Jessica Duttweiler - Church Visit # 3

Jessica Duttweiler - Church Visit #3

Jessica Duttweiler - Church Visit #3

Love Community Church

130 Shawnee Dr,
Carol Stream, IL 60188

Lower Socioeconomic Demographic

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

The most significant difference between my usual context and Love Community Church was the location and size of the church. The church was actually located next to a recording studio in a very small room about the size of our Christian Thought classroom. There were also not a lot of people there as this is a fairly new church start up and they are struggling to get regular attendance from people outside of the family that started the church. They didn't have a lot of technology present besides microphones and amps for the worship band they had chairs set up instead of typical church pews. It was also predominantly African-American as the family that started it is an African-American family and most of their friends that attend the church are as well. The church service was also in the evening on Sunday instead of Sunday morning, which was actually very nice as it allowed me to sleep in on Sunday morning. :)

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

The most appealing thing about the worship service was the way that visitors were treated. As soon as I walked in the door I was greeted, hugged, and pummeled by question after question about who I was, where I was from, why I was visiting, etc. It was a little overwhelming at first but once I got used to it I truly enjoyed the love and care that I was receiving. I also loved the worship that took place. It was so genuine and beautiful that even though I didn't know most of the songs, I was able to really worship and bask in God's glory and wonder. The band and the singers were also very talented so that helped me to enjoy the worship much more. Another thing I enjoyed was the family's belief and trust in God that their church will grow. They don't seem to be worried about the low finances of the church or the low attendance; they have full faith that God will provide for them and keep the church going for as long as he needs them to run it.

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

The most disorienting thing about the service was the lack of structure. When I attended St. Michael Catholic Church there was a little too much structure, in this church there wasn't enough. There was an evident lack of organization and there was no respect for time at all. Although I understand why it was this way, it was a little challenging for me to stay focused and keep up since I wasn't even sure if the Pastor knew what was going on all the time. The preaching was very powerful but sometimes the Pastor would go on these long tangents that had nothing to do with the topic of his sermon based on the emotion of the congregation, and then when he would try to transition back to his notes it was very disjointed. Everything he said was great, it was just extremely disorganized and hard to follow 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?

The aspects of theology that were greatly illuminated for me at this church were encompassed in the title of the church: love and community. Even though this church is extremely small, you can feel the love that is shared between all of the members, as well as the love that is shared with all visitors and guests to the church. It is evident that they strive to create a true community within the church, where people can come and feel supported by a loving and honest church family. This was extremely refreshing to see since the modern day church seems to be splitting and fighting more and more instead of growing closer together and being there for each other. Overall, even though it is clear that this church struggles financially, they have no shortage of hugs and love for those that attend their services, whether they are regular members or one-timers.