Lena Maxey - Church Visit #2

Church name: Lawndale Community Church

Church address: Lawndale, Chicago (you know)

Date attended: 4/12

Church category: Different socio/economic level

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

The overall format of the service was similar to what I am familiar with, it started off with singing, then the pastor gave announcements, then the pastor preached, and we ended with singing again. I guess it had a few less elements than my regular context. I think it was a similar mixture of ethnicities as my church but with a different group of people; my church is mostly Korean and Korean Americans with some Chinese, Southeast Asians, a couple of other ethnicities and a good number of white people. Lawndale was mostly African Americans, with a few people of different ethnicities, and then a good number of white people; it was more diverse than I had expected it to be. 

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

I appreciated that it was somewhat diverse, there was definitely a majority but there were people of a few different ethnicities present in the congregation. I found it very interesting that the pastor added a blatant point about how women can preach into his sermon even though it was not a talk about gender roles or anything on that topic.

What did you find most disorienting or challenging about the worship service?
There actually really was not much of anything that was disorienting about this worship service. It was not drastically different from my current worship service, the only challenging part was that it was with people I did not know. Being in a new place  and new church is always a bit uncomfortable because the greeting time is awkward with strangers. This means that it was really not very challenging since there was not much else other than the usual meeting strangers. 

What aspects of Scripture or theology did the worship service illuminate for you that you had not perceived as clearly in your regular context?
One thing that was emphasized that is definitely not in my usual contexts was the role that women have as preachers. The pastor was talking about Jesus' resurrection and then about Mary Magdalene's meeting Jesus and then going out and sharing out what he said. The pastor said that the first one to preach about Jesus' resurrection was a woman and that women can be preachers. I am not sure if the church has a stance on this or if it is more from the individual, but it was very interesting that he emphasized this so much and mentioned it even though it was not central to the sermon. This is an aspect of theology I rarely hear about and if I do it is the opposite point being made.  

Mariana Maxey- church visit 3

 Mariana Maxey- church visit 3

Immanuel Evangelical Lutheran Church

421 North Second Street, Bartlett, IL

May 2

different denomination, farther than 10 mi

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

The worship service was led by one white male. He wore black robes and spoke and sang very formally. Hymns were interspersed with readings and prayer. The nicene creed was said, and felt more meaningful because I had memorized it. Hearing so many people saying it all together was special. The sermon he preached was quite short, and followed by more readings, prayer, and words spoken in one voice. I was happy that children could be heard through the sanctuary rather than being removed from the congregation. This seemed like a warm way to encourage parents with babies. 

 

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

I loved how the songs were interspersed between the readings, prayer and sermon. this helped to make the service feel like a cohesive ongoing worship time. Having readings which were meant to be read all together gave me a sense of being involved and enveloped in the service. I also loved that the priest turned his back to the congregation and prayed facing towards the Bible on a stand. This made the action feel like it was on behalf of the congregation rather than a performance for the sake of the congregation. 

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

I didn’t like how the service was led almost entirely by one white man, because this doesn’t feel like how the body of christ should express our worship. I also felt skeptical of the man because he had a narrow mindset and even referred Africa as a country. He also commended the ESL program for having the student watch the english speaking sermons as a way to learn English. This felt alienating towards other cultures. I also felt defensive against him because he referred to Rahab as a harlot, a much more loaded word than prostitute.

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 way that the congregation has traditional responses to what the priest says and prayers. I want ritual to be part of the way that I worship God, and having the solemn hymns and the organ playing reminds me of the Psalms about singing songs as praise to God. I would like to have responses in my mind that are as natural as muscle memory. This idea of worship with our breath would be highlighted by developing call and response habits in a communal setting. 

Lena Maxey Church visit #3

Church name: St. Mark Coptic Orthodox Church of Chicago

Church address: 15 West 455 79th Street, Burr Ridge, IL 60527

Date attended: 5/2 

Church category: Different ethnicity

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

This worship service was quite different from what I am used to and mostly because it was not only a different ethnic group, it also is of a higher liturgical tradition. Most of the men and boys up front wore white robes with a gold and red cloth wrapped around their shoulder. The entire service was chanting and reading of scripture, carrying crosses and icons and marching around the sanctuary, a sermon, and then more chanting and there was also communion. Repetition was a large part of the service.  

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

I really like the incorporation of all ages in the service although it was only with males, there was not a single woman or girl on stage or a part of the service. There were old men, young men, boys, and tiny children all dressed in robes and participating in the march and carrying icons, some teenagers read scripture passages, and there was even one cute little boy in a little robe who was wandering around the stage and then carried by a man on stage and was squirming because he was so bored. 

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

Honestly, the length was difficult for me. It was 3.5 hours long and I am not able to stay focused that long or continue appreciating the beauty of it when I am sleepy and don't fully understand what is being said. I am very impressed with all of their stamina, especially the little boys who were on stage for a lot of the service. At that point everything that was meaningful stops having meaning for me because I am just bored and wanting it to be over. It is clear that I have not been trained to have long services. 

What aspects of Scripture or theology did the worship service illuminate for you that you had not perceived as clearly in your regular context?

After talking about it with a friend and processing, I came to understand the importance of all six senses in their worship service and how the worship was embodied. There was the sense of hearing in the chanting and listening to the sermon as well as the ringing bells on the swinging incense. There was sight with the icons on the walls, the robes, the crosses and bibles being carried around. The sense of smell in the incense that was swung throughout the whole sanctuary. The sense of taste and touch through communion and kissing the Bible. All my senses are not usually incorporated but it really helps me understand embodied worship and that it is important that I am embodied. Maybe even the length of the service teaches me as I have to learn to fight my bodies urges to sleep or distract myself from the worship at hand. 

Mariana Maxey- church visit 2

All Souls Anglican Church

25W741 Jewell Road, Wheaton, Illinois 60187

March 8 

Liturgical

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

The set up of the church had the pews angled in, and in the front was a circle of railing to kneel at. The songs were serious and the congregation joined in loudly. I could see many images and paintings around the walls, including a mural of Jesus on the back wall above the doors. It was painted by Professor Sheesley from the Wheaton art department. The atmosphere alone exhibited more awe and reverence than the church I used to attend which was held on a cement basketball court. I loved that congregation members had contributed to the aesthetics of the church building as opposed to the separate roles of attendees and leaders in previous churches I’ve attended.

 

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

This was one of the most liturgical churches I had ever attended, and it reminded me of the churches I attended when I lived in England. Having readings which were meant to be read all together gave me a sense of being involved and enveloped in the service. As a chronic daydreamer, I cherished the opportunity to follow along in the program with my voice. Not only did this keep me grounded in the room, but also helped to diminish the stark separation between the congregation and the leaders of the service. While the majority of the speakers and prayers were men, there were a few women who got to read from the Bible. I felt included by this fact. 

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

For me the most challenging aspect was the communion time. Row by row, each pew walked to the front and kneeled around the railing, accepting the bread and sipping the wine out of a golden chalice. Up to this point I had relished in the beauty and ceremony of the flowing robes, candles and prewritten responses. As I watched the first two rows accepting communion, I realized that I didn’t want to kneel before the “fancy men”. Though this ancient tradition has nothing to do with worshipping people, I have a bit of a sore spot in regards to the abuse of power by men in the church. For that immature reason, I didn’t go up to receive communion. This is a classic example of “making a point” that negatively impacts me alone. 

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 saw the scriptures in a whole new way. The Bible was  brought into and out of  the sanctuary by a processional, was ornately decorated and put on prominent display on the table in the front. Through the solemn reading of the scripture, and the ancient prayers, I was made aware of how I was connected to centuries of tradition and enduring truths read from the Bible. In my regular context, very little regard is given for the book of the Bible, and we are often told not to venerate the book, because its only a book. Witnessing this reverence to the Bible helped me to hear the words as the real words from God, inspired and given to us. I felt more sensitive to that the things I listened to, partly because I saw the act of reading the Scriptures as sacred, rather than menial. The ritual connected to the reading of the Scripture is an aspect that I miss when I go to another church.

Mariana Maxey - Church visit #1

Mariana Maxey - Church visit #1

Wheaton Community Church

520 East Roosevelt Road Wheaton, IL

October 18, 2014

Different racial and socioeconomic make up.

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

I attended Wheaton Sudanese Evangelical Church geared towards Arabic speaking Africans.  The congregation of 30-40 people meets in a windowless room deep within the larger building of Wheaton Evangelical Free Church, located on 520 E. Roosevelt Road. The sunday service mixed Arabic music with English sermon and consisted of exuberant praise songs, finishing with an emphatic sermon based on Isaiah 59. During the praise song portion of the service, a college-aged man played the keyboard and led us in worship songs. These songs utilized the rhythmic drumming blended with Arabic lyrics. I loved the ability to engage with the song leader. This was different from my experience with Western led churches that have a strong line of demarcation between the song leaders and the congregation. At times, the people in front can be seen as performers, where as in the Sudanese congregation all people were participants. 

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

In the congregation, one young man played a stretched skin drum, and a woman played an instrument made of two layers of flattened food tins, filled with small objects which made a metallic noise. This instrument which measured about 18 inches had peeling paint with arabic writing on it. Others used simple instruments or clapped and swayed and stomped. I loved the level of activity and movement which the songs invoked. After the service, the youth gathered around and sang more songs into the microphones. The Churchgoers of the church welcomed me warmly after the service, and invited me to join them to eat Kisrra, a flat pancake like bread, over which we poured a sauce made from chopped and boiled okra.

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

The atmosphere of the room was not particularly beautiful. though I’ve never been part of a church in a lovely setting or ornately decorated church, I’ve often longed for an aesthetically pleasing environment. In the case of the sudanese church, the room alloted to this congregation was a classroom or meeting room with fluorescent light and very little decoration. I often like to stare out of a window or breathe fresh air while I worship, and this was not a place conducive to the senses. 

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 learned a few of the customs of Sudan from Julia, her sister Hawa (meaning Eve in Arabic), and their mother. Most of the congregation were refugees who came to America before the division of the countries into South Sudan and North Sudan. Julia’s mother told me that “the first official language of Sudan is Arabic and the second official language is Arabic.” 

In the praise songs, the words were directed towards Allah, and used many Arabic religious words that I recognized from speaking Indonesian. Sudanese traders are reported to have been the first converts to Islam in Subsaharan Africa. The history of region can help to explain the use of Arabic as the official language in Sudan. The use of the word Allah for God is important as we can learn that Arabic speaking Christians worship God without the obstacles that we have developed from the fear of Islam.

 

Larryon Truman Church visit #3

Blog Title-  Larryon Truman - Church visit #3

Church name: Church of the Resurrection

Church Address: 935 W Union Ave, Wheaton, IL 60187

Date attended: April 3, 2015

Church Category: More Liturgical

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

I went to the Good Friday service at Church of the Resurrection. The first think I noticed was how dark the sanctuary was. It had hanging lights that were lit in a way that mimicked candle light. I sat in the back right where it was almost impossible to read the liturgy. It was similar in the way that the speaker was able to interact with the congregation. I had expected the preaching to be read off a paper like the rest of the service was, but I found him to be very engaging and lively. It was different in the way that it had a liturgical aspect to it. In my regular context I have no idea how long service will go, but here, you are able to follow along and know where you are in the service.

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

The most interesting part to me was probably the “walk of the cross” where elders of the church carried the cross around the sanctuary to represent the walk that Christ went through to calvary. 

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

It was just really dark. I had a hard time focusing and staying awake. Other than a few babies crying every once in a while the whole place is silent. I also had a hard time reading since it was so dark.

What aspects of scripture or theology did the worship service illuminate for you that you had not perceived as clearly in your regular context?

It was really cool to see people read the scriptures together and to have a sort of call and response aspect to it. It was very communal and everyone was on the same page, literally. When the page was turned the entire room turned together and was in unity.

Larryon Truman Church visit #2

Blog Title- Larryon Truman Church visit #2

Church name: Evangelical Free Church of Bloomington

Church Address: Bloomington, IL

Date attended: March 29, 2015

Church Category: Different Ethnic

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

It was similar in the fact that they played contemporary(ish) Christian worship and had a missionary speaker as the guest. They turned the lights all the way down to encourage individual worship which is different that my regular context. It started and ended on time which is also a little different than my church. It was comprised of all white congregants with the exception of an Asia-Pacific couple that sat next to me. The preaching was engaging and was missional in theme, which is to be expected. The missionary opened an orphanage in Haiti and has several close ties with that church. It was not that much different than my church honestly.

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

It was awesome getting to hear a missionary speak about his life and his calling. He genuinely loves the people of Haiti and you could see it on his face. Furthermore, he had a very smart busieness plan on how to make his orphanage and ministry grow. It was really cool to hear that part of his story.

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

The band actually had an interesting dynamic to it. It was comprised of several different age groups from a high schooler playing piano to an elderly gentleman playing the 12 string guitar. The volume was very low and easily controlled in the back. It seemed very performance driven almost and all around kind of uncomfortable.

What aspects of scripture or theology did the worship service illuminate for you that you had not perceived as clearly in your regular context?

In all honesty, this church was not that much different than my regular context with the expectation that it was all white, whereas I go to an international church.

Larryon Truman - Church visit #1

Blog Title - Larryon Truman - Church visit #1

Church name: Oakbrook Community Church en Espanol

Church Address: 3100 Midwest Road, Oakbrook, IL

Date attended: March 1, 2015

Church Category: Lower socioeconomic demographic

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

So, this is actually an interesting one. It is the Spanish congregation that meets at my church’s buildlign. It is entirely comprised of Spanish speakers. Furthermore, no one is actually from Oakbrook, but people come from as far as Auruora. It was similar in the sense that they played songs that had their english counterpart with the exception of the decibel level. They turned up the music so loud! And the only instruments were the piano, drums and tamberines. The preaching was entirely in Spanish, as were the testimonies and transitions. I believe that it is the same denomination as the church I attend.

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

It was awesome to see how lively people were getting in their worship. Music (as always) can be better, but they took what they had and ran with it. It was really encouraging seeing people worship in Spanish.

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

It was very very long. They didn’t really use the projectors for anything but the songs. So it was kind of hard to follow along with what the pastor was getting at. There were several components to the service that did not have a cohesive element to them.

What aspects of scripture or theology did the worship service illuminate for you that you had not perceived as clearly in your regular context?

My church is international, but it was really cool to see this sort of church unity as I saw here. There were only about 30 people at the service and it was a riot. It was very encouraging to see them actually live out the fruit of the Spirit in Love and Joy.

Erica Heller- Church Visit #3

Church name: St. Piux V Catholic Church

Church address: 1919 S. Ashland Ave, Chicago

Date attended: 4/2

Church category: Socio-economic

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

I went to the Maundy Thursday evening mass. The sanctuary was much more ornate than any of the other churches I have been a member of, with shrines (I'm not sure if that is the right word) with candles in front of them, the statues were covered, I think because of lent. I have been to Maundy Thursday services before, but I don't think I've ever attended a church service with foot washing. The structure of the liturgy was pretty similar to the liturgy in the ELCA Lutheran church I attended until middle school, as much as I could understand it. 

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

I really found the sense of connection with the church catholic (across time and space) really appealing. I also found the bilingual service to be interesting, because the service would switch back and forth between Spanish and English (the Priest just naturally flowing between the two) and only announcements were translated. Neither language seemed to be prioritized.

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

I did not love the style of music. I'm not sure how to describe it and there was certainly nothing actually wrong with it, it just wasn't my cup of tea. Also, there was someone with a camera filming (possibly for the news or something?) and I found that distracting (and I don't really like people taking pictures or videos in church anyways).

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 took communion (I'm not sure if I was supposed to or not, but I did--it was day celebrating the last supper!) and was really struck by the fact that I was in fellowship, I was breaking bread with all the people in the church. Though I do not know them and though we come from different ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds, we are brothers and sisters and serve one Lord and together make up one body, the church. There was also a point where there was incense and candles, and as I was watching the incense float up, I was struck with the imagery that the smoke is an image of all the prayers of all the people of God going up before him in heaven. 

Mikey Chang - Church Visit #3

Church name: Grace and Peace Community Church

Church address: 2100 N Kildare Ave, Chicago, IL 60639

Date attended: Sunday, March 29, 2015

Church category: Different socioeconomic group

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

This was probably the worship service I could most relate to in terms of the layout of the service. There was a 30-40 minute prayer session that preceded the actual worship service which was very emotional and charismatic. They sang the same chorus "to worship you I live, to worship you I live, I live to worship you" throughout this whole time. This is actually something I'm used to and enjoy partaking in. Afterwards, they continued into a time of praise in which they sang contemporary Christian music, something I was very familiar with. However, the sermon was very emotional and you could tell that there was a certain type of feeling trying to be created. I wasn't as used to this and it felt more of a motivational speech type sermon if anything. The congregation was predominantly Hispanic or African-American so it was definitely a change in setting. They were very friendly and warming however. I feel like compared to my youth group back at home, I felt most relatable with this church in terms of economic situations and struggles.

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

There seemed to be another level of desperation in these people's worship. While I'm not saying that other church's aren't in that state of need for the Lord, I felt like I could feel the people's need for Christ and their genuine passion was oozing out from their song and prayer. It reminded me of a mission's trip I took to the Dominican Republic. There was a lot of emotion. And yes, emotion isn't necessarily enough to carry someone, but there was an overwhelming sense of need for the Lord and it was awesome to witness and be a part of it. Another thing that stuck out was the sheer number of people that attended the service. The room was packed by the end of the service. When we arrived, the surrounding neighborhood wasn't the greatest and it is surprising how many communities members came out. 

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

As I have talked before about the sheer amount of emotion that emanated from their praise and prayer, it made me nervous thinking, "what if they couldn't stir up that emotion each and every week?' It honestly seemed like emotion carried this service and that the people were able to be so into it because the speaker or the time of worship hit a certain emotional note. Would the people still be so invested and so willing to give up that much out of their day if it was in a completely different context where emotion wasn't the driving force? And while I see why that emotion is so powerful, it just became a worrying factor for me. A quick note I wanted to mention was the length of the sermon. While I've heard long sermons, I was surprised to hear a 40-45 minute sermon come out of this service. It wasn't a bad sermon, it was just kind of long and dragging 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?

It was difficult when I began to listen to the sermon and realized how different it was compared to what I was used to. While it was not like the sermon wasn't rooted in the Word, as I stated earlier, it was very emotional and motivational speech like. It was a very practical sermon versus a teaching sermon. I didn't think it was bad, however, while I was listening it made me realize how they have catered their message to their body. If I was in that situation, it might not be the best thing for me to hear something about some theologically deep topic such as sanctification or justification. Those wouldn't spur me to come back or keep the faith going compared to what was being preached. For me it was evident that the preacher was trying to stir up a particular emotion and response. This in fact helped me open my eyes to the differences in sermon styles and messages. They did a good job in catering to their specific audience and teach correct theology without it becoming a lecture.

Lena Maxey - Church Visit #1

Saint Joseph Orthodox Christian Church

March 25, 2015

412 Crescent St, Wheaton, IL 60187

Orthodox Church


1. The worship service was quite different from what I am used to since the entire thing was liturgy and it was clear everyone was very accustomed to it, not needing to always follow along and reciting a lot of it from memory. I have been in churches where maybe one prayer is read or one piece of liturgy is used but have not experienced a service where the entire thing was recited/read. It was also different that at the very beginning some people came early to do confession with one of the priests. There are not many similarities that come to mind, like how we sat in pews that lined the sanctuary with us all facing the front where the priests were. Also at the end they invited everyone to stay afterword for fellowship time, which might have been special because it was the Annunciation, but that is similar to my church.

2. The part that was most appealing to me was that in the liturgy it stated the Orthodox theology and beliefs. I often do not know what my own denomination believes about some topics because they are rarely addressed and not publicly stated. I appreciated that the liturgy acted as a reminder to me of what my theology is and that it is important enough for me to repeat it when I am meeting with my community of the same beliefs. I feel like often in evangelical services the focus is on the practical application and our personal lives that what can be devalued is the established theology and making our beliefs clear.

3. Honestly, the most disorienting thing for me was all the kissing of the crosses and pictures and goblets, etc. I know this is minuscule in importance but since my background has barely any icons or even beautiful images, I am not accustomed to the gold and images and symbolic props. It made me uncomfortable to imagine myself joining the line to kiss the picture and the cross. I am not sure why this is, I think because I tend to feel like these acts are more distraction with the symbol rather than reverence for Jesus Christ himself. But perhaps if I took the time to listen to one person explain the depth of meaning there is for them then I would feel much differently about it.

4. Not that it was made much more clear to me, but the theology of the Trinity was focused on greatly. First in a part of the liturgy that literally states their belief in the Trinity and then throughout the service naming all three parts of the Trinity and then crossing themselves with their hands. This is focused on more than in other churches I have attended. Even further, I think certain persons of the Trinity are overlooked or downplayed in the churches I have been a part of, whereas in the Orthodox tradition, the full Trinity is acknowledged and worshiped.

Anna Claire Gall - Church Visit #3

Anna Claire Gall – Church Visit #3

Calvary Church of Naperville (Calvary en Español)

9s200 State Route 59, Naperville, IL 60564

29 March 2015

Church Category: Pentecostal / Spanish-speaking service

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

Before arriving at Calvary Church’s Spanish-speaking service, I did not know what to expect. While I am familiar with Pentecostal churches, I do not speak Spanish at all. When I arrived, I found the room in which the Spanish service was held and like at the Catholic Church service, I sat towards the back in order to be as least disruptive as possible. My home church follows the Charismatic tradition, and I have attended several Pentecostal churches, so much of the structure of the service was familiar: worship, prayer, greeting, sermon, and then Communion. I did not understand most of what was said during the service, but the structure and the way in which the pastor spoke were very familiar. However, the crowd was more vocal than is the case at my own church, which was probably due to a more engaged crowd as opposed to any true cultural difference.

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

I enjoyed that people appeared engaged in what was being said, rather than focusing on phones or notepads. Because it was Palm Sunday, I expected there to be at least some sort of special event. In this case, we were previewed a short movie about Jesus’ life and miracles leading up to Palm Sunday and his sermon about drinking the body and blood. This is the first time I have ever seen a video depiction of Jesus’ ministry created by a culture not my own. It offered an intriguing take on Jesus’ life that was both familiar and distinct, particularly in the emphasis on Jesus’ kind and gentle love for those He healed and cared for during his ministry. I think much of the reason why the video stood out was that it included visuals, which were easy for me to understand, even though I did not speak the language.

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

The most difficult part of the service was the language. I purposely chose a church that spoke a language I would not understand, knowing that it would be a difficult experience. I found that while I could understand broad strokes of the pastor’s sermon, I did not pick up on the nuances and theological insights that the sermon would have undoubtedly provided, had I been able to understand. Overall, I felt out of place. By far the most challenging aspect to not being able to understand the language was my inability to interact with the congregation before and after the service, like I enjoy doing at my own home church. I know that most of the people in the room probably speak English much better than I speak Spanish, however I felt as though I should not intrude on their space without being able to speak the way they did.

What aspects of Scripture or theology did the worship service illuminate for you that you had not perceived as clearly in your regular context?

As I mentioned above, one of the best parts of the service was the Palm Sunday movie about Jesus’ life and ministry. While in Spanish, the video made the greatest impact on me theologically. I have seen several videos in this same vein, particularly around Palm Sunday and Easter. However, all the other movies I have seen portray Jesus as a completely serious person who gives long soliloquies and certainly never laughs. In this movie, I saw the tender and caring side to Jesus, who smiled when He cured the lepers, and who laughed with His disciples. Often times, the churches I attend focus heavily on the powerful, mighty, and commanding aspects of Jesus’ character. And while in this film Jesus was also depicted seriously, I enjoyed this warm and open portrayal that humanized him in such a way that I felt like this version of Jesus actually loved humanity. 

Church Visit #3

Church name: Grace and Peace Community Church

Church address: 2100 N Kildare Ave, Chicago, IL 60639

Date attended: Sunday, March 29, 2015

Church category: Different socioeconomic group

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

Mikey and I took the Metra, green line, and a bus to get to Grace and Peace Community Church. It is located in the northwest side of Chicago, and the majority of the houses are decent-looking but not great. The church building itself apparently houses people and had a set of showers in the men’s bathroom. We arrived almost an hour early, so we explored a little and then sat in the back left as they began their pre-service prayer. It was a dark basement area, but they had pretty good equipment for their praise team and everything. The pastor approached us and was very friendly and chatted casually before the prayer began. It lasted forty minutes and was essentially the same stanza over and over. The worship team played two contemporary worship songs very charismatically, and then a woman pastor-in-training preached for well over forty minutes about Mark 15. 

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

I really appreciated the friendly atmosphere and how everyone seemed to be comfortable and talkative with each other. It was very racially diverse, although it was primarily comprised of Hispanics and blacks. They were mostly dressed very casually, with just t-shirts and jeans or shorts. The sermon itself was practical, and it appealed a lot to emotions and common sense rather than deep theological insights. The people responded well and seemed engaged, as I was. She basically was preaching about Jesus’ death on the cross and how we as Christians need to reorient how we view our faith and its impact on our lives. The praise team’s bassist was incredibly good, and since I’m a bassist for my church’s praise team it was interesting to watch him play (even if it was a bit distracting to worship). The attitude of the people in general just seemed genuine and passionate about God in a meaningful way.

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

While the praise team was good musically, I really couldn’t relate to the amount of emotion put into their songs. To me, it felt a little excessive with the constant buildups and breakdowns, but the congregation was responding well. During the pre-service prayer session, they literally sang the same stanza for over half an hour and I had a hard time staying engaged. The opening worship that began right after that only had two songs but took another half hour. They sang the bridges and choruses to songs at least twenty times in every conceivable way and it really distracted me. I have a hard time singing the same few lines over and over and really wasn’t spiritually there for the majority of the praise music. I didn’t get a good feel for the head pastor either, although he was at the podium for the pre-service prayer. I guess I would have liked to know a little more about their church’s beliefs, or how they approach the needs of their congregation in northwest Chicago, but I understand that this was an abnormal Sunday.

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 can see how people might have interpreted the woman pastor’s preaching about the importance of suffering as a Christian, but I thought it was presented well. The gist of her message was that Christ never promised us easy lives full of health and wealth. In fact, it’s the opposite. Christians have to suffer and be rejected by the world to some extent, and we ought to be aware of that. She gave an example of the Egyptian Christians who are being persecuted and how their persecution doesn’t mean that they are somehow lacking faith. In a way, it was an anti-Joel Osteen kind of sermon. She mentioned the centurion, Joseph, and the women from Christ’s crucifixion as the type of believers we ought to strive to be. I was especially convicted by the idea of the centurion, someone involved in Christ’s death, and how he still was able to recognize God when he saw Jesus die. I want to be able to have that discernment in my interactions with the world, and recognize God’s work and stand in awe of it. 

Kylie Marble--Church Visit #3: LWAC

Kylie Marble--Church Visit #3: LWAC

Church name: Living Water Alliance Church

Church address: 27W344 Galusha Ave., Warrenville, IL 60555

Date attended: March 23rd, 2015

Church category: Different Race/Ethnicity

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

The structure of the service was closely similar to what I am used to. The setting seemed a little more formal (my church back home is a small, rural, church, and very impromptu). When we got there, everyone seemed very meditative and people were not loudly greeting one another. I'm used to lots of hugs and smiles and talking. At least at the beginning there was less of this behavior, and the undertones were more reflective. As I said earlier, the structure itself was very similar. Started out with songs, then announcements, more songs, children dismissed, prayer, sermon, more prayer, songs, more prayer, everyone dismissed.

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

There was a heavy emphasis on prayer in the worship service. I appreciated that. I would've appreciated it more if I wasn't so tired. (It was a very busy weekend). Towards the end, we engaged in "Korean prayer" (which apparently is not Korean in origin?). I have mixed feelings about praying in that way. It's always really cool to hear the church praying all together, and it reminds me that God is not constrained by the amount of requests and praises we make. However, I am easily distracted, and I get really thrown off when everyone is praying. I can never focus on what I'm saying. Still, I really enjoyed the emphasis on prayer. At the end, we put our hands on our hearts and prayed for ourselves and our individual walks with the Lord. Then we held hands with our neighbors and prayed for them, those getting baptized soon, and the community as a whole.

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

As I stated above, I was most challenged by the type of prayer. But I was able to jump in eventually. 

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 was reminded of the importance of prayer. We often make statements like, "Hey, I'll be praying for you." But how often do we stick to that? I know that I forget all too often to lift up my brothers and sisters to the throne of God. The reminder to pray without ceasing was what I needed.

Erica Heller--Church Visit #2

Church name: St. Joseph Church

Church address: 412 Crescent St, Wheaton

Date attended: 3/25

Church category: Liturgical

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

It was much more liturgical. We stood and participated in almost the entire service, which was almost entirely sung. The current church I attend has pretty much no liturgy, but I grew up in the Lutheran church, which has some liturgy, but was not nearly as liturgical. There was no sermon. I don't know if that was because a the morning Vesperal Liturgy for the Great Feast of the Annunciation or if a typical Sunday service would also not have a sermon. 

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

I loved that the congregation was an active participant in the entire service, singing the liturgy. It was beautiful. Also, the theology of the church was very explicit in the theology, for example praising the Trinity. I wish I could have taken the liturgy book with me to reread through it. 

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

I am 90% sure that because we were not Orthodox we were not supposed to take communion, so we stayed in our seats. I HATE not being allowed to partake in communion--I have been baptized and instructed in the faith and follow Jesus, I want to eat of the body and drink of the blood with my brothers and sisters in the faith. I really dislike being denied access to the table to which all are beckoned and meant to be welcomed. But also, I was rather anticipating that. Something that I didn't understand and didn't get the chance to ask about were the icons at the front of the church. There was one particular icon (I think it was an icon and I'm not sure what it was of) that everyone went up, knelt before and kissed when they came in. Also at the end of the service, everyone went up and kissed a cross that the priest held. Lena and I did not go up and kiss those things because we didn't know what they were or what it meant and weren't sure if we were supposed or not since we weren't members. As a protestant, I felt slightly hesitant in some of the ways that Mary was talked about, almost as if salvation came through her. 

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 how corporate worship was, there was no sense of its just me and Jesus. The theology was beautifully and explicitly articulated in the liturgy, especially with reference to the Trinity, a central doctrine of the faith that often isn't talked about in my regular context. Something in particular that was illuminated to me in the liturgy was communion, the importance and sacredness of it (let us not eat judgement or condemnation) and that there is something (almost?) salvific in the the body and blood. I wish I had the liturgy to reference so I could better articulate how.  

Tim Walters- Church Visit 3

Church Name: Rock of Our Salvation Evangelical Free Church of Chicago
Church Address: 118 N. Central Ave, Chicago, IL, 60644
Date Attended: March 22, 2015
Church Category: Socioeconomic

Describe the worship service you attended. How was it similar to or different from your regular context?
The service was honestly quite similar to a service I would experience at my home church in Indiana.  We started off by singing several songs, and afterwards we turned to a time of introduction.  This was one of the minor differences between churches. While my church at home tells the people to recognize the visitors and say hello, the church here had all the visitors stand up and then people from the whole congregation came and gave us hugs.  This was a quite welcoming feeling and made me feel like an actual part of the congregation, if only for a day.  After this, the church went into a time of announcements (which was longer than I normally experience), and then the sermon.  All in all, the service itself felt quite like a Western, Protestant service.  It did not differ much in its structure than the services I grew up with.  It was quite a bit longer than my normal service, but that was to be slightly expected.

What did you find most interesting or appealing about the worship service?
The passion of the individuals in the church for the various aspects of the Gospel made me feel like I was loving the Lord more fully by being there with them.  With every individual being quite involved in the worship, people shouting Amen, and things of the like, I felt like I was becoming more charismatic in my own worship style.  This felt like a welcome change from some of the more liturgical services I had visited or even from my church in Wheaton.  However, part of that could have come from the fact that the worship style was quite similar to my church in Indiana.  Regardless, the worship that the congregants partook of was probably the most appealing aspect of the service.

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

The thing I found most disorienting was the length of the service.  I knew that it was going to be somewhat longer than the services I had come to know, but I did not realize just how much longer it was going to be.  I am used to a service which lasts anywhere from 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour and 30 minutes.  With this service, we had barely finished the announcements (which took 35 minutes) when I realized the service had lasted an hour and a half already.  Once I realized this, it took a lot of willpower to keep my attention on the rest of the service.  While there were moments throughout the sermon where I was distracted, I tried to keep focus.  However, the length, since I was not used to it, really seemed to be difficult for me.

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 thing that this service helped me to understand was just how differently the message of the gospel can be articulated in various circumstances.  Normally, I hear messages regarding how this can relate to one's relationships or one's finances, but I do not normally hear how this can help one deal with gang violence or having relatives suffer from things such as gang violence or drugs.  That was new experience for me.  I thoroughly enjoyed experiencing this differing articulation of the same gospel; it made me more fully understand just how universal the saving message of Christ can be.

Gwen Farber - Church Visit #3

Church name: Rock of Ages Baptist Church

Church address: 1309 Madison Street, Maywood, IL 60153

Date attended: March 22, 2015

Church category: Different racial demographic

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

This church was THE most different experience from my home church than anything else I have ever experienced. Rock of Ages is a huge all-African-American Baptist church, and Ben and I were the only two Caucasians in the building for most of the service. The service began with a call to worship and a small devotional thought, which was followed by a congregational song: “Oh, How I Love Jesus.” There were three big screens up on the walls, under which a large gospel choir was seated (or standing, depending on the time), and a long well-done video by the media ministry of the church’s announcements was played for the congregation. There was an official welcome and lots of hugging and shaking hands with the people around us and then the gospel choir began to sing. Pastor Marvin E. Wiley gave the sermon, which lasted for about an hour, I would guess, and then there was an invitation to discipleship, an offertory period, and a benediction.

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

The people I saw were absolutely the most interesting thing. They were incredibly friendly, smiling at me and making sure Ben and I felt welcome. There was SO much joy in the building—everyone was nodding, crying, screaming, or laughing in agreement with the pastor and those around them. I loved watching people interacting with the Holy Spirit in ways that I don’t know if I’ve ever seen before, and I know that my view of the Holy Spirit is changing. People in this church had a beautiful, loving view of who Jesus Christ is, and their enthusiasm for God made me want to start saying “Amen!” right along with them by the end of the church service. It was also a beautiful church building—there were tall pillars and great acoustics. Everything about the church was very welcoming, and the people were the same way.

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

Like I said earlier, I have never been to a more different church than the one I grew up with. There were people standing up in agreement throughout the entirety of the service—when the pastor was talking, when the choir was singing, etc. The pastor was very loud and very repetitive, making his points with hand gestures and pointing. There was a piano and drums playing under him, cadencing with his voice as he became more and more animated. People were hopping and dancing, waving fans around, weeping, and saying “Amen” in agreement. One woman ran out screaming in the middle of the service. There was lots of hugging and speaking to your neighbor, and the offertory at the end of the service meant that everyone had to stand up and walk to the front in a single file row. It was disorienting because everything about it was different from my home church—I had no idea how to react 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 theology of the pastor was a little hard to follow for me because it was presented in such a way that I was unused to. Pastor Marvin spoke in very short statements, holding the majority of the congregation’s attention the entire time, but it was hard for me to focus at times. He spoke about joy in Philippians 4, about how we should have the joy of the Lord always because we have Jesus. He spoke about being thankful for closed doors because it means God has a better plan for our lives, and (similarly to Lawndale, the other church I visited) he spoke about the current living conditions of his congregation as something that was temporary. Yes, there are hardships here and now. Yes, people backstab and gossip and lie. But with the joy of the Lord, we can conquer anything that life throws at us. It was encouraging to hear about how we can be thankful for joy (not happiness) even in the midst of our struggles and temptations, which I think has the danger of being forgotten at a place like Wheaton where, especially during this Lenten season, it is easy to focus on grief and lament, possibly to a harmful extent. 

Tim Walters- Church Visit 2

Church Name: St. Joseph Ukrainian Church
Church Address: 500 N. Cumberland Ave, Chicago, IL 60656
Date Attended: March 22, 2015
Church Category: Different Ethnicity


Describe the worship service you attended. How was it similar to or different from your regular context?
The worship service began in a kind of quiet reverence for what was about to begin.  This differs from many non-denominational churches I have attended, as they are quite busy mingling with one another before the service begins.  After the curtains were drawn back and the person came forward, the cantor began to chant/sing and we went from there.  Over the course of the next hour, there were several moments where the cantor would stop, the person in the front would address the congregation, and then there would seem to be a shift in what was occurring.  However, I was in a spot where it was difficult to hear what was actually being said, and was not familiar with the liturgy being used.  After a while, the cantor stopped and a bishop from Ukraine came to deliver the sermon/homily.  He delivered the first half in English and then switched to Ukrainian for the second half of the sermon.  After this, the congregation partook of the Eucharist, parishioners lined up for their confessions to be heard, and people left.  The structure of the service did not seem too unfamiliar to me, but with all the individual elements seemingly being different, I felt quite lost.

What did you find most interesting or appealing about the worship service?
Throughout the service, there was a kind of unity throughout the congregation that would've made me feel incredibly connected if I was aware of the liturgy.  I experienced a similar feeling when I visited a Mass.  If I was aware of the liturgy, then there would have been this feeling of being connected to believers around the world and throughout the generations.  While that's one aspect I found interesting, the focus on art and icons was also interesting for me.  I come from a Reformed background, so there is not a lot of emphasis on artwork in my church.  However, when I was looking at some of the art in the church, it was clearly there for an explicitly theological purpose; it was not merely there to exist.  While I do not necessarily agree with icons, I have a more deep respect for them.

What did you find most disorienting or challenging about the worship service?
While the liturgy was one of the most interesting aspects of the service, it also left me feeling quite disoriented. There were moments when I was not sure whether I should be standing, sitting, or another action. I was unfamiliar with the call-response structure of the service, and could not participate as fully.  Also, the second half of the sermon was in Ukrainian, which disoriented me quite fully. I could not understand completely what the bishop was saying in the first half (the English portion of the sermon) but I understood that it was related to Mark 10.  There were several profound points the bishop made in his exegesis, but I had absolutely no idea what he was saying in the second half, which probably lasted 10 minutes.  While not as disorienting as if the entire service was in Ukrainian/another language, it was different because the rest of the service was conducted in English.

What aspects of Scripture or theology did the worship service illuminate for you that you had not perceived as clearly in your regular context?
While one of the obvious answers to this question would come in the form of a deeper appreciation/understanding of icons and the theology behind them, one of the things I appreciated deeply about the Orthodox service was its emphasis on being humble.  Throughout the service, the response that I heard most often was "Lord, have mercy." This, in my opinion, is a quite different response than I would think most Western churches would have.  While the West does not explicitly believe in works-righteousness, there seems to be a sense that some churches push something parallel to that idea.  However, in the context of the Orthodox, it seemed that all were equal in crying out to the Lord for his mercy.  The service helped me to have a more full understanding of the disparity between what we (humanity) deserve and what the Lord has given us.