Gwen Farber - Church Visit #2

Church name: Lawndale Christian Community Church

Church address: 3827 W. Ogden Chicago, Illinois 60623

Church category: Low socioeconomic status

Date: March 22, 2015

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

Going to Lawndale Christian Community Church was a really cool experience. We entered the gym where the church meets together and saw a small platform in the middle with chairs surrounding it in a circular fashion. Immediately, this set-up of fellowship felt very welcoming and familial. We were greeted warmly by multiple people who were smiling and asking us if this was our first time visiting. The singing began with five church members on the platform facing the four corners of the room and leading us in songs of praise together—each one with a bit of “gospel flair” incorporated into the singing. There was standing and clapping and lots of joy. This was followed by a call to worship by Pastor Joe Atkins, who read Proverbs 3:5-6 to the congregation, and then the small gospel choir sang. There was special music and Pastor Darryl Saffore spoke on the text John 14:1-4—“Let Not Your Heart Be Troubled.” In some ways, this church was quite similar to my own church—singing and fellowshipping together and ending with a message. But it was also pretty different—the gospel choir, a majority African-American congregation, not having communion weekly, etc. And even the content of the message was a bit different—the focus was on the goodness of God, even in the midst of immediate physical trials, which is not the main idea in most of my home church’s messages.

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

I loved the circular seating around the platform, and I loved that the pastor rotated in a circle while he spoke to us. I felt very “at home” in this church, even though I could tell that this was a poorer church. It was very interesting to me as well, as I mentioned earlier, the content of the message. In a neighborhood like Lawndale, they weren’t really speaking about a God of judgment who is focused on sin. It seemed like more of a hopeful God—a God who loves unconditionally and who will protect his children. There were references to parts of town I had never heard of and analogies of houses being evicted or of crime rates, and I thought it was incredibly interesting to see the effect that location and context has on the content of the message spoken.

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

It was a little disorienting for me to be surrounded by people shouting “Amen!” or clapping along with what the pastor was saying. There was so much… noise? among the people, which is something I’m not used to. Church at Lawndale was not a place to sit back meekly and listen quietly. The Holy Spirit was clearly evident in the way people were listening, not just with their minds, but with their physical bodies. It was disorienting because I didn’t know personally how to respond. To sit still felt weird, but to move around and stand up or clap my hands also felt out of place. It was an odd mix of feelings. It also took a second to get used to having the service in a gym—it wasn’t perplexing or anything—it just was an odd mix of location and ideas in my head of what “church” means that usually doesn’t include basketball hoops.

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 mentioned this in an earlier question as well, but the pastor’s message on John 14:14 was probably portrayed much differently than it would have been in my home church. There was a focus on the house of God that was unlike my usual train of thought—the emphasis was on the goodness and love of God, a God who has been preparing a place for His people. The pastor’s theology was simple—and that was so good for me to hear—“trust in God, and trust also in me.” He remarked on the simplicity of what it means to trust, which is something I’ve been thinking about a lot this past semester. We do not need to focus on our own selves, but rather turn to the one who is above all trustworthy and good.