Church Address: 3827 W Ogden, Chicago, IL 60623
Date Attended: November 2, 2014
Church Category: Significantly lower socioeconomic demographic
Describe the worship service you attended. How was it similar to or different from your regular context?
For starters, the moment we walked in it felt different from
my background. People were dressed more
casually and were walking in big groups.
Someone greeted us with a hug and as he gave me a squeeze he said
cheerfully "Glad you're here, sister!" Already feeling far more welcomed and at home
than I expected, I was thrilled to hear gospel music and to see that the church
was set up in a circle. People were
smiling and singing and there was this tangible sense of joy that couldn't be
missed. We found seats and the service continued
with music. Then they did announcements
and the Children's ministry team got up front and introduced themselves. After that people shared requests and then
the pastor gave a message and communion was served. The whole service felt sincere and very much
like a family. My church is far more
quiet and noticeably less welcoming.
What did you find most interesting or appealing about the
worship service?
I was shocked how included I felt as a minority in the
service. People smiled at us and not
once did I feel awkward like I thought I might.
I loved the gospel music and was excited to worship with people who
loved it as well. I was in gospel choir
my freshman year and have so missed that style of praise and the rhythm of that
music. It felt really nice to worship in
that context again. In the middle of the
service, they also shared prayer requests by having people come up one by one
and share prayer requests or praises.
People would introduce themselves and many started by saying “Hi family”
or “Good Morning, Church.” There was something so inclusive and warm about each
person coming before the group to vulnerably ask for prayer or to joyfully ask
their brothers and sisters to rejoice with them.
What did you find most disorienting or challenging about the
worship service?
Interestingly, the pastor gave a talk on what I think was
part of a series called “Kingdom Streets” about living out the body of
Christ. He began by talking about the
horrors of slavery and the profound impact that slavery has had on people of
color in the US still today. I was
almost in disbelief that the one day I visit a mostly black church they would
be talking about such a serious subject.
But he went on to talk about how sin damages both the sinner and the
sinned against and the value of grace. He
talked about how the author of the hymn Amazing Grace was a slave ship owner
and how God used Him. It was humbling to
sit in that room not really understanding the deep hurt these people had felt
and even more powerful to stand and sing Amazing Grace in that context.
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 think that Lawndale did a beautiful job or reflecting the
body of Christ and the idea that we are all children of God. There was a variety of people present and
they were all so engaged in the service and so welcoming and enthusiastic. It was a rare and beautiful picture for me of
the diversity of the body of Christ.
People were caring for each other and serving each other in a way that
was so exciting to watch. People would
talk to the pastor as he was sharing and I loved how it felt like a family
reunion in ways my context did not. The pastor
spoke clearly and strongly about grace but in a way that was still
theologically sound as it was easy to understand. My context is far more intellectual, which I
also like, but it was nice to have something easier to digest.
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