Marcus Craig - Church visit #3

Church name: Casa de Luz            

Church address: 67 E. Algonquin Rd. South Barrington, IL

Date attended: 3/22/15

Church category: Ethnic/Racial Demographic

I attended Willow Creek’s Casa de Luz for my third and final church visit. This service was very much in the style that one would expect of Willow’s main services, which is often the style that my church contexts operate with, only this was done with a much smaller scale of people. The service began with singing few songs – there was a band with a choir – followed by a time for announcements and offering, then a dramatic reading of scripture, followed by a sermon. The breakdown of the service was about 33/66 when comparing music and Scripture reading to the sermon. There was no communion taken, which again leads me to believe they take it on a monthly interval or greater. Another significant detail about this service was that it was almost entirely spoken in Spanish, which is quite different from my usual circumstances.

I found the people at this service to one of the most appealing parts. I didn’t talk to a lot of people, but they appeared to have an extra dose of connection with one another. However, I felt welcomed when the woman next to me spoke with me during and after the service. I am unsure if the extra connection I perceived was the difference in language, overstated by my lack of understanding of it, or if it was something of the Holy Spirit. Though they spoke mostly in Spanish, there were times that they spoke in English. This happened a few times in the worship and also during the dramatic Scripture reading. I enjoyed this aspect to because it was helpful to me and I would imagine it was definitely helpful to those who were still learning English. The act showed a certain thoughtfulness and intentionality in the worship.

One of the most difficult aspects of this experience was feeling like the other at times. It was pretty obvious that I was new and didn’t really belong in this service. I had asked a lady in the main part of the church to show me where the Spanish speaking service was, and she seemed intrigued that I wanted to go to it or at least she tried to hide her intrigue. I believe the language difference acted as a barrier to some degree. It was that extra aspect that really made me feel out of the loop. The woman I sat next to asked me if I spoke Spanish and when she found out I didn’t, led me to the entrance where I could get a headset for translation. This helped me feel more welcomed and a little bit more like I belonged. I was able to speak with her about the church after the service and was welcomed back any time I wanted.

The sermon was on the passion of Jesus in Mark 15:16-32. One aspect of Jesus that he highlighted was his willingness and ability to carry our emotional burdens. The pastor also paid particular attention to Simon, who carried the cross; to the soldiers, who stripped and mocked Jesus; and to the women, who wept for Jesus at the cross. At the end of the sermon, the pastor asked who we might find ourselves identifying with. I was not particularly struck by the sermon, though I still enjoyed it. I was more struck with the reality of this Spanish speaking congregation half an hour away from where I live. This is perhaps an old way of thinking, but I am still surprised to find such diversity in the area that I live in.