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.