Timothy Chung – Church Visit #3

Timothy Chung – Church Visit #3

Church name: Iglesia del Pueblo

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

Date attended: 4/6/14

Church Category: Different racial or ethnic demographic

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

            Similar to my regular church context, Iglesia del Pueblo had a large praise team and an aesthetically pleasing sanctuary with pews, cross at the center of the stage, and baptismal pool. Families sat together and children were dismissed to Sunday school after a time of praise. Though the environment set by the sanctuary made attending the service more comfortable for me, I believe that being a part of Wheaton Bible Church greatly influenced the environment of the Iglesia del Pueblo. However, among these similarities, there were aspects of the worship service that were very different from my regular church context. The whole service was in Spanish, and though I know a moderate amount of the language, it was very difficult for me understand the sermon. Some worship songs had a distinct Latin American beat and the congregation was overall more responsive throughout the service compared to my regular Asian American church context.

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

            The most appealing aspect of the worship service at Iglesia del Pueblo was observing and participating in the Latino American church culture. Immediately after entering the sanctuary, many people greeted me warmly. This was touching to me because I obviously didn’t look Latin American or competent in Spanish, yet I was worth welcoming. The attendees of the church seemed genuinely excited to be there and I appreciated the strong family presence among the congregation. Grandparents were present in the service with their children and grandchildren, displaying to me how the strong Latin American emphasis on family can be extremely beneficial for the spiritual development of each member of the family. I also noticed the cultural sensitivity of the congregation at Iglesia del Pueblo. I was impressed by how the congregation had the ability to understand Christianity through American and Latin American cultural points of view.

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

            The most challenging aspect of the worship service was the lack of visible unity between Wheaton Bible Church and Iglesia del Pueblo. Though they share the same building, it was difficult to witness any deeper unity between the English and Spanish speaking congregations. To my knowledge, Wheaton Bible Church and Iglesia de Pueblo do not consistently have combined services and the schedule of Sunday morning services do not allow for the two congregations to interact much. To me, perpetuating this lack of visual unity blatantly takes away from the potential for both congregations to experience the beautifully diverse body of Christ. Another challenging aspect of the worship service was the language barrier. Experiencing this language barrier made me thankful for my home church, which focuses its ministry on Chinese speaking immigrants. Overall, worshipping at Iglesia del Pueblo helped me to understand the importance of visible Church unity and the value of language specific churches.

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

            For me, my visit illuminated the importance of interpreting Scripture through various cultural lenses. A multicultural view of Scripture humbles the individual, allows for the practice of Church unity, and provides a more holistic understanding of the Gospel. My time at Iglesia del Pueblo also helped me to realize that cultures are important to the Lord. When the Gospel is introduced into a culture, the culture has the ability to express the Gospel in a manner unique to itself. Different cultures, expressing the Gospel in their own culture-specific ways, compose the body of Christ. Moreover, visiting Iglesia del Pueblo helped me to further understand the serious implications of the Chapel Tweets dilemma that occurred on campus in 2012. Racism and dismissal of other cultures ultimately leads to a narrow minded, stagnant view and practice of Scripture. Other cultures are divine gifts, providing opportunities for individual cultures to gain a more accurate understanding of the Gospel.