Carissa Kano ~ Church Visit #2

Church name: Lawndale Christian Community Church
Church address: 3827 W. Ogden Ave, Chicago, IL 60623
Date attended: September 14, 2014
Church category: significantly lower socioeconomic demographic

Describe the worship service you attended.  How was it similar to or different from your regular context?
I first heard about the ministry of Lawndale Christian Community Church in my BITH 111 class with Dr. Lauber and have wanted to visit ever since.  Growing up in Hawaii, I have been exposed to a lot of different cultures and their worship styles, but I am not too familiar with African American worship.  My church at home and in Wheaton sing contemporary Christian musics and hymns, so the gospel music was definitely a change.  The call and response to the pastor’s message caught me off guard at first, but it also reminded me of my pastor in Hawaii who made a lot of jokes and interacted with our small congregation throughout the message.  The overall surrounding neighborhood was also a little disorienting as the buildings were much more run-down than in Wheaton and other West Chicago suburbs.  Especially being an Asian woman, I was a little more aware of my surroundings and took notice of others noticing me as we walked to the church.  However, the warm atmosphere of the church and friendliness of the people is really similar to my church at home in Hawaii and I loved it!
 
What did you find most interesting or appealing about the worship service?
I was part of Gospel Choir at Wheaton for a little bit of my freshmen year, and since then I have always really loved Gospel music.  There is something so powerful in the simplicity and repetition of lyrics and rhythm that really emphasize certain points.  I also loved how the congregation was so welcoming to us.  When we were first walking around the neighborhood looking for the place where the service was being held, a couple people saw us and pointed us in the right direction--they were so friendly and helpful!  When I did a lot of church hopping my freshmen year, something I really struggled with was the stiff and unapproachable vibe I received from members of the church.  From passing the peace to just observing how the people interacted before and after service, it was really clear that members know each other and are happy to see one another.

What did you find most disorienting or challenging about the worship service?
It was definitely really troubling to hear the pastor talk about the prevalence of violence in the neighborhood.  I don’t really think about my safety whenever I’m at home or in Wheaton, so it’s really hard to imagine that kids in Lawndale grow up with a very different mindset than me.  I couldn’t believe how many murders happen in just this one neighborhood, and knowing that the people in the congregation knew the victims makes the number of murders so much more than just a statistic.  I was really moved by the pastor’s tearful plea with the congregation to join him in fasting and prayer for safety in their neighborhood.  

What aspects of Scripture or theology did the worship service illuminate for you that you had not perceived as clearly in your regular context?
Lawndale Christian Community Church really lives up to its name in that it truly aims to be a light and presence of God in their community.  The church is not just for its members but for the people around them.  In their legal center, health services and other classes that they offer on things such as parenting, Lawndale is very involved in meeting not only the spiritual needs of their members but their physical, emotional, mental and relational needs.  I affirm Lawndale’s efforts in making a difference in their community and sharing the Gospel through their acts of service to their neighbors.

Mariel Beausejour Church Visit #1

Mariel Beausejour - Church Visit #1

Church name: Calvary en Espanol
Church address: 9s200 State Route 59 | Naperville, Illinois 60564
Date attended: September 23, 2014
Church Category: Different Ethnic/Racial Demographic

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

Mary Elizabeth and I attended a Spanish speaking service at Calvary, a mega church in Naperville.  It was extremely similar to my home church. The music was even a lot of the same songs, just in Spanish. Most of the congregation wandered in after church had begun. People were dressed in a variety of ways—most commonly somewhat formal. We began with musical worship, announcements, prayed, took an offering. Before the sermon, there was a time of corporate prayer and worship. Worship was happening, but you could also go to the front of the stage to one of a dozen prayer teams. The sermon was about 45 minutes long, and had several segments. There was a PowerPoint, scripture reading, and some funny interactive multiple answer questions, whose answer was extremely obvious. The entire service was in Spanish, which I speak. So that was different from my home church, but the service layout was similar to the church I attended weekly when I used to work in Mexico over the summers through middle and high school.

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

The service felt very at home for me, and I’m even thinking about attending regularly. The worship was vibrant, and engaging. The congregation was energized and connected well with the pastoral staff, prayer teams, and worship team. One of my favorite things about this church is the extremely cheesy powerpoint slide images, pulled straight off the internet, stock images, as well as the hilarious old comedic video they use. Talking about pride, we watched a 3 minute long video of a middle aged Hispanic man dressed in blue spandex with a Superman S on his chest and red underwear on top, with fake eyebrows penciled in, covering his forehead like the McDonalds golden arches, singing about how great he was and checking himself out in the mirror. It was hilarious, and most definitely interesting. I believe the pastor has some tie to Mexico, because that is where I learned Spanish, and I have no difficulty understanding him, which is simply a great perk.

They had an amazing emphasis on God’s sovereignty in the midst of all troubles and circumstances.

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

In every Hispanic church I’ve ever attended, the congregation is extremely warm and welcoming to visitors. People will walk up and ask questions, greet you, and chat, and often even invite you to lunch at their home. I was surprised to only be talked to by one woman, who introduced herself as part of the visitor’s board, who walked us to a room and promptly left while we heard the spiel on how their church works. I was very surprised, and found myself confronted by a single story of Hispanic congregations. This behavior would seem very normal if it were another white church, but it is the Hispanic congregation that led me to assume that I would be immediately welcomed in.

There were definitely parts of the sermon that caused me to question things. There was truth that really shook me, but there was also things said that seemed to irritate me and question the theology behind it.

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

It was amazing the way that while their worship experience did not shun emotion, the church corporately clung to the truth that God is sovereign beyond our circumstances. This was a theme which ran throughout the service: in the lyrics, in the scriptures chosen, in the corporate prayer. There was a liturgical moment in the midst of a very non-liturgical service. Right before we read scripture for the first time, the pastor had everyone stand to their feet and read from the screen a text written in the church that was said every week, as they opened their bibles. Here’s part of it: “This is my bible. I treasure the words that God has spoken in it. I will never never never forget who it says that I am. In the midst of heavy and trying times, I will remember. During suffering, I will cling to this. When I am overjoyed, I will read this and thank the Lord.” This was so moving. The church corporately affirmed scripture as truth which is important in our daily lives and definitive of who we are.

David Huizenga: Church Visit #1

David Huizenga: Church Visit #1

Church name: River City Community Church

Church address: 3709 W. Grant st, Chicago

Date attended: September 21^st, 2014

Church category: Located in a low income neighborhood

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

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

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

I decided to attend River City Community Church, on the recommendation of Dr. Vincent Bacote of the BITH department.  River City identifies itself as having roots in "historical Christianity" and prides itself in ethnic and socio-economic diversity of its congregation.

River City bases its theology in the Evangelical tradition while also affirming core aspects of several other historical Christian traditions, namely from Liberation Theology, the Charismatic tradition, and a small handful of other less widely known beliefs.  Though they adhere to a wide range of beliefs gathered from various denominations and church movements, they clearly articulate that they are not to be confused with a non-denominational type church, so as to distance themselves from possible negative connotations which some perspective church goers might hold against "typical low income churches."

I grew up in a large West Michigan mega church that, despite claims to a nondenominational atmosphere, advocated many Baptist beliefs.  After coming to College, I began going to several Anglican and Episcopal churches and now consider my beliefs to align with the Anglican tradition more than any other.

River City Community Church actually reminded me quite a lot of the mega church that I attended as a child, only instead of a congregation of over 4,000, there was closer to 100.  This gave the church a feeling of closeness among believers that I don't believe I have ever experienced on this level.  The service (except for the sermon, itself) was more of an opportunity for the congregation to socialize and connect with other believers.  People were rarely in their seats for more than a few minutes, instead getting up to talk with old friends and make new ones.  It reminded me of one big game of musical chairs, with each person getting up and giving their seat to another person, so they could all have a chance to catch up with each member of the congregation.

Over all, I was a little off put by the lack of a one cohesive tradition of beliefs, but I found myself marveling at the commonality and bonds that could be easily observed between each and every member of the congregation.  I couldn't help but think back to Augustine's assertion that any two people with absolutely nothing in common should be able to find the strongest form of commonality between each other, insofar as they are both believers.

Harry Mak - Church Visit #2

Harry Mak - Church Visit #2

Church name: St. Michael's Catholic Church

Church address: 314 W Willow Ave.

Date attended: September 13, 2014

Church category: More Liturgical, different ethnic demographic

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

I was invited to this worship service. It was a mass and a confirmation for one of my friends at Wheaton College. He asked me to attend and support him. I knew that this was an important decision for him; however, I did not know much about the Catholic faith before going. At the service, there were less than ten people altogether in the big church. We sat down along pews similar to my church. One thing that I noticed right about when entering the church was the smell of incense or candles. The smell was quite strong, and I was not accustomed to it. It looked like a wealthy church because everything looked well cleaned and new. The preacher or priest wore a robe, and he led the whole service by himself. There were not musical instruments involved like I am used to, but there was some singing. When we prayed, there was a prayer bench that could be lowered in front of our seats so that we could kneel down.

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

What I found most interesting about the worship service was the communion part of the service. The priest had the wine and bread, and he prepared it very carefully. I was reminded of the way that my father prepares communion when I watched the priest. The passages that were read were familiar. To receive the communion, we all went up towards the front of the stage and lined up behind one another. But before we went up, the priest had given us specific directions. If we did not hold the whole Catholic tradition as our own, we should not take communion. Rather, we should cross our arms across our chests as a sign that we are not Catholics, and we would receive a blessing from him instead. As he was explaining this, I found it very interesting. I realized that there is a significant difference between our faiths that I am not yet aware of.

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

What I found most challenging about the worship service was that I did not know the traditions of the Catholic church or that church specifically. I was unsure of what I should do which made me quite nervous because I did not want to offend anyone there. I did not know if there were things that protestants should not do while Catholics could. So during the service, my friends and I were often looking at one another bewildered as to whether we should participate in whatever the church was doing. Luckily, one of my friends there had a Catholic cousin, so she was familiar with this faith tradition. So it was at least a little source of comfort to know that she knew what to do. But in general, the worship service was not very disorienting. I enjoyed it very much. The liturgy and prayers were all very edifying to me.

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

The theme that stood out to me in that experience was that there needs to be unity in the body of Christ. Although I knew I was not Catholic at the service, I felt welcomed and accepted. There wasn’t any attempt to convert me to Catholicism, and the priests and Catholics there were very welcoming. Afterwards, we talked a little bit with them. And during communion, the priest was very gentle in advising those of us who were not Catholics to not partake in the elements presented. It was my first time at a Catholic service, so it was a very positive experience. I know that there have been past conflicts between Protestants and Catholics, but there needs to be reconciliation. I am not sure what that would look like. I do believe that if we were able to achieve unity, it would be a beautiful witness to the world of our God.

Tim Miller-Church Visit #1

Church Name: Nueva Esperanza

Church Address: 1825 College Ave. Wheaton, IL

Date attended: 21, September 2014

Church Category: Different Ethnic/racial demographic

Describe Worship Service:
Nueva Esperanza is a church for native Spanish speakers.  The church meets for two services on Sunday mornings at the "Scripture Press" building of Wheaton's East properties, so it was well within walking distance.  When we walked in to the front of the building we could hear the starting chords of the guitar starting worship in the sanctuary area.  We were immediately welcomed by Maria who shook our hands and asked if we spoke spanish; when we replied, "un poquito," she said to be sure and ask if we didn't understand what was going on.  And this sort of framed my experience: I was very welcomed but at the same time very challenged to fully participate because of the language barrier.
The service itself had a very familiar liturgy, comparable to many evangelical, nondenominational services I have attended.  Many families in what we would consider "typical church dress" gathered in rows of folding chairs, facing the stage.  After musical worship (contemporary in style--many songs simply Spanish translations of American-composed songs), we prayed together, gathered tithes and offerings, listened to a passionate sermon and concluded with announcements and benediction.

Interesting, appealing:
I found it very interesting just how similar the service was to my church "norm." Coffee and doughnuts were served in the lobby area while adults chatted with children ducking in and out of legs.  Even with my little Spanish, I was able to sing along to all the songs, following the words projected against the back wall, especially because many of the melodies were familiar tunes I usually sing in English.
I found the most appealing aspect of the services was the  high congregation involvement with each part of the service.  With smiles and hugs individuals greeted each other, and you could tell they were involved with one another.  When the pastor came to speak, he was greeted by salutations from the congregation and they expressed their supportive listening and affirmation throughout his message by clapping, cheering and occasional dialogue between the pastor and a member.  The congregation was comprised of active worshipers and active listeners.  

Disorienting, challenging:
The most disorienting and challenging part to the service for me was, obviously, the language barrier.  Though I have studied Spanish, my skills are still rudimentary so it required a lot of energy and attention to participate.  While musical worship was quite familiar and I was able to understand much of what we sang, it was tasking to listen and try to understand the pastor during prayer or the sermon.  It was very rewarding when I was able to follow what everyone else was doing (moments of laughter or searching out a passage in the Bible).  It was also very encouraging when members of the congregation welcomed us in Spanish, and affirmed us with a, "Very good; we are so glad you are here!" after we informed them we spoke only a little Spanish. Even in my biggest challenge, the people encouraged me and made me feel welcome.

Aspects of Scripture or theology the worship service illuminated that I had not perceived as clearly in my regular context: 
The passage of scripture that the pastor spoke on was from Romans 14 about not passing judgement on one another.  The pastor continued to elaborate in his message on a biblical way to resolve interpersonal conflicts and not coming to one another with pride in our hearts.  This was right in line with the aspect of the whole service which struck me most: the harmony of the people.  Through their welcoming spirit, their treatment of one another and their affirmation of the challenging, passionate words of their pastor, I saw just a little more clearly what it looks like to live in harmony with one another as the church.  

Brannon Burke Church Visit #1

Blog Title: Brannon Burke – Church visit #1

Church name: Lawndale Community Church

Church address: 3827 W Ogden, Chicago, IL 60623

Date attended: September 21, 2014

Church category: nondenominational

1)      The musical worship part of the service that I attended was very different from what I am used to. The worship team was on a stage in the middle of the congregation, whose seats were in a giant, five-layer circle. I really appreciated the philosophy of this formation because it made the church service feel more like a community affair than a performance or a show. The worship was led by one leading singer, who acted as a soloist and was supported by about eight other singers, who all stood at the four different corners of the middle platform. Another thing that was very different was the diversity within the worship team. I go to an Anglican church in Wheaton, which is very white; but out of the eight people on the platform, there were at least 3 races represented, including a woman in a full Indian sari. The lead pastor was a white man who they called, “Coach,” and I loved everything about that. He was their leader spiritually and communally, and addressed the congregation holistically, not just concerning their spiritual lives. In this way, I think that he helped embody the purpose of the church, which, from what I gathered, it to be a place for the community to live and be and grow.

2)      I really, really enjoyed how “real” the sermon was. At my church, sometimes “intellectual Christianity” can take over too much, and the congregation can lose track of what it means to live a practical Christian life and make an impact on your community as Jesus calls us to do. There was no room for lofty intellectualism here. That is not to say that these people were uneducated; they were far from it. But the sermon was practical; about calling Jesus to a community that was so clearly hurting. I also really appreciated that the pastor called out people in the congregation by name; it was indicative of a successful community where the congregation is known actually and personally by the pastor. If a church can achieve this, I would say that they are a huge success.

3)      I would not say that I found anything disorienting about the service. It was, however, very challenging. The core of the service was about calling Jesus to Lawndale specifically, a community that has suffered seven murders in 2014 alone. Coach started listing off facts about how there had been 121 murders since 2007, and me, being naïve, immediately thought that he was talking about Chicago as a whole. Then he pulled up a map of Lawndale and my heart broke. The last murder, Coach said, had happened while they were in church just last week and only a few blocks away from the church. I looked at the young African American children sitting in front of me and my heart broke. Uncharacteristically, I broke into tears thinking about the injustice and awful hardships that these children had to face solely because they were born into a family that lived in Lawndale. I felt overwhelmed and disgusting the privileges that I had just because I was born into an upper-middle class family in the suburbs of New York City. It wasn’t fair. It’s not fair. And learning how to use White Privilege (which is most definitely a thing) well is something that I am actively working on ever since leaving those church doors.

4)      Like I wrote earlier, there was no room for lofty, not-practical (which is different from impractical), Christian intellectualism in this service. And once again, that by no means is to say that they’re uneducated. Instead, I think that Coach was intentionally bringing scripture at a very practical level because of the nature of what he was talking about. A portion of the sermon had to do with the healing power and redemption of Jesus Christ. One part of his message, which made the congregation laugh, was when Coach said that Jesus had the power to give a clean 63^rd year to someone who had been shooting heroine for 62 years. This is not the sort of redemption that gets addressed in a church like Church of the Rez. Furthermore, Coach finished his sermon with a huge emphasis on fasting (specifically Wednesday lunch), not to try to make Jesus do something, but to try and make room in the hearts of his congregation to hear the voice of God. I think that this was a really important distinction, and not one that I had heard before. 

Church Visit #1 - Andrew Sutton

Church Blog #1: Andrew Sutton - church visit #1

Iglesia de la Resurreccion New Generation Anglican Church
602 E. Geneva Rd., Wheaton, IL.

9/21/14

Different ethnic demographic

Question 1:

This Church was very different from the type of church I usually attend. The first main difference was that everything was for the most part in Spanish. The pastor,  however, did the service bilingually: first stating everything in Spanish, then in English. From what I understand, this is not the way they did it the last six weeks, because the pastor had just come back from his sabbatical and his replacement did not speak any English. I did not figure out if the way that this pastor did the service was normal for him, or he was doing it for me and the people I attended the service with. The praise songs were contemporary, usually Spanish adaptations of English songs (at the very least I kind of recognized them). They used liturgy and had readings, most of which was unfamiliar for me (and it was in Spanish). The pastor was very interactive, always keeping the congregation involved. It was similar in feel to the Church of the Resurrection, of which I had attended before, and this church was an offshoot from.

Question # 2

I found that the involvement in the service to be the most interesting thing about the church visit. Near the beginning the pastor had each of the people in the congregation come up and receive a prayer and anointment with oil. It was a very small congregation, so the interactions were easy to carry out. When we had a break the pastor would implore us to greet one another around us and interact with each other. He would ask a question and look for a response, then make us repeat his main points. I had a little trouble with this, because some of the responses were in Spanish. There were also responsive readings as a normal part of the service. When told to greet someone around us near the end and before communion, some went around and greeted the whole church.

Question # 3
Definitely the most challenging part was the Spanish. I did not no a word of Spanish, my foreign language is German. I was glad that the pastor did flavor his sermon and a lot of the service in English, otherwise I would have been completely lost. The slides too were for the most part bilingual, and they helped me understand the message. I could follow the phonetics of the songs, but the meaning was lost on me. However the feeling of the songs and the sermon were still there, even if the understanding was not. Overall, I could follow the service pretty well because the pastor would use some English, and was demonstrative and animated, not just speaking prose. It was still a challenge, and I did not get all of the message, but I did get the main points.

Question # 4
I did not realize the amount of diversity that they had in their own congregation. They are for the most part Mexican, but the two generations that attended the service were vastly different. The older generation didn't speak much English, although I believe they understood it pretty well. The younger generation on the other hand, were very much in tune with the American culture, and didn't speak Spanish very much. The problems that faced the church were pretty different from what the church I normally attend faces as well. The pastor prayed for physical well being, emphasizing sickness. He also prayed for people who could not get through immigration, or were having trouble with it. It shows that the church might have different problems with what I am normal faced with.

Isaiah Bornman Visit #1 - Rock Church

Church name: Rock of Our Salvation Church 

Church address: 118 North Central Ave, Chicago

Date attended: September 21, 2014

Church category: Lower socioeconomic demographic & at least ten miles out of Wheaton.

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

Getting to the service at Rock Church was an experience in itself. My friend and I felt out of place as soon as we stepped off the L into the Austin neighborhood. Walking to the church through the somewhat run down area, streets neglected with trash about, it felt wrong to be all dressed up for a Sunday service. We were thankful when an older lady approached us at a stop light, recognizing that we were going to her church, and offered to show us the way and walk with us. She called attention right away to the nature of the area and told us that all the poverty was tied to "blockbusting" that took place in the 60's/70's. Feeling out of place was brushed away as we entered the church and were warmly welcomed.

We learned that the church was dedicated to Racial Reconciliation and as such there was integration of white Evangelical worship songs, black praise choir songs, and a great amount of dancing. The congregation was about ¾ black, and ¼ white, and the leadership was also varied. The building we worshiped in seemed to be an old gym and very different from my normal context of a finished sanctuary with pews. From what I gathered in conversation, Rock Church is very involved in the community by offering schooling and after school programs in the Austin neighborhood. They open their doors each day to serve so many different people, something that my current home church could learn a lot from.

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

I found the longer time of worship in song and dance so appealing and welcoming. We were led along with most everyone else around the gym in dance while the band played on and on. This time of praise music never truly stopped either. When Pastor Rob Stevenson began his sermon, the band didn’t get a rest but he would ask them to play a certain song again that tied into what he was saying. We would all stand again and carry on singing until the pastor started again, but the congregation never stayed silent, always pushing him along with energetic responses to his preaching.

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

I was thrown off at first with how engaged the congregation was in Pastor Rob’s sermon, and with other people who shared. Each word of truth or praise that was given on stage was echoed, or answered with “well’s, amen’s, and hallelujah’s.” These responses slowly pulled me into the service in a meaningful way. Seeing how such a multiracial group had embraced different aspects of each other's worship styles was so encouraging, a great picture of unity.

I also didn’t remember that the white, Wheaton, upper/middle class time frame was not at work here at Rock Church, and this service went long. I admit that there were times in the first two hours when I was wondering when it would be over...but by the end of three and a half hours I had forgotten time and was fully worshiping with my brothers and sisters (their welcoming nature made it hard not to feel the unity we shared).

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 felt so blessed to be with the people of Rock Church and to see through their eyes how the church and the Kingdom can transcend this world’s order. To bridge what the world has separated. Pastor Rob said in the message that Rock Church does not just talk about the kingdom or a Christian life, but they live it daily together. Hearing the things that they named that morning showed me that they are actively working to engage their world as the hands of Christ. They prayed for hardships in the community, praised our God for the change they have seen, and called their church to continue to obey God. In their context I clearly felt a call to trust and obey our God.

AME church

Harrison Cowell- Church visit #1

Dupage AME Church

4300 Yackley Avenue, Lisle, IL 60532

Sept. 21, 2014

Different Racial Demographic

My visit to AME Church was a very uplifting experience. Everyone was extremely warm and inviting. Regarding the service, one of the unique elements was the implementation of music. In my local church context, we use music pretty freely. In addition to worship through song, occasionally we will have someone play during times of prayer or communion, but at AME, the worship team members and choir never left their spots. Whether it was bringing energy to the pastor’s prayer, the message, the greeting time, or the benediction, there was no part of the service that did not occasionally have background music. An extremely unique element of the service included the congregation serenading me through a welcome song after the pastor asked me to introduce myself. Another unique element involved the preaching style of the pastor. Although not completely contrasting my church experience, the physical energy behind the pastor’s preaching of the message was pretty intense. Full of energy, the pastor would constantly build to a climax of almost shouting with background music aiding to the energy. In addition, the audience was very openly responsive to the pastor, vocally shouting out words of agreement to what the pastor was sharing and affirming truth through excited clapping. In the closing of the service, contrasting my tradition experience of a benediction, the entire congregation joined hands and we sang a song of benediction. It was a joy to share in the unity of one body united through Christ.

One of the most appealing elements of the service was the obvious energy behind the worship and truth being preached. I know that background music and having the pastor shouting out the message can almost bring about an artificial adrenaline that runs the risk of being a distraction. However, I appreciated the high energy behind the preaching. For me, it reflected the pastor’s heart towards the truth that was being preached. Why shouldn’t there be high energy when one is speaking truth from God’s Word. It was encouraging hearing the pastor preach with such high energy and conviction and then inviting the congregation to respond. As long as the doctrine and truth being preached is sound, it is right to get excited about it, to affirm it, and to celebrate what God reveals through His Word.

Although I anticipated feeling a little awkward being a minority (the only white guy at the church), those feelings went away as I was met with such welcome and acceptance that all I could feel was the unity of my brothers and sisters in Christ. It was a little awkward when the pastor, after worship, asked any first time guests to stand. And after I was the only one to stand up, he asked me my name, where I was from, and why I came to visit. After introducing myself to the entire congregation, everyone turned and serenated me with a welcome song. During the song at least 20 members left their seats to come and greet me in person. This display of love and welcome reflected the unity found within the church regardless of differences in race and culture. It was an unconditional love reflected out of Christ’s love toward us.

There was a strong emphasis on the work of the Holy Spirit throughout the opening prayer and sermon. Although the power of the Holy Spirit is not unique to me, it was helpful to be reminded of the role the Holy Spirit plays in our lives. The Holy Spirit is our helper in discerning the truth of Scripture and indwells in us, aiding in our walk towards sanctification. The Pastor boldly asked God to transform our lives through the work of the Holy Spirit.

Christian Kim - Church Visit #1

Christian Kim - Church Visit #1

Antioch Community Church
311 W. Seminary Ave, Wheaton, IL
9.21.14
Antioch International Movement of Churches/Nondenominational

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

I chose this church since I heard it was significantly less liturgical than the church I normally go to (Church of the Resurrection). I have always gone to a church with a designated building. My churches have also been more on the structural side. Antioch was odd for me because it was very informal. Service was held in an elementary school gymnasium with rows of folding chairs and breakfast offered beforehand. Clothing was also very informal. The service started with basic introduction and then went into worship with music. Everything was quite loud and electric. I knew none of the songs they sang. After the worship with music they went into corporate prayer. They specifically were praying for a team being sent to France to learn French and then eventually to Cameroon. They made the congregation get into groups of 3 or 4 and pray specific things for the team. After that they went into the sermon. After the sermon there was a short announcement and then I believe a prayer. I was free to go after that. The whole service was very odd to me, it seemed very free-form.

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

I thought the corporate prayer was neat. It was a bit uncomfortable and there is always the dreaded process of finding people among a crowd of strangers to plunge into spiritual nudity with but it was alright, I got through it. I thought it was good to unify the congregation over a specific topic of prayer. It made the focus of prayer external to the self. I thought this was a powerful practice, there's plenty of time for personal oriented prayer outside of church. Being together on Sunday seemed for Antioch to be a unique time to pray together for a unified point.

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

I found that the setting and the music disoriented me from worship. While I believe it is important to prepare your heart to be receptive and willing for worship no matter where, I know my tendencies and what softens my heart the deepest. Environment and music impact me deeply in every matter, worship and church is no exception. As mentioned before, the service was held in a gym and the music was rock-ified Christian songs that I had never heard before. My issue with this was that it didn't strike me as set apart for God. A building built and designed for the purpose of being sensitive to worship through space and architecture moves me profoundly as well as music that displays reverence for God through creativity. I fully understand the virtue of starting churches in tiny living rooms when no money is yet available to obtain a building, however, one form of worship I find so lacking in America is worship through space. For a country that has so much of it we dedicate so little of it to God. Also, I had a hard time seeing the music as reverential and set apart, it seemed derivative. They also used the NLT.

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

The sermon was on the passage about the seeds falling on different qualities of soil. Before sharing the sermon they showed a video which I assume is distributed by the Antioch International Movement. The video showed a farmer talking about what is involved in harvesting an actual crop. The point of the video was to give a reference to us suburban folk who have no actual encounter with the metaphor. What was emphasized was the intensity of work required at harvest time. The pastor also emphasized the amount of non-church goers in Wheaton despite the assumption that everyone is Christian and goes to church. While the idea of "don't rest until everyone is in church" made me a bit uncomfortable, I enjoyed seeing that passage in the light of the intense amount of work required in actual farming. We suburbanites aren't too acquainted with the metaphor beyond its imagery.