Jason Kircher - Church Visit #3

Church Name: Hickory Creek Community Church
Church Address: 10660 West Lincoln Hwy, Frankfort, IL
Date Attended: Sunday, April 6th, 2014
Church Category: Different Liturgical Style

Describe the Worship service you attended...

I'm from the South Suburbs of Chicago, and since I was visiting home this weekend I went to a local church. It's a non-denominational church in our area, with a very medium size - not a megachurch, but maybe about 500 people who attend. I went to the 11 am service, but they have two other ones. The location looks like a church, with a steeple - but has an attached "box" sanctuary. Service started with a praise band, led by a couple who took turns moving the congregation through the service. There was decoration - a cross on stage, and a Christian and American flag on either side of the stage. Then there were announcements and a prayer for the offering. The sermon was on Old Testament promises fulfilled in Christ. We closed in a final song after the sermon. All of the songs were contemporary worship, except one redone hymn. We didn't take communion. Other than singing and giving money, there wasn't any real participation in the service.

What did you find most interesting?

It was a very warm and family/community atmosphere. Everyone seemed to know each other before and after the service. While the "greeting" time was short during service, afterwards lots of people milled around and talked. There were lots of families, lots of different aged kids. This makes sense for my hometown - we have large highschools and the town has experienced a lot of family growth since I've lived there. Normally I don't love contemporary Christian songs that are sung because they are recent and new - but the couple that led worship were very talented. I appreciated the mix of songs, and that we were moved through the service with prayer and explanation.

What was challenging?

The most challenging part was not having some of the liturgical aspects that bring about participation in the service. Singing is great, and a huge part of the Christian gathering. But the service seemed more like a performance. The couple leading worship were leading; the pastor was preaching; but the congregation wasn't doing much except paying for the experience with their offerings. That might be a bit harsh, but it's how I felt. We didn't have a Psalm to read and pray together. Scripture was read by the pastor as an intro to his sermon, rather than a lay leader or community member bringing the Word to us.

The biggest challenge has lately been not having communion. At my church, I look forward to and crave partaking in Eucharist. It's the highlight of my week and a huge spiritual help for my week. I left church feeling like I was missing something.

What aspects of Scripture or theology did the service illuminate for you?

The Church is meant to be a local community, not just an ephemeral concept. I have very strong opinions about church unity and ecumenism. But my experience at Hickory Creek Community Church helped me understand that the local church is the tangible manifestation of the body, and a necessary one at that. While I didn't receive communion and experience that means of grace, the grace I did experience being around such friendly and loving people was great as well. In fact, I think this community could add some liturgical aspects that emphasized the community gathering (Eucharist, lay leaders leading prayer/scripture reading). But having that family-feel was great, and shows just how much Christians should remember their local community of faith.

Leya Petrovani- Church Visit #3

Leya Petrovani- Church Visit #2

Church Name: Harmony Community Church

Church Address: 1908 South Millard, Chicago, IL 60623

Date Attended: April 6, 2014

Church Category: More than 10 miles away from Wheaton, and of a different socioeconomic class.

Describe the worship service, similar/ different

1. I attended an African American Pentecostal service in Lawndale Chicago. It was different in many ways from the church I normally attend, Church of the Resurrection in Wheaton. The most obvious differences were that Harmony Community Church was an African American church, and Resurrection is not, and though Res considers itself to be a Pentecostal Anglican Church, the representations of the presence of the spirit were quite different at this service than what I am accustomed to. The service was quite long, it was a little over two hours long, and the majority of the service were different representations of worship. Worship through songs, through a spoken word poetry presentation, a mime ministry, and a celebration choir. A very distinctive element to this service was that it was the "Gone too soon" service, remembering the members of their community that had died of violent crimes. There was a video presentation and I counted 19 different people in the video. There was also a candle lighting ceremony, where congregants who have had family members or close friends pass away went forward, named their loved one, and lighted a candle. Though I didn't count the number of people who went forward there were at least 25 or 30 people. I was shocked to see a community so affected by violence, mourning, suffering yet still able to worship God with such overflowing joy and passion.

2. The interspersed music and general creativity was the most appealing thing to me about the service. I absolutely love gospel music, and was so blessed by the presence of the Holy Spirit throughout the whole service. It was very evident that the congregants were completely focused on the Lord and on being a support to one another, and I was very much encouraged by that. The spoken word was delivered by a girl, about 15 years of age, and she spoke about gun violence (what many of the loved ones had passed from) and how pervasive a problem it is. She talked about the history of the civil rights movement and racism, and how we "cannot merely fight for gun control if we cannot control the man behind the gun". I was blessed by how eloquently, and poetically she spoke on an issue that is so deeply and profoundly painful, and close to home, for everyone in this community, yet still called them to worship God in the midst of their suffering.

3. I would say the candle lighting ceremony was the most challenging. Not because it made me feel particularly uncomfortable, but because it was so difficult. I was crying, and most people around me were crying. Watching people name the names of their brothers, fathers, husbands, boyfriends, best friends who had "gone too soon", because of violence that is pervasive in their community. Violence that we, here in Wheaton, are immune to. We can live so close, and yet completely ignore the violence and injustice that happens in our own city. We can hear about it on the news, and continue to be apathetic. We can know and not care. This is not a representation of the body of Christ. It is not portraying one Catholic church where the suffering of one is the suffering of all. This portion of the service was an example of how this church body is caring for one another. When one person is suffering, the whole community suffers, yet the still worship all together.

4. I saw this church live out the call that we have to be joyful in all things, even in suffering, yet the simultaneous call to be affected by the suffering and injustice of this world and mourn with one another. During this season of lent, I have been contemplating how one can be so overwhelmed and occupied with the suffering of others that we can truly mourn with our suffering brothers and sisters. That we do not eat without praying for and remembering those who do not have food, that we do not sleep without praying for and remembering those who have no place to sleep, that we do not go to school to study without remember and praying for those without access to education. Living in a way that our minds are so occupied with the prayers of others, and the mourning of others that it is constant. However, at the same time being joyful. Knowing that our hope is in Christ, that He is our salvation and that in the midst of injustice, in the midst of unfathomable brokenness of this world that He is still good and sovereign and thus being joyful in God. I still do not know how to live this seemingly dichotomous reality in my own life, but I saw a beautiful glimpse of that at Harmony Community Church on Sunday.

Church Blog #3 - Different Socioeconomic Background

Bethlehem Christmas Lutheran Church
Bethlehem - Palestine
March 9, 2014
Different Socioeconomic Background



Describe the Service, was it similar to your regular context?
I was in Israel Palestine with the Wheaton student group who attended the Christ at the Checkpoint conference in Bethlehem. It was the trip of a lifetime for me. And being in Church in Bethlehem was definitely a distinct privilege. Being there was especially special for me because one of my close family friends was one of the pastors and his wife read the scripture for the day. I really liked the service! The scripture she read was psalm 91 (definitely one of my favorite psalms) it was read in english but translated into arabic in the bulletin. It was just a well done service and the pastor spoke with conviction and care. The Pastor was Mitri Raheeb who is an avid Pastor and Author who has written many books about the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict and the Christians' necessary response. He was a great guy to get a chance to talk to. He was highly regarded by Dr. Gary Burge, a man I profoundly adore. So I enjoyed hearing him preach and also learning from him at the Christ at the Checkpoint conference. The building was beautiful it had a sort of dome shape in the front. There was stain glass in the windows but it had been imported from Germany (LUTHeran...). The service was set up in the evangelical style so in some ways it was actually kind of similar to my normal context but just being in a different culture was so different that it is hard to pick out what was so different about the service.



What was most interesting/appealing about the service?
The chance to worship with people in a different country who spoke a different language but still worship the same God is just an amazing experience. I had trouble appreciating some of those moments at the time, only upon further reflection can I appreciate how awesome it was to be there and experience that culture in the context of being with all those fellow Christians who spoke arabic and Hebrew. That was probably the most interesting part of the service which was not apparent to me at the time. But the fact that they read Psalm 91 was special to me because it is a passage that God has used in my life to remind me to trust him because he really is a mighty fortress. And yeah, sharing that with a bunch of people from a differnet culture just made it that much cooler. And then hearing that scripture read from your “Aunt” was just a crazy cool time. I loved the hospitality we received all week and it was especially clear at the church that day. The ministers were all in White except for our friend “Uncle” Victor, who was wearing black. I told him after the service that he looked like Johnny Cash in all that Black. I'm still pretty sure he did not understand me but its fine. Being able to worship and participate in the larger body of Christ which is bigger than just america was a big moment for me that I had actually never really experienced or come to terms with so that was what was most interesting and appealing.



What was most disorienting or challenging about the service?
There were definitely some cultural barriers between us and them. After the service we had a nice time of fellowship with the people of the church and had coffee and I remember feeling uncomfortable in the big crowd of people because I was not at all sure if people were supposed to be touching in crowds or what, I did not want to be thoughtless or rude. We had lunch with everyone after that and I did not get to dialogue with the people of the church that much. I did not really appreciate my connection to those people in Christ at the time. If I had I probably would have been mote active in pursuing conversations with those people but I really did not think that they would want that a whole lot from me in those moments. I felt kinda out of my place being there. I did not feel worthy of being considered better than them. Also it was just kinda daunting being in another culture and at this point we were really just getting there so we were not comfortable with the culture yet so yeah, if I could do it again I would have tried to connect with the Palestinian Christians better. But That's a hard thing to do and it certainly is not just something that I could do without reciprocation but still it would have been nice to talk more with them. It was just hard to culturally be ready for all that that church service had to offer after only getting there about 30 hours prior to that moment.



What aspects of Scripture or theology did the service illuminate for you that you didn't get in your regular context?
I was drawn to the care the ministers has with the scriptures. It was definitely a very liturgical service but it still seemed evangelical. Almost like a liturgical service for evangelical people who had similar beliefs as me about God. I did feel that in some way.  I would say that the aspect of theology that came out in this context was that of the theology of suffering.  The fact that palestinians and israeli chrisitans have experienced so much badness on both sides is terrible and there is not clear paths to peace or reconciliation.  So recognizing this as a place for Christians who are trying to appreciate Christus Victor over any other atonement theory was interesting to experience.  When Dr. Lee talked about oppressed people resonating more with that particular one i thought it was cool but that I would not really get to see that be a thing.  But it totally was.  It is a cool way to see Jesus and it definitely came out in the preaching but also in the conversations we had with Palestinians through out the week in a more general way.  I felt great about the church and it brought out Christ's victory over death and oppression more than any other experience ever gave me before.  It also helped me see that two groups of Christians could disagree about some pretty huge things and still be willing to come together to worship God.  WHich was eccumenically encouraging for me.    Thats all.  Thanks Dr. Lee.

Jon Ray- Church Visit #2

Church name: New Community Covenant Church
Church address: 2840 W. Logan Blvd, Chicago, IL 60647
Date attended: March 23rd, 2014
Church category: Socioeconomically Different Church


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

The best way that I can think to describe the service in general was casual and inviting. The worship service was very contemporary filled with uptempo songs that encouraged you to get right into them but also introspective songs that challenged us to connect on a personal level with God. The level of dress was casual for the most part, which is definitely different then my church background back home, where it's not uncommon to find people in blazers or suits and ties. After worship the pastor came up and spoke his sermon completely extemporaneously without notes. While this is a minor difference then my home pastor who utilizes a pulpit and notes, it was something that I definitely noted. That being said, the length of the sermon as well as the order of the service was largely the same as what I'm used to back home. The diversity of the congregation was another big difference, with people from all walks of life present in the congregation.

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

One thing that I really found initially surprising but also very awesome was just how fired up the lead pastor was in his message. From about two minutes into his sermon he was passionately speaking as if he was just reaching the climax of his message, and he kept up this intensity for the duration of his talk. Also I really did enjoy the ethnic diversity that was present in the church. Coming from a "suburban" upbringing in central Illinois, my church back home is overwhelmingly homogeneous with a few people of different racial backgrounds sprinkled in here and there. Having people with such a wide range of nationalities and incomes present really made a case for the true body of Christ and the unity that must be present. As much as I love my church back home, this diversity of people from all walks of life is something that is lacking from it; it really is something that provides an insight into a different aspect of Christianity.

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

There were a couple things that challenged me, one that I mentioned above and one that I'll get into more detail in the next question. As Dr. Lee has talked about in class a couple times, it can be easy for us to settle into a comfort zone of going to a nice quiet church filled with people from our same racial and socioeconomic background. This seems natural, as surrounding ourselves with people similar to us is easy and convenient. With this though, we are missing out on some of the most vital work of the body of Christ. It's often so easy to watch from a distance and give at our home church towards various missions projects. While this is good, the keeps a level of detachment from our daily lives, and allows us to push it to the back of our minds almost as soon as it presents itself. Having these racially and economically diverse churches really forces us to be present in the daily work of the church and Christ, and this is definitely something that I feel me and the church at large could improve upon.

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 Biblical passage that the passage was using was Mark 1:14-20. This is the passage where Jesus initially recruits the disciples for his ministry. The pastor then used this as a platform to talk about how we can often form this "designer Jesus" in our heads to fit our own personal beliefs. This is a problem because Jesus wasn't someone who came to fulfill our specific lists of needs. The phrase that stood out most to me was one that he stated early on, "The only God who can overcome the condemnation of your own heart is a God who is not a product of your own heart." This was profound but it was also very indicting of my own heart. I find that it can often be easy to try and fit God/Jesus to my own personal wants and needs, as opposed to letting him work in my life. That phrase stuck with me and it's one I hope to carry with me for a long time.

Leya Petrovani-Church Visit #2

Leya Petrovani- Church Visit #2

Church Name: Bethany Chapel

Church Address: 404 N. President St. Wheaton Illinois

Date Attended: March 23rd 2013

Church Category: Significantly less Liturgical 

The service was a communion service. It began with a man reading from Matthew 18 and then he sat down. Throughout the whole service (one hour) different male congregants would stand as they felt led to read scripture, suggest hymns to be read, share a devotional thought either directly related or not to the original scripture passage that was read. The service was not lead by any one or even any group of people, as services I am accustomed to are. The only unifying quality that everyone who shared had was that they were all men. Women at Bethany Chapel are not permitted to speak in the service. Some women wear head coverings in the service, not all, and remain silent during the service. Though I have been to many church services, including often the Church that I grew up going to at home, where an entire service would go by and not a single woman would speak, however, I noticed this, perhaps, more acutely at Bethany because the service was so communally led. 

As I mentioned before, it was very intriguing that the service was communally led. It was quite beautiful. The pianist merely had a hymnal in front of him, and would wait until a community member requested that the congregation sing a song, and then it was sung. It was wonderful to hear thoughts from congregants, not only because it was beautiful to truly have a service not led by one person, but because I got to know a bit more of the character of the Church through the sharing of its congregants. It was a beautiful image of the body working together, and fellowshipping together, and sharing burdens and joys.

I was a definitely disoriented by how communion was received. Throughout the whole service the elements were at a table in the front of the sanctuary. Near the end an elder in the Church signaled to several other men who all got up, passed around the bread, and then the wine, and people took communion when they were ready. There was no passage read, nor words spoke, it was done in silence, perhaps in reverence to the Eucharist, more individually than I am accustomed to. I found this somewhat challenging because what I appreciate so much about communion and the Eucharist is that it is a spiritual practice that we do as a body, together, and remember the sacrifice that Christ made for us all. For me, it is helpful to have words spoken, preferably scripture read during communion to center my mind, and thoughts on Christ. 

As I illuminated above, I was really challenged by the commitment to community that this church portrayed. The service was very egalitarian, in that anyone (given he was a man, which for the sake of worship was an issue that I tried to overlook) could contribute whatever he felt led. I was extremely blessed to hear from my brothers in Christ what was on their hearts and minds, and for there to be a free space for congregants to share with one another. 

Abby Clark - Church Visit #3

Church Name: Harmony Community Church
Church Address: 1908 South Millard Avenue, Lawndale, Chicago, 60623
Date Attended: April 6, 2014
Church Category: Socioeconomically different context

Describe the worship service you attended.  How was it similar to or different from your regular context?
This worship service was about two and a half hours long, which was different than I am usually used to.  There was so much freedom and energy in the service, as many people would get up and contribute something or exclaim praise.  As well, the majority of the members were African American.  The service started with praise and worship, with about five people on stage singing, and about four people playing instruments off to the side.  One of the singers would usually come up and lead the specific song.  There was so much energy and passion in each of the songs.  After this there was a spoken word done and a pantomime dance.  This specific service included a small memorial service called gone to soon which commemorated the deaths of loved ones of the church community who had died because of crime violence.  After this was a short sermon, offering, and communion.  Another difference that stood out to me was the involvement of so much of the congregation throughout the entire service.  For example, the sermon was the shortest part of the service and the only thing that was primarily just the pastor.

What did you find most interesting or appealing about the worship service?
One of the most interesting aspects of the service was the portion of time alloted to the memorial service.  This community has experienced countless deaths due to crime violence.  They had a slideshow with the pictures of 19 people that were loved ones of members of the church.  Then those affected by these losses lit candles, went to the front of the sanctuary, and said the name of their lost loved ones.  This was a time where the congregation came together to support and grieve together.  The church did not pretend like bad things didn't happen to them, nor did they blame God. Instead they came together in love and community to remember the lives of those that had been lost due to injustice.

What did you find disorienting or challenging about the worship service? 
One thing that was disorienting was that the sermon was so short. It lasted about 10 minutes . I think the pastor did this to save time, as much time had been devote to other things that day. However it made me wonder about the type of authority and urgency his teachings usually hold. Unfortunately I cannot even remember what the short sermon was about, but regardless I know the congregation has a lot of deep respect for him and that the Sunday I visited might have been a bit out of the ordinary with regards to the pastor's involvement in the service. 

Susannah Saylor--Church Visit #3

Church Name: Iglesia Del Pueblo

Church address: 27W500 North Avenue, West Chicago, IL 60185

Date attended: 4/6/2014

Church category: different racial demographic

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

This church was predominantly Latin American and functioned in various different ways that I appreciated. At my home church, there is always an emphasis on efficiency with regards to timing. However, Iglesia del Pueblo ran to the beat of its own drum. Although the service started at 11:00am, much of the congregation didn't show up until halfway through the worship songs. That didn't affect the service much, it was a very relaxed atmosphere. The worship portion of church was a little prolonged due to the tardiness of the congregation. Everyone was very warm and welcoming as well. At my home church, we sit at the back and barely make it through the "greet your neighbor" portion of the service and leave at the very end. However, it seemed as if everyone wanted to get to know me in a genuine way and learn how they could pray for me. I felt very welcomed as a foreigner to the church.             

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

I really enjoyed the communal aspect of the service. The pastor emphasized community and a camaraderie in being fellow followers of Jesus. Everyone was very warm and welcoming, especially to newcomers which is rare for a church as big as Iglesia del Pueblo. Communion also sought to bring people together as the pastor focused on the fellowship between Jesus and his disciples as they shared the last supper. Usually I take this aspect of communion for granted, however, I really felt a new appreciation for the body of Christ--literally and figuratively.                 

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

I appreciated the expression of the service, however, it was a little hard for me to concentrate. The pastor had a lot of passion while he was speaking, but his dramatism distracted me from the content of the service. I enjoyed a different style of preaching, yet it was almost too disorienting for me to gain much reflection from. It was also a lengthy service, which I am not used to. My home church finishes the service within an hour, so it is often hard for me to concentrate much more than that on a sermon. It was definitely a challenge to focus on the sermon, especially since the flashy style of speaking distracted me from the content. 

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

Celebrating Jesus in a different cultural context was intriguing for me. Growing up in a home that speaks both Spanish and English, the language barrier was thankfully not too much of a burden. My father is from Costa Rica and my cousins reside in Puerto Rico, so returning to a hispanic church is a comfort to me. I enjoyed the warmth and camaraderie that this church brings to Scripture. The pastor relates to the audience in a way similar to a father relating to his son that, in turn, makes the sermons so much more potent. Expression through song was incredible among the congregation, and I could tell that culturally this was a point of great connection. There is so much apathy and distance in the American culture when it comes to passion and expression, this service enlightened me to another way of worship. God's word also came alive through a dramatic sermon, albeit a little hard to follow. Overall, this church visit was a great opportunity for me to experience a global way of worshipping.              

Sarah Antioho - Church Visit #3

Sarah Antioho – Church Visit #3

Blog Title:  Sarah Antioho – 3

Church Name:  Concord MB (Missionary Baptist) Church

Church Address:  6319 South Kimbark Avenue, Chicago, IL 60637

Date attended: 3/23/14

Lower socioeconomic demographic

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

This church service is pretty much completely opposite of what I am used to.  The service is very interactive between the preacher and the congregation.  There were shouts and cries of “Amen,” “Yes,” “Hallelujah,” and laughter throughout the whole service.  At the beginning of the message, the organ was playing “in response” to the preacher.  It was very interesting, and I thought it enhanced the service and encouraged the congregation to also respond to the service.  The preacher was very animated and enthusiastic.  He was intentional in when to pause and let the congregation respond.  Because of this, the service was very long—at least an hour long.  The music was very enthusiastic.  There was dancing and a lot of repetition in the verses and lyrics of the songs.  This was an all black church. 

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

I loved how interactive the service was.  The response to the preacher during the message was a kind of liturgy in itself.  At my home church there is not response at all.  Only during baptisms does the congregation respond with “We will” to the prompts of the pastor.  We say the creeds and Lord’s Prayer together, but otherwise, no one speaks.  The practice of interacting in the service and with the pastor helped me have a posture of worship instead of a “what can I get from this service” mindset.

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

It was difficult to listen to a service for an hour.  I usually like to take notes during the service, and I found that I couldn’t take notes during the service because I felt the preacher jumped around too much.  There wasn’t much of an order or an outline to his message. 

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

This church setting emphasized the importance of worshiping and not just learning.  We should not go to church only for ourselves and for enhancing our own spiritual state.  We should also remember that at church we are meant to worship God and serve others.  I think that this service emphasizes the community aspect of the church and not the individual nature of its members.

John Daigle - Church Visit #2

New Community Covenant Church
2804 W Belmont Ave, Chicago, IL 60618
March 2, 2014
Different Ethnic Background



Describe the Service, was it similar to your regular context?
I LOVED THE SERVICE. We walked in on one of my favorite songs to sing in Church, "I love you Lord today/My heart is filled with praise". Literally one of the three songs that I worship to alone on the piano is the song we walked in on the whole congregation singing. I was immediately in love with the place. The Worship pastor had panache but also a meekness that really appealed to me. And he was black! I know that is a strange thing to say that sounds vaguely racist but seeing a man who brought a different culture of worship than my white Wheaton worship culture was terribly refreshing. The pastor wasn't young which I loved because I love hearing from a guy who has been around the block. He was firey and throwing down careful but passionate words from the Bible. And he was Korean! It was so nice to see a racial blend from the pulpit and in the congregation. I was feeling good about it.
Was it similar to my regular context? This is a complicated answer for me because I now have two regular church contexts. I have my church back home in Pittsburgh and my church here in Wheaton. I have had a lot of trouble over 3 years of finding a church home that I could really dive into. I'm from the city and city church has everybody socioeconomically and racially. This church gave me city church again and I just flat out loved it.



What was most interesting/appealing about the service?
I mentioned a lot of the things that were most appealing in response to the first question. The fact that they were playing a song that was very privately meaningful to me as I walked in just really turned me on to the place. Worship was much more geared toward African American culture of worship which is what I was raised with so I was feeling very in my element. But I was feeling like it was special to be in a multiethnic church surrounded by all different types of people. I think this may be a departure for Dr. Lee's Vision for the Different Ethnic Background church visits because I did not visit a “black” church or a “korean” church. But maybe it fits great because I was reminded of how much I value city church where you see everyone! I have been tired with a lot of Wheaton Churches because they are full of one kind of person too often. I just like seeing everyone at church. This is what I want in church and its the primary reason I've had trouble finding a church that I could really connect with at Wheaton. I think the big thing for me is that Wheaton has always been the place where I have encountered people who were a lot like me. I like learning at Wheaton with likeminded peers who come from a similar eccumenical and evangelical context as me. But Something about encountering that in church really turns me off. So being at this city church just felt right to me.
What was most disorienting or challenging about the service?
I visited this church with my girlfriend and her brother. Her brother is almost 30 and is a musician and just generally a “badass” but he is also shockingly kind and gracious. So I was genuinely interested to hear his thoughts about the service, especially because my experience was so overtly positive. He said he liked it. He liked that the pastor taught from proverbs, but it also provided a fear for him. He told us that he likes his church back home because they are in the habit of telling the gospel every week. Now it's not that they have an altar call every week but they are still committed to reminding their congregation of the fact that Jesus died for their sins and has set them free from the power of sin and death and has ushered them into right relationship with God. He said that is something he really needs to hear over and over again. He feared that this church in teaching from proverbs might have been willing to forego the gospel message. I think it is an interesting thing to watch out for. He was right that once you remove the gospel, the church doesn't have to stand on. And I think this church could have been more focused more on being centered in the gospel. That being said, it wasn't something that makes the pastor a heretic or makes the Holy Spirit absent in their ministry. But it was a good thing to think about for me and the gospel is very important and I agree that it should be the crown of any church.
What aspects of Scripture or theology did the service illuminate for you that you didn't get in your regular context?
I think it was big for me to hear my girlfriend's brother's musings, that really helped illuminate the importance of the gospel to the teaching of any church. I also want to be like him in being sensitive to that, I think I have a lot to learn from that man. But less about him and more about the service itself! It was cool that the pastor made me think hard about decision making. I thought I knew this passage too well but he brought some new life to it for me: Trust in the Lord with all your heart, Lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge him and he shall direct your paths/ he will make your paths straight. The pastor said that in decision making you can trust in the Lord by stepping back and asking the practical question of, “Are there any areas I'm considering outside scripture?” This means that we can trust in the Lord by looking to his word for council rather than our own perceptions of what we think God would say. In that there is a willingness for uncertainty and rest not in myself but in God that that dude just made very practical for me. He also talked a lot about entering into mentor relationships with grown ups. And I have been really blessed with mentor relationships in my junior year. He gave some helpful questions for me to ask my mentors about to help me with my personal growth.

Jon Ray- Church Visit #3

Church Name: Iglesia del Pueblo
Church Address: 27W500 North Avenue West Chicago, IL
Date Attended: March 30th, 2014
Church Category: Racially Different Church

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

The church service for Iglesia del Pueblo takes place within the massive building that they share with Wheaton Bible Church, although there are different sanctuaries for the English Wheaton Bible service and the Spanish service of Iglesia del Pueblo. The time leading up to the service was filled with members of the congregation conversing with one another and greeting one another. Although I took Spanish at Wheaton and passed competency, I'm by no means able to hold a decent Spanish conversation with anyone else, much less someone who has been speaking it their whole life. Thankfully, the greeters and those in the congregation seemed to sense that I was in over my head, and they greeted me very kindly in English. When the service began, the actual order of the service was very similar to that of my home church. One of the assistant pastors went to the front of the congregation to greet everyone and to give some announcements. After these were completed it then proceeded into a time of worship. This consisted of a worship band singing largely contemporary songs, in Spanish of course. This was also very similar to my traditional context. One particular difference was the length of the sermon. While the sermons back at my home church usually span about thirty to forty-five minutes, the pastor of Iglesia del Pueblo's sermon was just over an hour. This as well as the language difference were the most apparent differences.

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

As I described above, most of the worship service was similar to mine in terms of the order of the service. This allowed me to gain a certain comfort level, language barrier non-withstanding. So while there was certainly an aspect of comfort given from that, the thing that I think I found most appealing about this particular worship service was simply the level of passion that was apparent in all of these Spanish worshipers. Coming from a white English background, it can be easy to lose perspective on the global nature of the church and the inherent large number of languages that come with such a massive scale. With that knowledge it was great to be able to simply stop during worship and be able to listen to the numerous voices raised up and praising God in Spanish. Not possessing fluency in Spanish contributed to this in a way as it added to the wonder that I felt for God that he could reach out on such a global scale.

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

The most challenging aspect of this service to me would undeniably have to be the language barrier. The worship style and the order of the service were familiar to me, meaning that the largest difference that I had to zero in on was that I couldn't understand a large portion of the service due to my lackluster Spanish knowledge. During the songs I was able to get by decently, as the lyrics to the songs were projected up onto a screen and they were often simplistic enough that I was able to decipher the song's core meaning. However, once the sermon began I was as good as lost. I was able to ascertain the Scripture passage that was being taught on due to the bulletin, 1 Corinthians 13: 1-13. I was then able to follow along in my English ESV Bible and know the basic meaning of the day's sermon. However, the pastor was speaking at a rate that I wasn't able to pick up many of the details of his message to the congregation. This was tough for me because he spoke with obvious passion on the subject, so not being able to gain the full understanding of his sermon was disappointing.

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

As I said above, the sermon itself was difficult for me to decipher due to my Spanish language inadequacy. I was able to read through the Scripture passage in my English Bible though, and I was then able to try and parse out things here and there that the pastor was trying to say. The Scripture passage is basically talking about the characteristics of a true and proper love. From what I was able to decipher from the Pastor's message, he was basically talking about how we as Christians should take this groundwork for love and apply it in our daily interactions with each other, both believers and non-believers. This message was nice for me because it seems that often in my church context back home, it can seem like many of our messages have a much more abstract theological aspect to them. While there isn't anything bad about that, having a more basic and straightforward sermon about God's love and it's implications for our daily lives was a nice change of pace, even if I was only able to get bits and pieces.

Brian O’Connor - Church visit #2

Church name: Ascension Catholic Church

Church address: 808 S. East Avenue Oak Park, IL 60304

Date attended: 3/7/14

Church category: Significantly More Liturgical

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

The service I attended at Ascension was a Taize service. This is significantly different from the classic non-denom church to which I belong. Taize is largely a meditative service that involves short, simple prayers that are sung with basic instrumental accompaniment. The goal of the service is to pray for and foster reconciliation and peace among all people.

            You are asked to enter and exit the service in silence. After a number of songs are sung, there is a scripture reading (in multiple languages). This is followed by the congregation taking up candles. Light is passed from the front of the building to the back and a verbal blessing of the peace of Christ with it. The congregation then brings the candles to the front of the church and leaves them at the foot of the cross. There is then a time of meditative silence which is followed by several more songs.

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

I love the spiritual space that is created by the service. Instead of being told what or how to think, the members of the congregation are allowed to make these decisions for themselves. Singing songs of peace mean very different things to each individual. I believe that the space that is left invites the Holy Spirit to speak to individuals about the specifics of what they need to hear.

The congregation is given a basic framework to work from; it is a service about peace and reconciliation. There certainly is structure. However, there is no explicit teaching. Instead, there is a time of meditation. The idea is that someone can come in and work towards reconciliation with between them and God, they can pray for reconciliation in Syria, really they can do with the time what they feel is best. I find this extremely freeing.

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

            My Taize experience was somewhat unique. One of the most beautiful elements of the service is the opportunity to get lost in the sound of hundreds of voices all singing prayers to God. As a musician, this is one of my favorite elements of the service.

            Shortly after the service began, a woman came and sat behind me. It would not be an exaggeration for me to say that this woman had one of the worst voices that I have ever heard. My initial response was to get angry. I had traveled all the way to Oak Park to experience peaceful prayer and the sounds of beautiful voices and this woman was getting in the way of my agenda.

            I soon realized the hypocrisy of singing prayers for peace as I held bitterness in my heart towards this woman. I was challenged to focus the majority of my time accepting the fact that the woman with the distracting voice was just as loved by Christ as the people next to me with beautiful voices.

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

            Many of the prayers focused on the fallenness of man. This is something that we do not focus on in my regular context. We are prone to focus on songs that communicate something more like “Jesus paid it all” then say “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom” or even “Kyrie eleison (Lord have mercy)”.

            Here grace is not stressed, but rather the fact that we are entirely undeserving of that grace. I found this to be oddly refreshing. In class we talked about the idea that really, God does not need to give us the opportunity to be redeemed from our sins. I think that this fact is really easy to lose sight of in American Christian culture that tends to focus more on making people feel good about themselves than thinking rightly about God.

Susannah Saylor--Church Visit #2

Church Name: Lawndale Christian Community Church
Church Address: 3827 W. Ogden, Chicago, IL 60623
Date Attended: March 30, 2014
Church Category: Significantly lower socioeconomic demographic.

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

This church starkly contrasted my home church in a number of ways. It was in a more urban setting, just outside of the city, whereas my church is in the center of suburbian Wheaton. This lead to a congregation that was racially, socioeconomically and culturally different. The church was over 90% African American, with a rare Caucasian person here and there. I definitely felt like I stood out. The area and makeup of this church led to different practices and priorities such as prayer. The low socioeconomic status was evident in the nature of the prayers from the public--drug addiction, bankruptcy, eviction were all very real to these people. 

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

I enjoyed the incorporation of music and prayer in the service. There was a time for public prayer, where the congregation shared intimate details of their lives with the rest of the church. I enjoyed the genuine vulnerability that accompanied this tradition. My favorite part was when people would respond vocally to each person's prayer. That affirmation was felt throughout the congregation and demonstrated the authenticity of the church and its sentiments. I could really feel a familial bond between people that was extremely powerful. There is no public prayer at my church, and things aren't vulnerable many times, thus the appeal of this church. 

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

It was a very unique environment to worship in. The urban aspect of the church brought in a congregation that was very different from my own. I enjoyed that element, yet at the same time it was distracting to me. Instead of focusing on the sermon, I felt myself observing certain rituals and traditions the church did as a whole throughout the service. The public prayer was one element that was vastly different from my church that was also very challenging for me. My church is usually very private in personal affairs, and this church seemed to lay it all out in the open, like an exposed wound. I find it hard enough to prayer aloud before dinner in front of my family let alone an entire church. I felt very out of place during this part of the service.  

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 urban nature of the church led to a greater amount of people suffering from poverty, thus the lower socioeconomic status of the congregation. This led to a different approach in teaching the works of Jesus. The sermon emphasized many of the sufferings of Jesus, which I felt that the congregation felt very closely connected to. The public prayer exposed many open wounds such as drug addiction or poverty, which in turn made suffering a point of poignancy. I could really feel the deep understanding and appreciation this congregation had for the work of Jesus Christ that differs from my group at home. Instead of the usual apathy, there was empathy. It was an incredible experience to witness. 

Daniel Davis - Church Visit #2

Church Name: Olive Tree Congregation
Church Address: 400 N. Elmhurst Rd., Prospect Heights, IL 60070
Date Attended: March 24, 2014
Church Category: Different ethnic or racial demographic (Messianic Jews)

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

The music part of the worship service felt like regular praise worship, but with a Jewish flair.  Some of the band members wore kippahs and some Jewish garb, and the service opened with the blast of a ram's horn.  We sang one Hebrew-English song at the beginning, and the rest of the songs were regular English worship songs that I am familiar with.  In between two songs, we all turned toward the east (the back of the room) and recited the Shema, which was printed on the back of the bulletin.  While the service had a Jewish flavor, it was very accessible to anyone outside the Messianic tradition.  There was no premium placed on ethnicity -- there were some non-Jewish attenders, though they constituted a minority in the church body.  We felt extremely welcomed.  We were approached by a number of congregants who chatted with us before and after the service.  It was a real blessing.

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

I most appreciated the sermon, which addressed the issue of how Christians ought to relate to the Torah.  But I've written about this below.  My other favorite part of the service was the after-session ("Hebrew school," as they called it), in which we gathered to learn an ancient Hebrew chant.  The chant was a simple quote from Deuteronomy 6, where God tells the Israelites to write the law on their gates, their doorposts, to bind it to their foreheads, etc.  We would sing in both Hebrew and English, and we repeated after the instructor.  The instructor interjected frequently about the true meaning of the verses in the chant in light of Jesus.  He emphasized the internal nature of the law, that Deuteronomy 6 was intended to teach the Israelites to internalize the law and not merely to obey it outwardly.  True obedience comes from the heart.

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

While I deeply appreciated all the teaching I received, I find the continued "Messianic" identity to be problematic, even in spite of this congregation's clear and correct stances on Jew-Gentile relations.  It seems to me that "Messianic" or "black" or "white" identities are precisely the walls that Paul intended to break down -- at least insofar as such identities were present alongside one another in society.  I think it is wonderful to celebrate the old Jewish customs, particularly in light of the Messiah -- it is fascinating and refreshing.  But I have trouble with a church identifying as "Messianic" when Jew-Gentile distinctions have no value in the New Covenant.  Of course, this critique may be leveled against any particular church that is defined by ethnicity, and perhaps exceptions must be made for ethnic communities that speak their own language.  It would also be unfair to make these judgments from a purportedly "neutral" perspective, which in fact is a de facto white perspective.  This is a difficult issue that requires more space than I have here.  My only conclusion is that the business of the gospel is to break down ethnic barriers, and the church at large must do a better job of integrating in places where ethnicities live in the same geographical context (i.e. America).

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 expected the church to prize its Jewish ethnicity and culture, but they didn't.  The pastor's sermon contained serveral strong critiques of the broader Messianic church -- namely, that they tend toward legalism and hold their Jewish customs too highly.  He emphasized an orthodox view of the church as making no distinction between Jew and Gentile.  He preached from a Colossians passage that talked about "Torah-twisters," as he called them.  The sermon really illuminated the true and good nature of the Old Covenant commands and customs -- namely, that they all point to Jesus.  He iterated that such "shadows" are helpful insofar as they illuminate Jesus, but that they are only shadows.  I found this profoundly refreshing, and it gave me a renewed appreciation for Old Testament customs.  It is unfortunate that we tend to view the Old Testament as being reflected by people like the scribes and Pharisees.  They were actually the ones twisting the Torah and using religion for dishonorable gain.  We must read the Old Testament with Jesus in mind.

Church visit #2

Church name: The Evangelical Lutheran Christmas Church

Church address: Paul VI Street 109 Madbassah Square Bethlehem, Palestine

Date attended: March 9, 2014

Church category: Liturgically Different Church

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

This was a service in the historical section of Bethlehem, Palestine.  Because it is a Lutheran Church, the service was very much more liturgical and traditional than my regular church context.  Even the physical layout of the church was very traditional and in a sense cathedral-like. The service was a mixture of Arabic and English, but was mostly done in Arabic. The entirety of the service was very liturgical, with psalters, hymns sung from hymnals, confession of sin, and singing of the kyrie. Everything was done in a very respectful and reverent manner.  The congregation acted out in reverence and solemnity. 

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

One thing I appreciated about the church was the evidence of a rich history and tight community.  The church has been around since 1893, and because of its location, has been through and seen much more than a typical church that I have ever visited.  Despite the persecution and marginalization they have experienced, they still have a deep commitment to their church community and worship and interact with each other with genuine joy.  Nothing within the service was taken lightly, and there was a sentiment of thankfulness and privilege for the opportunity to worship. 

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

As much as I enjoyed the service, the fellowship, and location of the church, there was so much that I couldn't understand and in a sense felt like I missed out on because so much of the service was in Arabic. It was beautiful to hear the language, however the entire sermon was done in Arabic so I felt completely lost.  However it was helpful that the Scripture readings and creeds were done in English. I am also used to having communion every Sunday, so not doing that here was a bit disorienting. 

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

There was a point in the service where the congregation said the confession of sin out loud together.  For me, this emphasized the importance of church unity.  Ultimately, we are all sinners and all journeying together to grow closer to Christ.  This confession together illuminated that fact, as well as emphasizing that we can't keep or hold our sins in the dark.  They need to be brought into the light, and what better place to do that than in the community of believers?  As well I think this was a good means for orientating a reverent posture of humility for the rest of the service.