Sarah Drury - Church Visit #2

Church name: Living Hope Church

Church address: 6414 S. Cottage Grove Ave. Chicago, IL 60637 

Church category: Lower Socioeconomic Demographic

Date: March 15, 2015

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

Living Hope Church is located in the neighborhood of Woodlawn. This is on the Southside of Chicago, which is a very different area then Wheaton Bible church in Carol Stream that I regularly attend. The church is located in an open space in the middle of a strip mall. I am used to attending churches that stand as their own building but city churches can be very different from what I am used to in the suburbs. The service itself was very similar to what I regularly attend. We began with prayer and worship and then transitioned into scripture reading and the sermon. The tradition and liturgy is much stronger than my regular church context, but the layout was very similar. The congregation was very small and the service was very simple and straightforward. Praise and worship consisted of hymns with a piano or a guitar and 2 singers. Also there was a single projector in the middle for lyrics and scripture. I am used too much more technology and a large well-practiced worship band. 

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

I actually really appreciated the simplicity of the service. It oftentimes can take away from the worship, when you are distracted by the show of the band and the screens. Eliminating these distractions provided a very authentic and real engagement with the presence of God. I was able to fully focus and prepare my heart to worship and hear the Lord. The church as a whole has great reverence and respect for the Lord. When scripture was read, the entire congregation would stand. Sayings like, “This is the word of the Lord, Thanks be to God” were used when scripture was read. During the prayer the person praying would say “Lord in your mercy” and the congregation would then say “Hear our prayer.” These different types of traditions are not common in my normal church context. It was interesting to see the way in which words like this can be powerful.

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

I think the most challenging part about the service was the location of the church. I have some connections to the church because has been attending the church since college and her and her husband are highly involved with their ministries. I know a lot about the challenges they face on a regular basis just because of their location. The Woodlawn community is one that has high poverty and violent crime rates. It has been very hard for the church to integrate themselves into the community. Despite their efforts and different ministry opportunities that engage the community, their congregation is primarily made up of college students from the University of Chicago. It was a very different environment from what I am used to. There are frequent break-ins and shootings on the street. It is a rough neighborhood and the church is doing their best to have influence in the community.

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 hold churches like this in very high regard. Living Hope faces many significant challenges just because of the community they are in. Pastor Brad has a strong desire to influence the lives of young people, and he does this by investing in the lives of his congregation. I had a lot of respect for the location of the church. As a growing church, it is not easy to establish yourself in such a rough and dangerous community. This church is seeking to be a light in a place that needs Jesus Christ. This opens my eyes to ways in which I can open up myself to more opportunities to share Christ with people who may not otherwise have access to strong Christian teaching. The message that I heard was about Isaiah 65. I attended during the second part of a three-week series about the New Heaven and New Earth. This was interesting to me because the people in this community really do need redemption and restoration from the world they are living in. Christ is the only way in which they can gain that redemption and he promises to bring us perfect joy and full life when he restores the world.