Justine Nham - Church Visit #3

Church name: Lawndale Christian Community Church
Church address: 3827 W. Ogden, Chicago, IL 60623
Date attended: March 30, 2014
Church category: Socioeconomic difference

Describe the worship service you attended. How was it similar to or different from your regular context?
The worship service at Lawndale was held in a gymnasium with the stage in the middle and chairs all around, a quite different set-up than I am used to. The order of service was pretty similar to my regular context with worship, Scripture reading, and the sermon, with the screen projecting worship lyrics and the sermon outline throughout the service. However, the choir, special music, and not having a song of response after the sermon made the service a little different. The service was about 2 hours long- longer than the hour and fifteen minute services that I'm used to. Even though I was in the minority race at a predominantly African-American church, I felt welcomed and not too awkward- probably because I was there with many other Wheaton students and Dr. Lee. :) 

What did you find most interesting or appealing about the worship service?
I loved the way that different type of music was incorporated into the service: worship team leading the congregation, the choir, and the special solo piece. It was a nice balance of opportunities to actively participate in singing and clapping with the worship team and choir and also to just listen and reflect when the soloist sang. At the end of the sermon, the pastor gave an invitation/altar call which Dr. Lee told us afterwards that they don't usually do. I think this shows an attentiveness to the Spirit's leading which I recognized throughout much of the service. It was also neat to see the bits of diversity represented in the worship team and choir members and among the church attendees. I also thought it was interesting when Dr. Lee told us that the church requires the regular attenders to be from/live in the community. I definitely witnessed and felt that sense of community among the people there in how they interacted with one another. What a beautiful picture of intentional living in community!   

What did you find most disorienting or challenging about the worship service?
I was distracted by the speaker being in the middle which made it hard at times for me to hear and understand what he was saying when his back was turned. His sermon was also quite long (had lots of introductory material and some personal sharing and stories at the beginning), which was challenging for me to focus and pay attention toward the end- just as he was getting to his main points. Other than that, I enjoyed the service and felt that I was able to engage in worship, which I sometimes find hard to do when I am in a new church setting.

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 don't think I can remember ever hearing a sermon that focused specifically on the last words of Jesus found in Luke 23:46 "Father, into your hands I commit my Spirit." The pastor emphasized prayer, the power of prayer, and how God is always working even when we go through trials, just as Christ prayed while on the cross. It was especially stirring to hear this message from a church in an urban community that doesn't have the most resources nor the best circumstances, who truly have to look to God for provision and restoration and rely on His grace and power for breakthrough to change lives. As we got a tour of the Lawndale community, learned about its history and mission, and even met some of the people whose lives have been changed because of God's work through the church and/or the Hope House, I was reminded of how God is indeed always at work in transforming people's lives and communities through the love and power of the Gospel.