Joshua Lee: Church Visit #3

Church Name: Bethel Lutheran Church (Associated with Bethel New Life)

Church Address: 130 North Keeler, Chicago, Illinois, 60624

Date Attended: 11/2/14

Church Category: Lower SES

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

The Bethel Church service felt like an intermediary between a liturgical service and contemporary Christian service. It felt “liturgical” because the worship was dominated by songs and responses. Just like the Orthodox church service I attended, the worship involved much singing, and it was only at the very end when the preacher delivered a sermon. It also felt contemporary because the songs were primarily up-beat Gospel music involving organ and drum---they were quite different from the Gregorian/liturgical chants that are characteristic of a liturgical service. In this way, the church service felt both traditional and modern. 

Also, compared to my regular context, the service felt “freer.” Though the worship was scheduled tightly around the set Lutheran service structure, there was nevertheless great freedom within the service. Perhaps this sense of freedom came from the fact that the congregation was very close; each member knew each other very well. Though this sense of intimacy exists in our church also, we tend to set it aside after the service for fellowship. Therefore, it was refreshing to see that such closeness and freedom existed within the service.

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

  

The freedom that I felt in the service was very refreshing. Led by upbeat Gospel music, the congregation was encouraged to clap, stand, sway, and worship the Lord with the body and mind. Also, the service was very interactive. The congregation gave “amen” and other affirmations as the Pastor delivered her message. Also, we felt so welcomed in the church. When we are passing peace, almost all church members came to say hello to us, who were awkwardly standing in the pew. At the end of the service, the Pastor also came up to us and introduced us to the whole congregation, and the choir sang welcome song to us and all other guests. The church was very friendly to us and to each other. In this way, the church felt really communal. 

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

I wish the sermon was longer and more theological. The Pastor was amazing in knowing her congregation and applying the sermon to lives. But I wish she had delved into the pasage line by line and explained how the verses supported her message.

             Outside of the service, I was challenged by the great discrepancy in living condition between Wheaton and the neighborhood that the church was located in. The streets were littered with garbage and broken bottles, and some of the offices were bolstered heavily with double locks.  I could not believe how such drastically different neighborhoods could exist in one city. Reflecting the low SES of the neighborhood, I was moved when the pastor gathered changes for a separate offering. I am not sure if this is a common practice in other churches, but it certainly reflected the church’s economic need.

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

Given the low socioeconomic status of the church, I was reminded of the doctrine of providence. At one point of her sermon, the Pastor mentioned how the church continued to do well with its various ministries, despite the low fund. The secret is that each ministry “starts on the knee”, not with the bank account. When the church looks at its bank account, the pastor remarked, the church should have shut down all its ministries long time ago. But when the church receives a calling from God during prayer, God always provided provisions for that ministry. I was so touched by this message. Coming from a well-to-do family and church, I often wondered how congregations in low SES settings could still praise God. But here, they lived out the doctrine of providence with great faith. I need to humble myself and learn this posture of trust in God’s provision.

             Speaking about the church’s ministries, I was also touched by the church’s emphasis on social justice. Despite the church’s hard economic status, it put much effort in providing for the poor and discouraging violence among the youth. Promoting peace among the inner city youth is something that we rarely here about in the suburban church setting. It was a stark reminder that we live in a broken, segmented society. As a body of Christ, when one body part suffers, the whole body aches. I hope all the affluent churches would help their economically disadvantaged brothers.