Aaron Stevens-#2

Iglesia de la Resurrección
23W420 St. Charles Rd. Carol Stream
March 21, 2015
Different ethnic demographic

Worship service description

The service was very intimate, much more intimate than I have ever experienced. This was largely due to the fact that the congregation consisted of perhaps 25 people, so my presence was noticed and welcomed. The service was a very interesting intersection of casual worship similar to an American non-denominational church, and Anglican liturgy which was the denomination of this church. The majority of the service was in Spanish, however there were a couple songs that were in part or whole in English, as well a few technical remarks by the priest. The worship songs were all contemporary, so no hymns were sung. There were, however, the traditional Anglican readings, two different Psalms and a passage from the Gospels. Within the readings were the Anglican call and response. The sermon by the priest was very passionate and, again, intimate, as he was speaking directly to his congregation. Although I did not understand the words he said, I could feel the enthusiasm and meaning with which he said them. I have never seen a priest so connected to his flock, which included physical closeness. He was in the aisle separating the two sections, and was ambulatory about his pulpit, which was a humble music stand. The service concluded in the Anglican confession of sins and taking of communion. The service liturgy was not much different from the Anglican services I have attended in the past, apart from the closeness of the church and of course the language.

Interesting aspects

I found the smallness and intimacy of the church to be both endearing and awkward at the same time. I enjoyed seeing a congregation where everyone presumably knew each other, but it also made me feel a little out of place as a student visiting on assignment. I was immediately embraced by those there, particularly a Wheaton student who attends there regularly and the priest who welcomed me. I found it interesting that the priest seemed to be fully caucasian, although his Spanish was very fluent. The church was very unified and close, practicing familial actions such as holding hands together in prayer. I was touched by the familial aspects of the church, and how they welcomed new comers. The priest asked visitors to stand, which meant only me, and upon standing I was applauded. The Slavic Orthodox service welcomed my presence, but I was still very much apart from the others there. At this church, my presence was not just welcomed but celebrated. The priest was enthusiastic I was visiting, and the Wheaton student had me sit next to her.  They invited me to be part of the family, despite the language barrier. I was shown affection that I have not experienced at many churches I have attended. When the time came for the congregation to give peace to each other, everyone greeted everyone else, including me. The affection of the people stood out as the defining characteristic of this church, something I found appealing and somewhat shocking.

Challenges

The second biggest challenge was, naturally, the language. Although Wheaton has deemed me "competent" in Spanish, I still remain pathetic in understanding Spanish spoken aloud. This meant that I did not get anything out of the sermon beyond the mood and feel. I was, however, able to mostly read the worship songs in Spanish, so I at least understood the majority of the lyrics. The biggest challenge I had to deal with was that I had to refuse much of the familial worship that they invited me to join because I am not Christian. When I attended the Slavic Orthodox service, I was not allowed to take communion since I did not belong to the Orthodox Church. At this service, they invited me to join in communion, which forced me to refuse. I also declined to join hands reached to me, making me feel very awkward and somewhat guilty at refusing their welcome and invitation for unity with them. The student next to me asked why I didn't partake in communion, and I had to answer that I am not Christian. This made me feel very distant from these warm people, and I wished I could have just stayed in the back where no one knew that I was very much not part of the body of Christ. The student was understanding and did not seem taken aback by my admission, but regardless I felt out of place and, as previously stated, guilty at rejecting offers of inclusion.

Illuminations from the service

I learned that a language barrier does not mean that you have to be removed from the congregation and the service. Indeed, were it not for my lack of faith, I would have been as involved and included as if I was native there. I could not understand the sermon, yet the priest still spoke to me. One can feel the power and importance of a sermon despite not understanding the specific words spoken. Christianity is trans-cultural and trans-linguistical, and all may be included even if they cannot speak the same tongue. This experience taught me that willful inclusion can break through boundaries, and that is what humans ought to do. We should be excited to join with others from different places, for differences in culture, while still important and worthy of respect, do not overshadow the commonality of humanity. I also learned that the Anglican liturgy does not lose any significance when practiced in another language and culture. The liturgy remains beautiful and powerful, revealing its ability to cut through cultural and linguistic differences. I had also not before experienced a white priest speaking to a congregation of non-whites, which made me consider that the one teaching and revealing Scripture in a church service need not be the same as the people he or she is leading. Again, this church emphasized the trans-culturalism of Christianity.