James Connelly - Church Visit #1

James Connelly - Church Visit #1

Church name: Gary United Methodist Church

Church address: 224 North Main Street, Wheaton, IL 60187

Date attended: Sunday, February 8, 2015

Church category: Different ethnic congregation

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

Although I have lived in various areas the United States for most of my life, I have not regularly attended an American church since my preschool days. I've been a part of Korean Assemblies of God, Presbyterian, Southern Baptist, and New Life Covenant churches over the past fourteen years or so. Gary United Methodist was almost completely white - I spotted one Asian woman near the back with a white husband - and pretty much fit the stereotypes I previously had of "American" churches. On the surface, the service was traditional and somewhat liturgical, or at least more than I had ever experienced. I think my Korean Presbyterian pastor wore robes when he preached, but at Gary almost everyone on the stage was wearing robes. There was some candle-lighting tradition and others that I didn't recognize that they performed on the stage, and the building itself felt Catholic to me with high, Gothic ceilings, stained glass windows, pews, and a traditional organ. Every church I previously attended had a contemporary worship band, which I was almost always a part of. 

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

If I had taken a screenshot of the service itself - with the building structure, robes, wall decorations, well-dressed white persons - it would have appeared to be a very traditional service. But even though the service structure may have been traditional, the actual people, especially the reverend, were very loose and almost casual. It was a friendly, occasionally joking environment, something that I didn't expect at all, partly because I assumed United Methodist churches were very liturgical. The first song was played with a piano and sounded almost jazzy, and afterwards the reverend seemed to suggest that they were experimenting and incorporating more contemporary worship ideas into their service. Afterwards, all the children of the church went up to the stage and sat in front of the pastor who gave them a fun, simple message on the day's passage in Mark. It was a family-centered environment. It was a little awkward with the greetings, and when Mikey and I left after the 

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

I'm really hesitant to make statements like this, because I've been a part of church denominations where grounded theology doesn't seem to be prioritized, but the sermon itself wasn't very biblical-based. It used a passage from Mark about people coming from all over the country to see Jesus because of his healing powers, and in about fifteen minutes the pastor concluded that we need to be generous and kind to point others to Christ. Basically, we're all empty inside and are searching for someone to fill us. It felt like a topical sermon and its connection to the passage in Mark felt like a stretch. I am not used to having sermons that are based around practical applications, but it was interesting and maybe it's the most practical thing for that specific congregation of wealthy Wheaton residents. It just felt like the announcements and the special events were the central event of the service, and I'm not used to that. 

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 said above, the sermons I am used to hearing are generally more theological and based on the author's intent of writing certain passages. A lot more Romans. But I guess that I realized that having a deep zeal for theological beliefs and using sermons to express them isn't the most necessary approach. I only attended one week, and maybe the pastor felt that his congregation needed to hear a practical sermon that particular week. We can't always live in our heads and use the Gospel selfishly; we need to express it to others in tangible ways. The Gary church service illuminated that I really am privileged and blessed to have a Christian upbringing, and I have a responsibility to use my gifts to draw in others who aren't so familiar with Christ.