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.