Mikey Chang - Church Visit #1

Mikey Chang - 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?

For all of my life, I attended a Korean/Korean-American church, so the biggest difference had to be the fact that I was completely surrounded by Caucasian Christians. Being the "minority" was not uncomfortable; however, it was something that I thought of at the back of my mind. The people there were still very welcoming and accepting and did not show any hints of awkwardness or disliking. There were definitely elements to the worship service that I felt so foreign to. For example, all the prayer was pre-written and seemed like something out of the Book of Common Prayer. There were moments when I would bow my head and close my eyes and realize that we were actually going to be repeating the words of the pastor or leader. Another thing that was really different was the building itself. There were a lot of stained mural like things on the walls of Jesus and it seemed very cathedral like. Going to a Korean church, the cathedral setting kind of threw me off. The closest thing I could compare my experience to is the chapel service when the entire Wheaton staff sits on stage in their robes.

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

The most interesting part of the worship service was that the praise part consisted solely of hymns. I walked in with the expectation that there would be contemporary music played by a full band. Instead, I was welcomed by an organ and a choir singing from the hymnal. It was difficult imagining myself singing praises through hymns every single week, but that's definitely a result of my upbringing. An appealing part of the worship service was that every part of the service was condensed into a little more than an hour block of time. Everything was also written out and ready for us on the bulletin which was appealing. I think as guests and even members it is nice to have everything ready and available for the public. The service felt really short compared to what I am normally used to, and I actually really like the change of pace. I grew up with this notion that more church meant more "spiritual" benefits or whatever, but I was able to see that time is not a factor in meeting the Lord on a Sunday service. 

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

I think the most challenging part was the fact that as a guest, the only part of their worship service I was a part of was the praise and sermon. I did not feel this sense of welcoming into their fellowship time. While they did not exclude us there did not seem to be any intentionality in inviting us to participate in some activity after the service. While this is not a direct aspect of the worship service, I do feel like it would be something that would make it difficult to go back or invest into. I am just so accustomed to staying at church for hours on end after the sermon and closing aspects, so it was different to say the least. The people genuinely seemed like great people, but a part of it may have been the fact that many of the members were older adults. It did not really seem as if there was a college group/ministry. 

Apart from that, the only other challenging parts were slight changes that I briefly discussed early such as the praying, call and response aspects, and hymns.

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 think the worship service really provided an insight into how powerful call and response aspects to the worship can be. As you respond to their call to worship, you respond in truth regardless of how you feel. Regardless if you are tired, angry, upset, hurt, or really happy, you respond in truth and those truths are not contingent on your feelings. It showed me that there can be tremendous value in vocalizing the truths of God. You can know it in your head and understand it, but if you vocalize it you repeat with your fellow brothers and sisters the truths that are at the foundation of your faith. Even with the prayers, by repeating them you are praying and speaking with the Lord in unison with your brothers and sisters. There seems to be a great unity within the church during these moments.