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.

Gwen Farber - Church Visit #2

Church name: Lawndale Christian Community Church

Church address: 3827 W. Ogden Chicago, Illinois 60623

Church category: Low socioeconomic status

Date: March 22, 2015

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

Going to Lawndale Christian Community Church was a really cool experience. We entered the gym where the church meets together and saw a small platform in the middle with chairs surrounding it in a circular fashion. Immediately, this set-up of fellowship felt very welcoming and familial. We were greeted warmly by multiple people who were smiling and asking us if this was our first time visiting. The singing began with five church members on the platform facing the four corners of the room and leading us in songs of praise together—each one with a bit of “gospel flair” incorporated into the singing. There was standing and clapping and lots of joy. This was followed by a call to worship by Pastor Joe Atkins, who read Proverbs 3:5-6 to the congregation, and then the small gospel choir sang. There was special music and Pastor Darryl Saffore spoke on the text John 14:1-4—“Let Not Your Heart Be Troubled.” In some ways, this church was quite similar to my own church—singing and fellowshipping together and ending with a message. But it was also pretty different—the gospel choir, a majority African-American congregation, not having communion weekly, etc. And even the content of the message was a bit different—the focus was on the goodness of God, even in the midst of immediate physical trials, which is not the main idea in most of my home church’s messages.

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

I loved the circular seating around the platform, and I loved that the pastor rotated in a circle while he spoke to us. I felt very “at home” in this church, even though I could tell that this was a poorer church. It was very interesting to me as well, as I mentioned earlier, the content of the message. In a neighborhood like Lawndale, they weren’t really speaking about a God of judgment who is focused on sin. It seemed like more of a hopeful God—a God who loves unconditionally and who will protect his children. There were references to parts of town I had never heard of and analogies of houses being evicted or of crime rates, and I thought it was incredibly interesting to see the effect that location and context has on the content of the message spoken.

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

It was a little disorienting for me to be surrounded by people shouting “Amen!” or clapping along with what the pastor was saying. There was so much… noise? among the people, which is something I’m not used to. Church at Lawndale was not a place to sit back meekly and listen quietly. The Holy Spirit was clearly evident in the way people were listening, not just with their minds, but with their physical bodies. It was disorienting because I didn’t know personally how to respond. To sit still felt weird, but to move around and stand up or clap my hands also felt out of place. It was an odd mix of feelings. It also took a second to get used to having the service in a gym—it wasn’t perplexing or anything—it just was an odd mix of location and ideas in my head of what “church” means that usually doesn’t include basketball hoops.

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 mentioned this in an earlier question as well, but the pastor’s message on John 14:14 was probably portrayed much differently than it would have been in my home church. There was a focus on the house of God that was unlike my usual train of thought—the emphasis was on the goodness and love of God, a God who has been preparing a place for His people. The pastor’s theology was simple—and that was so good for me to hear—“trust in God, and trust also in me.” He remarked on the simplicity of what it means to trust, which is something I’ve been thinking about a lot this past semester. We do not need to focus on our own selves, but rather turn to the one who is above all trustworthy and good. 

Marcus Craig - Church visit #3

Church name: Casa de Luz            

Church address: 67 E. Algonquin Rd. South Barrington, IL

Date attended: 3/22/15

Church category: Ethnic/Racial Demographic

I attended Willow Creek’s Casa de Luz for my third and final church visit. This service was very much in the style that one would expect of Willow’s main services, which is often the style that my church contexts operate with, only this was done with a much smaller scale of people. The service began with singing few songs – there was a band with a choir – followed by a time for announcements and offering, then a dramatic reading of scripture, followed by a sermon. The breakdown of the service was about 33/66 when comparing music and Scripture reading to the sermon. There was no communion taken, which again leads me to believe they take it on a monthly interval or greater. Another significant detail about this service was that it was almost entirely spoken in Spanish, which is quite different from my usual circumstances.

I found the people at this service to one of the most appealing parts. I didn’t talk to a lot of people, but they appeared to have an extra dose of connection with one another. However, I felt welcomed when the woman next to me spoke with me during and after the service. I am unsure if the extra connection I perceived was the difference in language, overstated by my lack of understanding of it, or if it was something of the Holy Spirit. Though they spoke mostly in Spanish, there were times that they spoke in English. This happened a few times in the worship and also during the dramatic Scripture reading. I enjoyed this aspect to because it was helpful to me and I would imagine it was definitely helpful to those who were still learning English. The act showed a certain thoughtfulness and intentionality in the worship.

One of the most difficult aspects of this experience was feeling like the other at times. It was pretty obvious that I was new and didn’t really belong in this service. I had asked a lady in the main part of the church to show me where the Spanish speaking service was, and she seemed intrigued that I wanted to go to it or at least she tried to hide her intrigue. I believe the language difference acted as a barrier to some degree. It was that extra aspect that really made me feel out of the loop. The woman I sat next to asked me if I spoke Spanish and when she found out I didn’t, led me to the entrance where I could get a headset for translation. This helped me feel more welcomed and a little bit more like I belonged. I was able to speak with her about the church after the service and was welcomed back any time I wanted.

The sermon was on the passion of Jesus in Mark 15:16-32. One aspect of Jesus that he highlighted was his willingness and ability to carry our emotional burdens. The pastor also paid particular attention to Simon, who carried the cross; to the soldiers, who stripped and mocked Jesus; and to the women, who wept for Jesus at the cross. At the end of the sermon, the pastor asked who we might find ourselves identifying with. I was not particularly struck by the sermon, though I still enjoyed it. I was more struck with the reality of this Spanish speaking congregation half an hour away from where I live. This is perhaps an old way of thinking, but I am still surprised to find such diversity in the area that I live in.

Marcus Craig - Church visit #2

Church name: Lawndale Christian Community Church

Church address: 3827 W. Ogden Ave. Chicago, IL

Date attended: 3/22/15

Church category: Socioeconomic Demographic

The service that I attended at Lawndale Community Church was not very different from my regular church context. The service was held in the athletic center, not unlike a service at Jericho Road that I have attended before. The stage was in the center of sections of chairs in a circular formation, which contributed to a greater sense of community in my opinion; I could see the faces and reactions of other church members in the crowd. The structure of the service was about 50/50 Music and Scripture compared to Preaching. A typical service that I attend is usually somewhere closer to 33/66 or 25/75. Like a typical service that I attend, there was no communion, so I assume it is taken on a monthly or greater interval. Something I noticed missing from the service was a time to take offering.

I found a lot of the service to be very appealing, particularly the environment created by the positioning of the chairs. This allowed for a more communal experience. I noticed several times how others across the section were reacting, which influenced my own involvement and opinions about what took place. The message was a very personalized one that I felt I could relate to which, in my opinion, would also apply to anyone else in the audience.  This brings me to the people present in the service. I noticed how participatory and excited nearly everyone was to be there. I think this should be something more evident than it is in the church on the whole. I have been to other churches where I wasn’t sure if anyone there believed anything the pastor said or was even vaguely intrigued. Here, I had no question that this was the case.

The most disorienting aspect of the service was also something I appreciated most about it. This aspect was the participation. There were many ‘amen’ and ‘hallelujah’s’ during the special music and as the pastor preached his sermon. Most all of the church contexts I have been in don’t operate on such an interactive level, which is a little uncomfortable coming into a context where participation is really important. Most of the churches I have ever gone to will definitely allow and not discourage shouts of praise, but they are not so important to the worship experience in these places. I have been to churches where the interaction is even more central to the service, so this was nothing new or shocking, it is just always an adjustment when attending an interactive service. Once I can get past the initial shock, I find myself enjoying the setting.

The Scripture for the sermon was John 14: 1-4. A main focus of the sermon was the delivering care of Jesus. After reading the word, the pastor compared us as believers to the disciples, as if Jesus’ words were to us. He claimed that Jesus wanted us to put our full confidence in him just as we would in God the Father. After this he spoke for a good deal on how Jesus was preparing a place for us. Differing from my regular context, I think this context illuminated Jesus’ care in the present rather than his care through past actions. The theme of deliverance was also somewhat novel to me for New Testament preaching. This experience made me recognize that I do need deliverance from the world, even though I may not always recognize that fact, and that Jesus is giving it to me in part, but also preparing a place for me for when his deliverance comes in full.