Jenny Han - Church Visit #3

Church name: The United Arabic Evangelical Church

Church address: 2247 University St, Des Plaines, IL, 60016

Date attended: March 22, 2015

Church category: Different ethnicity

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

My friend and I decided to attend the 11am Arabic service. The church building is tucked away in a quiet residential area and can only be found if you are purposefully looking for it. It was still quite empty when we arrived, but we could feel people’s glances on us – not in an unwelcoming way, but perhaps rather amused. My friend and I decided to sit at the back of the church. As people started flowing in, we realized that the attendees were mostly older, perhaps in their 40s and above. The worship leader made a quick announcement at the beginning of the service, specifically mentioning that they welcome new guests, and “there is an English service right next door if there is the need.” He spoke these words in a rather amused way and looked directly at my friend and I. Soon after, we quietly sneaked out from the back to join the English service next door. However, we stayed long enough to receive the opening prayer of the pastor and to sing the first worship song. Although I could not understand anything, the way the pastor prayed felt very charismatic. The worship song is a popular English worship song translated into Arabic. The English service turned out to be much more like a youth group for young adults and students, as it was in a house and lacked the normal structure of a church. This was obviously very different than my regular context, as I haven’t been in a youth group setting since early high school. Almost all the members were Arab-Americans, but I found out that very few spoke Arabic fluently.

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

Since I’ve never attended an Arab American church, I had no idea what to expect. However, the service turned out to be a lot more charismatic than I would have imagined. The sermon was preached by a guest speaker that day, who was a Canadian of Haitian descent. Despite being non-Arabic, the speaker specifically mentioned the complex identity of an Arab-American Christian, which I found to be quite interesting. During the service, members were pretty vocal and responded to the sermon a lot. The message focused a lot on revival and being radical for God. After the sermon, there was also something similar to an altar call. This is not the normal church context I’m used to, so I found it interesting to observe.

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

Perhaps the most challenging part about the experience was being such a visible minority, especially during the few minutes I was at the Arabic service. I knew the people were welcoming, but the fact that the pastor especially pointed out to us that there is an English service really highlighted our difference and made me feel compelled to join the English service. In retrospect, I wish I could’ve stayed at the Arabic service even thought I wouldn't understand anything. The English service, despite being in a language I understand, also made me feel a bit out of place because of how youth group-y it felt. Also, some aspects of the charismatic sermon made me feel slightly uncomfortable, partially because I do not agree completely with some of the theology, but also because I have rarely been exposed to a charismatic service.

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

Attending this service truly illuminated how the Holy Spirit and Scripture can work in various cultures and interact with various identities.  I caught a glimpse of how complex the intersecting identities of being Arab, American, and Christian are. The service also shattered some stereotypes for me regarding the religious diversity among Arabs.  Since the Arab ethnic identity is so closely linked to Islam, it is interesting to see how Arab-American Christians choose to preserve and represent their ethnic identities while adhering to Christian faith. It is quite incredible to see how Scripture can speak truth to various ethnic identities regardless of rigid pre-conceived notions of what it means to be of that ethnic group (i.e., the Arab identity is only valid if connected with Islam).