Allison Freet- Church Visit #2

Church Name: Armitage Baptist Church

Church address: 2451 N Kedzie Blvd, Chicago

Date attended: October 12

Church category: lower socioeconomic community

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

Located in the middle of a lower-income neighborhood in Chicago, Armitage Baptist was not like a church I had ever attended. Walking into the building, I noticed a variety of people gathering in the sanctuary. There were people of all races and walks of life, some physically handicapped and some elderly. The service started out with a few contemporary songs, which is similar to my regular context. After worship, the pastor came up to the pulpit and shared announcements, many of which had to do with how the congregation could serve the community in which they lived. The number of community-focused events the church was sponsoring or becoming involved in amazed me, especially since many in the congregation were in need of the very things they were giving away. The sermon was interesting to say the least, but it seemed to be all over the place. It was a call-and-response type service, something that is unfamiliar to me, with many people shouting “Amen!” Hallelujah!” and even a “Preach it, Pastor!” at one particular truth.

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

Perhaps what I noticed most was the way that everyone seemed to treat each other as family. Before and after the service, people were mingling, talking and laughing as they greeted and welcomed one another to church. We had arrived to the church 15 minutes before it started, and we walked in just in time to witness a “church-wide Bible drill” in which someone at the front would call out a verse reference and the first person to find and read the verse correctly would receive a prize from the front. Everyone seemed really into it, and the competition was fierce, especially among many of the regular attenders. This sense of community and family, as well as this obvious tradition of pre-church Bible drill, left a strong impression. Though small and without much adornment, this church was a place where anybody and everybody felt welcome, regardless of socioeconomic status, age or even mental or physical ability. It was encouraging to see such a diverse group of people worshipping the same God.

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

Most challenging about the worship service was probably the message and the way in which it was preached. Coming from a context where the extent to “call and response” is clapping in support, the constant “amens” and “hallelujahs” were a bit disorienting. Additionally, the pastor was very passionate about what he was preaching, at times raising his voice almost to a yell in order to bring home a point he was making. He addressed so many different topics that it was hard to follow the main line of the message. Also, at one point, he began to call on people to read some passages in other parts of the Bible. This would never happen at my church—there is not a time for interaction between the congregation and the pastor during the message. Yet, during these moments at Armitage, it almost began to feel like a Bible Study instead of a sermon, which was a bit disorienting.

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

I was most struck by the familial aspect of the church. Perhaps this was due to the size, but so often in white suburbia, people come to church, sit in the back of the auditorium, listen to the message and then slip out afterwards, never saying a word to anyone. I have been one of these people. But, shouldn’t church be a place of community? A place where friends become like family? At Armitage, the moment we walked in, we were ushered to a place near the front, and as soon as the service was over, the woman behind us struck up a conversation with us, asking us where we were from and what we thought of the sermon. Despite the fact that we were obviously newcomers, we were welcomed with open arms. And though the lead singer was a bit off key and the graphics were a bit outdated and perhaps the biggest announcement was about the new elevator recently installed, I was very much aware of how much the people in the congregation love, how much they accept, and how much they want to care for those around them, even when they do not have much for themselves. What a beautiful picture of the family of God!