Mary Karg - Church Visit #3

Church visited: Lawndale Community Church

Church address: Lawndale, Chicago

Date visited: 4/6/14

Category: Different racial/ethnic demographic

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

Lawndale Community Church is actually located in a similar location demographically to my home church, which is also located in a low-income neighborhood of Chicago. However, the makeup of the actual church body is very different. Whereas at Beloved, most members are Asian or White undergrad or graduate students or young professionals from high socioeconomic backgrounds, the majority of members at Lawndale are Black community members from all different age groups, most of whom appear to be of a significantly low socioeconomic status. The laid-back atmosphere was the same, and the fact that there was no church building but rather everyone met in an unconventional-looking building. I felt at home there, but at the same time I was one of the only white people at the church (besides the other Wheaton students present.) 

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

I told my fiance when we walked out of the service that I had never felt so comfortable during my first visit to any church than I had at Lawndale. I can’t even adequately describe what it is - a genuine, laid-back yet caring attitude towards visitors - which permeated my (brief) interactions with greeters and members. I really liked how visitors weren’t a huge focus of the members of the church, and yet I felt welcomed all the same. I also liked how there were many different age groups represented at Lawndale. When the children were asked to go to their program, it looked like a mass exodus. There were so many kids! But at the same time, there were many older members as well. I felt this created a nice balance of perspectives. 

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

It was hard for me to relate to many of the struggles experienced by the members of Lawndale, because I grew up and currently live in a very different socioeconomic and racial context. The Sunday service that I went to was one where members were invited up to one of two microphones to share a prayer request or praise with the church. Emily Kertzman, a former Wheaton student, explained to us that this was a once-a-month tradition. When I heard some of the prayer requests that people had, I was in awe. You would never hear someone be so candid in a church in the suburbs! Everything from drug-addicted children to praise for being able to be a good father and role model was brought to the mic. I was disoriented in the sense that I could not relate, but I was fascinated by how God provided and showed up in contexts that were so different from my own. 

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 heard an emphasis on suffering loud and clear during the service. Granted, the sermon was focused on suffering in some capacity, because it was centered around Jesus on the cross and feeling forsaken by God. However, what was new to me was how many of the members of the church, who the pastor often called out by name, were experiencing trials of a greater magnitude than I normally heard in prayer requests at my own church. Loss of family members, car accidents, drugs, illness, addiction, and wayward children were all mentioned. Like I said above, I was struck by how different parts of God’s love and character were displayed through his care for his people in such a different setting from my own. There is intense suffering in this world, but as the pastor said, once we get to heaven we will be so full of joy that we will forget the suffering experienced here on earth, and it won’t even be worth mentioning.