Church Visit #2

Mikey Chang

Church Visit 2

Church Name: The Greek Orthodox Church of Saint Demetrios

Church Address: 893 North Church Road, Elmhurst, Illinois 60126

Date Attended: March 15, 2015

Church Category: More Litugical 

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

This was by far the most foreign worship service I have attended in my life. Roughly 80% of the service was in Greek and 20% in English. James and I got there a little earlier than the posted service time, but by then they had already started reading through the liturgy. Essentially their whole service is a slight variation of the same liturgy every week. There was never a moment in the worship that I felt a connection of feeling of familiarity with. Not only was the worship content very different, the church building and set-up was foreign to me as well. It was a traditional orthodox building and on the stage there were several doors with saints or Christ painted on them that the priests would walk through at different times. There was also an altar filled with religious sacraments that was nicely set up. As I mentioned, James and I got there a little earlier and there were few people in there. As the service progressed more and more people funneled their way into the pews and by 10:30 it was packed. On a final note, it was very different seeing two priests completely dressed in garments leading the service; I have never experienced something like that before.

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

I found it interesting that they read through the entire 37 page liturgy every worship service. While there were slight variations, this was essentially the core of their service every time. It is hard to fathom that they consistently go through this routine. I thought it showed such amazing dedication and discipline. Also, the fact that they were listening to essentially the same thing every week was mind-blowing. I do respect it a lot however because I feel like there is a deep level of connection with the Lord saying the same thing every week regardless. There were so many times that I felt tired of standing or sitting, but I began to think of the priest who was constantly walking around, reading the liturgy, and doing religious ritual activities. It must take an immense amount of discipline to do this routine year round. Also, during the service, there were moments when the priest would take a certain religious sacrament and walk around the congregation and the rest of the body would turn and bow their heads before it. While it was slightly awkward and weird, there seemed to be a strong engagement with the priest, people, and the Lord. All the constant switching from kneeling, standing, and sitting was a rough experience. 

What did you find more disorienting or challenging about the worship service?
The most challenging part had to be that a huge bulk of the service was in Greek. Not only could I not understand what was being said, it was so difficult to follow along even with the copy of the liturgy in hand. The moments in which they spoke english were so brief as well that I just found myself waiting for them so I could flip to the right page in the book. I just felt so out of place at that service. My dress, my race, and my inability to understand all contributed to me feeling nothing more than a mere spectator. There were such few moments that I could participate in the actual worship service. Even when I could, I only did it not to look so out of place. Also, there did seem to be a very brief message towards the end of the service which was in english, but it was so short and difficult to engage in that I felt my only chance to truly be a part of the worship was taken away. Overall, I found it difficult for me to truly be a part of the worship service.

What aspects of Scripture or theology did the service illuminate for you that you had not perceived as clearly in your regular context?

The thing I began to ask myself was "What is worship supposed to look like?" This service was the complete opposite style of what I had been engaging in throughout my life. It was lengthy, more ritualistic, and almost from a script. There was little to no room for change in their service each week. I thought about my own church's worship style and I wondered what these people would make of our service. This service actually seemed to be something that was practiced in the Bible. While I don't discount my way of worship, it was crazy thinking that there could be two extreme styles of worshipping the same God. I guess that is the beauty of Christianity and of God. He can be glorified regardless of the practices and circumstances. Finally, there was a pretty heavy emphasis on communion. While the entire congregation did not participate, it took a substantial amount of pages in the liturgy and it was a very formal ritual for them. My church rarely participates in communion so it was awesome seeing them place a priority and importance on it. These rituals/practices really do matter and I am pushed to learn more about them and see them for their true value and place in the Christian life.