Marcus Craig - Church visit #2

Church name: Lawndale Christian Community Church

Church address: 3827 W. Ogden Ave. Chicago, IL

Date attended: 3/22/15

Church category: Socioeconomic Demographic

The service that I attended at Lawndale Community Church was not very different from my regular church context. The service was held in the athletic center, not unlike a service at Jericho Road that I have attended before. The stage was in the center of sections of chairs in a circular formation, which contributed to a greater sense of community in my opinion; I could see the faces and reactions of other church members in the crowd. The structure of the service was about 50/50 Music and Scripture compared to Preaching. A typical service that I attend is usually somewhere closer to 33/66 or 25/75. Like a typical service that I attend, there was no communion, so I assume it is taken on a monthly or greater interval. Something I noticed missing from the service was a time to take offering.

I found a lot of the service to be very appealing, particularly the environment created by the positioning of the chairs. This allowed for a more communal experience. I noticed several times how others across the section were reacting, which influenced my own involvement and opinions about what took place. The message was a very personalized one that I felt I could relate to which, in my opinion, would also apply to anyone else in the audience.  This brings me to the people present in the service. I noticed how participatory and excited nearly everyone was to be there. I think this should be something more evident than it is in the church on the whole. I have been to other churches where I wasn’t sure if anyone there believed anything the pastor said or was even vaguely intrigued. Here, I had no question that this was the case.

The most disorienting aspect of the service was also something I appreciated most about it. This aspect was the participation. There were many ‘amen’ and ‘hallelujah’s’ during the special music and as the pastor preached his sermon. Most all of the church contexts I have been in don’t operate on such an interactive level, which is a little uncomfortable coming into a context where participation is really important. Most of the churches I have ever gone to will definitely allow and not discourage shouts of praise, but they are not so important to the worship experience in these places. I have been to churches where the interaction is even more central to the service, so this was nothing new or shocking, it is just always an adjustment when attending an interactive service. Once I can get past the initial shock, I find myself enjoying the setting.

The Scripture for the sermon was John 14: 1-4. A main focus of the sermon was the delivering care of Jesus. After reading the word, the pastor compared us as believers to the disciples, as if Jesus’ words were to us. He claimed that Jesus wanted us to put our full confidence in him just as we would in God the Father. After this he spoke for a good deal on how Jesus was preparing a place for us. Differing from my regular context, I think this context illuminated Jesus’ care in the present rather than his care through past actions. The theme of deliverance was also somewhat novel to me for New Testament preaching. This experience made me recognize that I do need deliverance from the world, even though I may not always recognize that fact, and that Jesus is giving it to me in part, but also preparing a place for me for when his deliverance comes in full.