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.