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.