Dan Mitchell Church Visit #3

Church name: Wheaton Sudanese Community Church

Church address: 520 East Roosevelt Road Wheaton, IL 60186-55 US

Church category: Different Ethnic Background

Date: March 22, 2015 1:30 pm

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

I really enjoyed my visit to Wheaton Sudanese Community Church. I decided to try it out because I heard that part of the service and worship is often in Arabic and I have taken 5 semesters of Arabic while at Wheaton. The service structure was very similar to many other churches I have been to. We started off with songs (all in Arabic) and then it was followed by a sermon (about ¼ in Arabic). The church was rather small, only about 40 people were in attendance, and it was divided down the middle, women on one side and men on the other.

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

I loved the enthusiasm that everyone brought to the worship of the service. I also enjoyed the music despite being able to understand very little of it. Sudanese Arabic is quite different from the Levantine Arabic I studied. I found it cool that they had created their own hymns and songs in their own traditional style. The sermon was on Easter and while I enjoyed it I didn't find it to be anything profound.

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

I was the only non Sudanese person at the service and they seemed a little surprised to see me at first. I don’t think they have many visitors and they probably weren't expecting me to show up. All the children followed me with their eyes curiously and giggled a bit when I came in. However after their initial surprise they welcomed me warmly. All the young men introduced themselves and we spoke for a while after the service and ate a combination of traditional Sudanese food and pizza.

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

Going to Wheaton Sudanese Community Church really made me appreciate the diversity of the church. I really enjoyed going into a completely different context and worshiping God the way that they do. I found the praise and worship at the beginning the most interesting. Having never heard Sudanese music before the sound and style of their praise music was completely foreign to me. Despite not being able to understand very much and getting lost a lot I really enjoyed the energy and authenticity I found in their worship. I came away with a huge admiration for the diversity of the church and the countless ways and forms in which we can worship and bring glory to God.