Eleanor Grammas - Church visit #3

 Church name: New Life Bilingual Church

Church address: 468 Ann Street, West Chicago, IL 60185

Date attended: March 30, 2014

Church category: Low-socioeconomic demographic

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

This worship service at New Life Bilingual Church, was, as you may have guessed, conducted in two languages: English and Spanish. Every single aspect of the service was translated whether it was the praise music, prayer, announcements, or the sermon. These translations increased the length of the service because those who spoke had to speak in short sentences and then wait for the translator. The outline of the service was very similar to my regular context in that it included praise music, announcements, greeting, sermon, offering and closing. However, one thing that I noticed upon entering the church was that they did not have any welcome pamphlets with information regarding the service or the church. The service was held in a very small sanctuary in the basement of a small church building. Consequently, the congregation was very small and the church seemed to be run by a single family. Surprisingly, the congregation was very ethnically diverse, with Hispanic, Caucasian and African American members. There were also lots of children in the congregation and they were involved in many aspects of the service.

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

Before the service began, a women came up to me, introduced herself and told me a little about the church. She told me that one reason why her son, the pastor, started this church was to allow Hispanic families to be able to go to church together. The grandparents in Hispanic families often do not speak English or do not wish to go to church services in English. On the other hand, younger members of the family often prefer English speaking churches or do not know Spanish. I talked to a little girl after the service and she told me that her dad was going to start teaching her Spanish again because she was forgetting certain phrases and could no longer read Spanish text. Language is a major aspect in these families and New Life Bilingual Church offers a service for entire families to worship together. I also really enjoyed singing praise music in both English and Spanish.

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

I found the size of the congregation to be most disorienting because my attendance was clearly noticed. The church was run by a single family, with the father as the pastor.  Many members of the church, including the pastor and his wife, approached me, welcomed me and asked how I found the church. Then, I was invited to a college study group that meets Sunday mornings, before the service, by the pastor’s father. Also, after finishing praise music and announcements, I was asked to stand up and introduce myself to the congregation. However, the time when I really noticed the intimacy of the church was during the greeting time. It was amazing how much movement there was throughout the room. The greeting time probably lasted 10 minutes because everyone greeted everyone. I found this to be a bit disorienting because I met many people at once and because it seemed like the whole church knew each other personally.

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 that I heard at New Life Bilingual Church was on caring for those who are marginalized in society. The passage being analyzed was Matthew 18:2-14. The pastor specifically used children as an example of those who are often viewed as less important in society. He advocated that individuals step back and look at how they allot worth to different members of society. This sermon illuminated more broadly  how I should treat those in society that aren't viewed with as much worth, whether it be individuals of a low-socioeconomic group, racial group or  lower working class group. For example, the way that a professor is treated, may be much different than they way that a janitor is treated, just based on their job.  I also can’t believe how well this sermon paralleled the mission of New Life Bilingual Church and my reason for visiting the church. I think that New Life Bilingual church itself is a prime example of how to reach out to those marginalized in society. Their mission to serve a low socioeconomic and often marginalized racial group illustrated how I should respect and care for those who are looked down on in society.