challenging part of the worship service was how the majority of the service was in Greek. Some parts were in English, but even when English was spoken, they would flip back and forth so quickly that it was nearly impossible for me to get my bearings. So instead of trying to understand the service, I opted to observe and join in the worship where I could. Similar to my church, they follow an predetermined order laid out in a weekly bulletin, except my church is more like 16 pages and Assumption's was over 50! The only music was chanting, which was fine, but that only made it harder for me to participate. The service is not oriented towards the community and the focus was largely upon the altar, which is a great way to reinforce the focus on God, but that only reinforced my feelings of disorientation. 

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 Assumption Greek Orthodox Church's main verse is Romans 15:7,  "Welcome one another, therefore, just as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God" and they live it out. I stood out as I walked into the church and it was clear that I was visiting, a Greek man picked me out right away and introduced me to the church. He showed me around for a little bit and then had his (rather cute) daughter show me the rest of the church and sat by me during the service. His daughter tried to help answer my questions, but I did not want to bother her too much since she understood what was going on in the service. Then after the service, she introduced me to nearly a dozen people and every single one of them was warm and inviting. They all enthusiastically wished wished that I would come back, but understood that I already have a home church (although one of them did talk about converting..).

Lou Smith-- Church Visit #2

Blog title: Lou Smith-- Church Visit #2 

Church name: Wheaton Second Baptist 

Church address: 1520 Avery Ave. Wheaton, Il 60187 

Date attended: 3/23/14 

Church category: Different Ethnic/Racial Demographic 

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

 Wheaton Second Baptist is predominantly African American. The worship was a lot fun. There was a lot of dancing and shouting. The songs were very long and repetitive, but I liked it. It actually gave me a chance to think and absorb what I was actually singing. The service was longer than what I'm used to-- I I had to leave for my regular small group after two hours, and they still weren't done worshipping. It was also different from what I'm used to because we were greeted by the whole congregation with hugs and handshakes after we introduced ourselves. I've never felt so welcome in a church before. It was similar to what I'm used to in that there was the typical singing, announcements, sermon, singing sequence. Another thing that was different was the incorporation of youth in the worship service.

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

I loved the incorporation of youth into the service. They helped lead worship and make announcements. I love how integrated they were into the whole worship experience. I also loved how inviting the people were at the church. The moment I walked through the door, all I could think was, "I'm white. I'm white. I'm white." You don't think about race so much until you're the minority. I was very self-concious and felt very awkward at first, but after we introduced ourselves, we were hugged and welcomed very genuinely. I was also struck by how much of a community the group was. Attendance to non-Sunday events was strongly stressed and talked about by members of the church throughout the service. It really felt like people knew each other and knew each others' struggles and hardships. It felt very tight-knit even though it was a church of 80 or more people. 

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

The most disorienting aspect of the service was how loud the pastor was talking when he gave the sermon. It was really intense. He yelled the whole way through. It was kind of exhausting by the end because the yelling actually stressed me out a lot. There was a lot of call and response, so I felt very involved in the sermon, but again, very exhausted by the end. Maybe that's something you get used to over time if you go to a church with that style for a while? I didn't mind the dancing and shouting, but I was very confused about when people are expected to say "amen" or "well, well." I would need to spend more time there to understand the social function of those interjections. What do they mean/ signify because they were used during stories that didn't seem important (e.g. during narrative of McDonalds drive-through). 

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 really appreciated the emphasis on acknowledging the Holy Spirit in worship. The message was on choices and how we are moral agents (strangely correlated with class discussions). I appreciated the acknowledgement of financial problems and brokenness within the community and the open praying for those things. There was a lot more of a focus of God as our sustainer which I appreciated. I have never heard of financial or social hardship acknowledged in a sermon, and I've definitely not heard pastors talk about God's role in strengthening us to overcome hardships. It wasn't a health and wealth talk, but more of an acknowledgement of real problems we face everyday. I think this has not been talked about in my regular church context because of the different socioeconomic status of my church as well as the overwhelming emphasis on personal piety/morality that it so prominent in the white evangelical culture today (i.e. purity culture) which can be so blinding for our church when it comes to social justice. The White American Evangelical church is so embedded in the economic and political structures that perpetuate social and economic disparities that it has become very blind to those structures (ok... sorry... this blog was meant to about Wheaton Second Baptist...). 

Kirsten Rieck - Church Visit #2

Church name: Wheaton Chinese Alliance Church

Church address: 1748 S Blanchard St, Wheaton, IL 60189

Date attended: 3/23/14

Church category: Different ethnic/racial demographic

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

When John and I first walked in to the Wheaton Chinese Alliance Church sanctuary for the English service, it was very quiet. It took us a while to catch on to the fact that we were supposed to be using that time to silently prepare our hearts for worship. This is different from any other church that I have gone to. The way that the pastor spoke was also different than my regular context. He walked around a lot, on the same level as where everyone was sitting, not up on the stage behind the pulpit, like I am used to. He also went through his sermon points using a powerpoint. The sermon incorporated more biblical history than I generally hear on a Sunday morning. It was helpful, as it put the rest of what was going on into more of a context. After the service, there were a lot of people who were eager to introduce themselves to us, as we had been identified as visitors during the service. I have never seen so many people so eager to welcome visitors.

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

I loved the whole service, but the two parts that really stood out to me were probably the time before and after the service. I love that they ask people to quiet their hearts and prepare for worship before the service starts. It really puts you into a mindset that is ready to worship God. I also loved the community of the church after the service ended. The people who attend Wheaton Chinese Alliance Church obviously love each other and are a family. I saw this not only in how they all stayed around after the service and interacted, but how they were so eager to welcome the two of us who were visiting. There were a number of people who seemed like they intentionally looked for us after the service to introduce themselves to us. The people we talked to were so friendly and genuine. One of the people that we talked to told us that the church really takes you into the family very quickly, which was quite obvious, and was something that I really loved.

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

Probably the most disorienting part of the service was when the pastor got up before the sermon and asked if there were any visitors in the service to raise their hands. John and I were the only two people to raise our hands, so the pastor pointed us out and asked the church to welcome us. They all turned to look at us and applauded. I was so embarrassed and didn’t really know what to do. The pastor then said that we looked like we were there for a class assignment and asked us if that was true. We said that we were, and I was kind of embarrassed again. I wanted to let them know that we weren’t just there for an assignment, but were there to worship. I had an experience in Harlem in New York over Christmas break where it was made obvious that a predominantly black church we wanted to visit had been very hurt in the past by visitors coming to observe rather than to watch, and I have been very sensitive to that since then. We were actually able to tell that to a lot of people we talked to after the service who were asking what our assignment was, but they didn’t seem like they were very offended that we were there for an assignment.

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 think that slowing down and being still was an aspect of theology that I really appreciated about the Wheaton Chinese Alliance Church worship service. It is so easy to forget to be still and know that God is God, even in church, when we move so quickly from one thing to another. God gave us a Sabbath, but so frequently, even that gets filled up and we forget to take time to just be still, know that God is God, and prepare to worship Him. In my regular context, transition between the start of the service, from singing to announcements, announcements to reading Scripture, Scripture reading to prayer, prayer to the sermon, etcetera, everything feels like it moves so quickly, so it was cool to see how a church intentionally made time to be still.

Sarah O'Connell - 2#

Church name: Hope Fellowship

Church address: PO Box 103, Lombard, IL 60148

Date attended: 3/23/2014

Church category: Significantly more or less liturgical

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

The worship service at Hope Fellowship was very inviting and simple. This church was definitely less liturgical than Church of the Resurrection. The service included worship, an offering, more worship, the dismissal of the kids, a sermon, and ended with more worship songs. The band onstage was very simplistic including only a lead vocalist with a guitar, a woman singing harmony, a piano player, and a guy on the box drum. One of the songs included the word hallelujah, which I thought more traditional and liturgical churches did not use during lent.

Although this follows a relatively similar pattern to my own worship service, the lack of liturgy and not having communion made the service seem very short and simple. This service also involved less members of leadership since the man preaching also dismissed the kids and gave announcements. The small congregation and single service were also very different from the large and multi-service church I usually attend. 

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

            The smaller congregation felt more like a community of people that had relationships with one another. Although Church of the Resurrection is good at reaching out to new comers, the large sanctuary and congregation often leads me to feel lost in the crowd sometimes. This congregation all knew one another and could recognize the new people. We were greeted by at least three people when entering the service and a member of the church met every new person, including my roommate and me. I love this aspect of Hope Fellowship. The congregation was genuinely interested in connecting with us, which created a very warm and welcoming environment.

Even though this community met in a rented, high school auditorium, their members still showed the love and bond of Christ followers making the space feel more like their space and not a rented space. I am not sure whether this intentionality comes from not having a space of their own or is a innate part of the congregation, but it would be interesting to see whether this quality is intensified or lessened when and if they get their own building.

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

            Nothing was particularly challenging for me during this worship service. However by attending Church of the Resurrection, I have grown accustomed to having communion every week and miss not taking part in this particular part of liturgy when in other services.

Although I grew up in nondenominational churches, I am used to having more liturgy in my worship service now. I feel much more engaged in the service and a part of the worship experience when repeating the Lord’s Prayer and Nicene Creed with my fellow brothers and sisters. The simplicity and bare structure of Hope Fellowship service was not necessarily disorienting, but made me appreciate and miss the liturgy of my normal service.

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 message focused on Acts 1: 1-5; however, the pastor spent a decent amount of talking about the intention of Acts and how it was the second volume of Luke. He focused on the connection between Luke and Acts and how Acts recaps and expands on what is taking place in Luke. This emphasis on the author and his intentions was interesting to me and I always enjoy when connections and back-stories are given for Scripture since I am not good at remembering details like that.

            The message also talked about the Trinity, focusing on the power the Holy Spirit. Although this is often mentioned in worship services, the way in which this pastor spoke it and began his new sermon series called “Advance” focusing on the book of Acts brought about a renewed sense of appreciation for the Holy Spirit in my life. He mentioned in his sermon how we often wish we could talk to Jesus in person and if we could, everything would be easier. He argued with that wish saying that Christ himself said it would be better if he left so the Holy Spirit, the helper, could come and dwell within us.  

Eva Mendez - Church visit #2

Church name: Dupage African Methodist Episcopal Church
Church address: 4300 Yackley Ave, Lisle, IL
Date Attended: 03/16/2014
Church Category: AME

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

The worship service was different from my regular church in several ways. The worship was organized, but not completely structured. This was seen when  the songs would continue for a long time (a member even told me the service went much later than what they expected), and there were some aspects of the service that were not organized at all. The attendees and members of the church were, for the majority, African American. They came from mostly Middle to Upper class, I assumed based on the attires of the attendees. The services were similar in the way that the bulletin showed the order of the service, and the processional

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

Personally, I loved the community of this church. The audience was fully participating in every aspect of the service. The singing and the dancing was great, but even in the sermon, the feedback was amazing. I really enjoyed the choir that sang, and how the community joined in. The church is very community oriented and at one point we even held hands as we continued singing. I thought that was a wonderful experience, and even though I had never been to the church before, I felt very welcomed. Even as I walked away from the service, members greeted me and walked alongside me. I honestly had not felt that welcome to a new church in a while. I definitely recommend people who enjoy vigorous singing, and more response oriented worship.

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

The hardest part to get used to was all the feedback during the sermon. I loved it at first, and I think it is a great thing that the audience can encourage the preacher, but when it continued on and on, I was really shocked by how often they gave feedback. Every sentence the preacher said was met by several expressions from the crowd. I became pretty used to it, after some 15 minutes, but I guess it almost took away from the power of the preachers words as he actually tried to emphasize a point. Instead, every one of his sentences was emphasized.

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 really was impacted by the sharing in the experience. I felt that many of the churches I have attended regularly tend to emphasize the individual response to the message, and everything else for that matter. It was wonderful to see a church united when singing and raising their voices in praise and affirmation. I thought that although it may have seemed excessive at some points, the worship service did bring the community aspect to the forefront. And I have to say, those church goers really do love being in church, with all the laughter and singing and wonderfulness. I felt very included in this particular church, even though I was not of the same ethnicity. I am very glad I got a glimpse of what heaven could be like.

Ginny Melby - Church Visit #2

Church name: Second Baptist Church of Wheaton

Church address: 1520 Avery Avenue Wheaton, IL 60187

Date attended: March 2, 2014

Church category: Different racial/ethnic demographic

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

Th worship service at Second Baptist was certainly different from my weekly church experience, but I absolutely loved it. It made me want to attend regularly, honestly. At my home church, we sing 3 worship songs, greet each other collect, offering, hear a sermon, and then end with another song or two. This worship service was just that: WORSHIP. The entire service was centered on worshiping the Lord in all different forms, but mostly through singing and dancing. They certainly appeared to be full of the joy of the Lord. The service (which was over 2 hours long) was mainly singing together, and the sermon itself was very worshipful, complete with spontaneous additions from the organ and choir. 

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

The focus on community. I have never in my life felt so welcomed by a body of believers. Not only did Mary and I have to stand up and introduce ourselves, but they remembered our names and referred to us throughout the service. Then, Pastor Williams said "As a church, we are going to come to you and welcome you." We literally shook hands with or hugged every single person in that church. They all gave us a warm welcome and made it clear that they wanted us to come back. I think they were used to having white Wheaton students visit, but they were so inclusive and happy to have us. It was neat to experience worshiping with people from a different culture than mine. It gave me a taste of worship in heaven with people from all different nations! How exciting. 

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

Really the only criticism I have about the church after my one visit is the length of the service. I'm not used to spending such a long time at church, so my stamina was tested about half way through. While I truly enjoyed the entire service, I could feel myself getting impatient as I looked at the time, felt my stomach growl, and realized that we were only half way through the service according to the church bulletin. But ultimately, it serviced to challenge my thinking and reorder my priorities. 

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 sermon was amazing. Rev. Williams preached on Joshua 10, when the Lord delivered the Amorites in the hands of the Israelites via Joshua's bold prayer to hold the sun still. Williams encouraged us all to pray bold, outrageous, confident prayers that-- when they come to fruition-- it is so clear that the Lord was the one working. As Williams was preaching and the people around me were confirming with "Amen!" and "I know that's right!" it became evident that the church community had faith much greater than my own. They relied on the Lord as if He was truly their only means of survival. They prayed bold prayers for healing and deliverance, just as Joshua inspired us to do, and they trusted that God would come through for them. I get too caught up in praying for myself and the small things during my day that I forget to pray impossible prayers, expecting God to move on my behalf and for His glory.