Mark Meyers

Church name: Lawndale Christian Community Church

Church address: 3827 W Ogden Ave, Chicago, IL 60623

Date attended: October 23, 2016

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

I attended Lawndale Christian Community Church in the South Side of Chicago. As we exited our train, the landscape and surrounding environment was starkly different from the suburban sprawl of Wheaton. Lines of row-homes and storefront churches greeted our eyes as we walked through the neighborhood to the church building. As we entered the church, we were immediately welcomed. From the moment we stepped in, we were greeted, handed bulletins, given directions, and guided into the worship space. The music was loud and lively, and the congregation seemed to be highly engaged. It was a predominately African-American congregation, made up of members of the community. The space was arranged differently than what I am used to as well. The chairs were turned inward, facing a stage in the center of the room. This was a refreshing experience, as it allowed us to see each others faces as we worshipped together. After the singing, their was an extended time of prayer for those affected by recent deaths in the community. Particularly striking was the prayer of one mother regarding the violence in the community. Her heavy grief and sense of loss was profound, as were her passionate pleas for help, and yet her genuine, earnest faith was palpable. After the prayers their was a sermon that centered on forgiveness and peacemaking. The sermon was highly interactive, with the pastor engaging heavily with the congregation. As we left the service, we were bombarded once again with warm welcomes and friendly faces. 

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

I found the sense of community at Lawndale incredibly compelling. Everyone seemed to know each other, and they all greeted one another with hugs and laughter. Through every aspect of the service – the singing, the prayers, the message – an overwhelming sense of connectedness, unity, friendship pervaded. In my experience with predominately white churches, church often seems like something that we all show up to so that we can receive something or get something out of it for ourselves. At Lawndale, however, church seemed more like something that we collectively gathered to do, to enact together. I found this remarkably refreshing. I also found the immediacy and urgency of their worship to be extremely appealing. The prayers were urgent and expectant, delivered from the present experiences of the people with a keen dependence on God's response. The singing was expressive and heartfelt, seeming to spring up from deep wells of devotion and love for God in their souls. The preaching, though certainly unlike the measured, expositional preaching I am used to, seemed prophetic in some ways, addressing the current situation of the community with a word from the mouth of the Lord for today.

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

For me, the most shocking aspect of the service was in seeing some of the effects of the violence in Chicago first hand, visibly and tangibly displayed. Hearing the cries, laments, and prayers of these people in the midst of their grief left me somewhat shaken. Though we often hear about the violence that is ravaging these Chicago neighborhoods, we often fail to see what that kind of pain, that kind horror actually looks like. Furthermore, the faith and hope with which the church responded in the midst of such hardship challenged my estimations of my own perseverance. It was convicting to see how these remarkably faithful people respond in the midst of so much suffering. 

How did the service help you to reflect on questions of wealth and poverty?

I think for me, the service illustrated how issues of violence and poverty are best understood on the ground, from within the community itself. It demonstrated how isolation from poverty can lead to insulation against any proper response to it. In this way, proximity and exposure to the realities of violence and poverty, face-to-face contact with those directly affected by them, can act as the best way to gain a legitimate understanding of how to respond appropriately to them. This proximity can also act as the catalyst for compassion, shattering our apathy to the plight of the poor and awakening us to our own privilege. Additionally, proximity can give us eyes to see the dignity of the poor, to see the image of our God in the human faces that fill those communities, and to engage with them as people who we can know and learn from and befriend. 

Samuel Jang

Church Name: Lawndale Christian Community Church
Church Address: 3827 W. Ogden Avenue, Chicago, IL 60623
Date Attended: 11/6/16

Describe the worship service you attended. How was it similar to or different from your regular context?
   The first thing I noticed when walking into the church in Lawndale was how friendly everyone was! My friends and I had trouble finding the church because our navigation said it was one place or the other, but we were stopped by a couple welcomers who asked us if we knew "Greg"/were Wheaton students. We walked inside only to be greeted by more hugs and warm welcomes. People came up to us (we stood out as 3 Asian men) and kept greeting us! I felt extremely welcome and glad to be there. As I kept looking around, I noticed that people were hugging, talking, and genuinely welcoming each other and asking how each other were doing. I guess that's something I'm not used to, but would like at church. Most of my experience at church has been very individualistic. People come in with their friends/family, and don't really talk much with others and leave promptly. The community here felt connected.
   Going down into the auditorium, I noticed how the chairs were divided into sections which all faced a center stage, where the preacher/worshippers stood. I liked the use of space and how I could see other people worship/listen to the service and not just see the back of people's heads like I'm typically used to.


What did you find most interesting or appealing about the worship service?
   I agree with when one of my friends said, "This is some of the best worship music with some of the worst sound equipment". The service was encapsulating, intoxicating, and riveting, in that the congregation and worship leaders coerced you in worshipping alongside them. This church felt like a connected community. During the sermon message, Coach related everything back to this central idea of community, which involved loving one another, being a good example/parent, and raising children together. I found it compelling and interesting how Coach was advocating church for the main means of socialization. He wanted people to keep coming to church, especially children, because he believed that it could help in decreasing violence in the neighborhood. I found it deeply compelling how everything he was saying related back to the community and was still Gospel centered. He spoke to the congregation like everyone was part of a big family.


What did you find most disorienting or challenging about the worship service?
I found myself thinking a lot about what it meant to love my neighbor as Coach was describing. When he was speaking through "Soul Shalom" or even loving neighbor, he brought up the ideas of stress. It was interesting because "Soul Shalom" serves as a spiritual and physical exercise to stop what seems like triggers. This could be anything about drugs or mistreating a neighbor. I found it challenging simply because we do not talk about the realities of substance abuse or controlling triggers in the church I grew up in. Problems tend to fall into the category of internal/personal sin. I liked how he was framing how these sins are never personal. He was key in explaining how in everything we do, every choice we make, is affecting the other. It allowed me to think of how in choosing where I focus my attention on, what I spend my money on and with, is actually an implicit no to my neighbor.


How did the service help you to reflect on questions of wealth and poverty?
A compelling truth is that it is hard to love your neighbor, because it is always a process of total self-giving. Visiting a low-income church one time can be a formative experience, but it is nothing like going every Sunday, and really being part of the community that exists there. Being part of the hardships, losses, struggles, and celebrations. I think whenever I'm faced with the realities of the systemic oppression of the black community especially, I ask myself how I can live in light of this information. I ask myself how I can act and how hand-in-hand race is to wealth/poverty. I find hope that there are churches like Lawndale Community. But me just acknowledging that isn't enough. I want to be in conversation with the poor. I want to understand.

Jake Wentworth

Jake Wentworth
Lawndale Christian Community Church
3827 W. Ogden Chicago, IL 60623
10/16/16

The first thing I noticed about Lawndale Christian Community Church was that the stage was in the middle of the gym and all the seats were surrounding the stage. In the church I attend, all of the seats are facing in the same direction towards the stage. I thought it was kind of funny that the pastor had to continually turn in circles in order to address his audience. Having the service in a gymnasium was different but it did not seem odd to me because the church I go to has its main service in a high school auditorium and the children’s ministry is in the cafeteria, certainly far from the tradition context of a worship service. In the service itself, there was a wide variety of worship music that was played. They started the service with about five lead singers who sang contemporary worship songs, like Hillsong Music. Later they sang a couple of gospel choir songs were everyone was sitting except for a couple people who stood up and danced. The main message came after the music which was similar to the church I attend but the difference was in how interactive the crowd was during the message.

What fascinated me most about the worship service was the diversity of the worship music. Usually a church has one type of music; whether hymns, gospel, or contemporary. However, at Lawndale, they combined both contemporary and gospel into the same worship service. I thought it was a beautiful collaboration between two genres of music that would typically be played at two different churches. In a way, I thought that by simply having each of these kinds of music, Lawndale was breaking down a barrier that so many churches have created in the way they worship God. After the service I searched for the Gospel song “He Reigns Forever” and added it to my playlist of primarily contemporary worship music.

I honestly did not find a whole lot that was very challenging about the service. If I had to choose one thing, it would be not knowing whether I should stay seated or get up and dance during the Gospel choir. I would have loved to get up and dance but I figured since I was a first time guest I did not want to start dancing with my eyes closed only to open them to see a whole sitting congregation looking at me like I am an idiot. Out of respect for the service I decided to stay seated, but if I were to go back another time I think I would have some serious difficulty not moving my feet at least a little bit.

It was difficult to address too many questions about wealth and poverty during the service because there is no way that I could completely tell a person’s economic background from the one outfit they decided to wear to church that morning. Though what I can say is that there were people wearing old T-shirts and athletic shorts, others with khakis and a polo, and even some dressed in a full suit. But to be honest, the clothes each person was wearing never really seemed to make a difference in the way the congregation worshiped and interacted with one another. It reminded me how no matter what economic situation someone is in, they are still able to worship God from within that context. It was just particularly encouraging to see people from a wide variety of economic backgrounds come together in the same congregation to worship their God.

J.T. Doty

Lawndale Community Church

3827 W Ogden, Chicago, IL 60623

October 23rd, 2016

The style of worship at Lawndale Community Church was a reflection of the culture in the Christian African-American community in Chicago, so many songs had “Gospel” roots, complete with a church choir and band. Although there were occasionally other songs more associated with the CCM movement, there was still a main worship leader who focused on singing rather than incorporating her instrumental skills with the band. So nevertheless, this style of veneration was vastly different from my home congregation, St. Barnabas Episcopal Church, which uses the liturgy to express God’s glory. Additionally, this style of worship might be more acceptable to my small parish, as most of my community is very frail. In contrast, LCC has a prominent position among Protestant churches in the West Side, and had a fairly diverse age and racial demographic, though predominantly African-American in racial make-up.

The most interesting aspect about the service was how the worship setting was in a basketball gymnasium. While this physical location would be abhorred by Orthodox, Catholic, and indeed some Protestant circles, for being too secular-minded, such criticisms forget to note how sacredness may easily be incorporated into the game of basketball for the Black community. Much admired sports superstars such as Dwayne Wade and Derrick Rose were able to make a fortune and escape the violence. As a result, Wayne was called “coach” and not “pastor”, and there were championship banners celebrating the accomplishments of the church. In addition, the matching blue shirts of Hope House graduates are similar to crowds representing their home team at games. Brilliantly, LCC has been able to use the cherished institution of basketball to advance the Gospel in a community where such connections would be well understood.

It was very hard hearing about the four deaths in the congregation, two of which were due to gun violence. The event does not deserve to be summarized into a blog post, but demands a pause in work to lament. Nevertheless, I remember seeing an older woman, likely working with the garden ministry, crying and weeping while a sister came and comforted her. I also saw an older man, simply freeze, as if recalling his own memories of pain. Clearly, the wounds expressed by the congregation were personal and devastating, and a reflection of systematic injustice against African-American in our country. And being a man of color, I too was hurt, realizing that easily could have been me. While the service continued, this incident replayed in my mind over and over, and I thought about how my mother and civic community might respond if I too, were to suffer a similar tragedy in a suburban context.  

For me, the service served as a confirmation of my suspicions that I am a modern day free black,  separated by the confines of a wealthy suburb where the traumatic experiences of gun violence are only distant childhood memory from my upbringing in St. Louis. This geographical barrier fosters environments where the affluent white Christians send their kids to private school (such as Wheaton College) while the poor are hungry and must seek shelter through charitable homeless ministries. In many ways, the cities of Wheaton and Chicago serve as a chilling reminder of what happens when Christianity whores itself to conservative political ideals which ignore the plight of the underprivileged, and what happens when the federal government declares a war upon the poor rather than seeking their well-being. We do not need prayers and supplications for racial reconciliation, but relational and financial reparations for communal empowerment!    

Holden Thompson

Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church
4543 S. Princeton Ave., Chicago IL. 60609
10/30/16

When my friend Tim and I went to Missionary Baptist Church we were the only white people among an entirely black congregation. I do not think I have ever been in a church that was anything but primarily white. Everyone we encountered welcomed us with a warm smile and a hand shake. We sat down in an empty row where we waited for the service to start. Like many churches I have been to, there was a countdown timer going on both projectors. Even though the pews looked very traditional, the stage looked like it was right out of a rock concert. The Worship service at Missionary Baptist Church was electrifying, far different from the worship services I have experienced at Wheaton Bible Church. What I mean is that everyone there had so much energy, and it seemed like most people were having at least a little bit of fun during the service which unlike the stoic swaying back and forth that I am used to. Fashionably dressed musicians lined the back row of the stage, the guitars were colorful, and there were pairs of back-up singers as well along the back row. The worship was incredible, everyone who participated sang and played with a lot of skill and passion. The energy of the worship was higher than any I had ever experienced, everyone who was on the stage singing was also dancing like a crazy person. During the last worship song, the pastor came up on stage and started singing as well. After that he delivered a sermon about God's provision, and then made a few announcements. The service lasted an hour and forty minutes, which is longer than I am used to (I'm used to about an hour and ten minutes).

For me there were many interesting things about the service. One of the first things that I noticed was that the vast majority of people were wearing black. The next thing I noticed was the worship music, which is actually hard for me to describe. I felt as if I could have paid to be there, the music was that good. The musicians were all so talented, every single one of them. They played like their lives depended on it! Sometimes I feel like a flashy worship service can take away from our focus on God, but I didn't feel that way with this worship service. For me, the biggest draw of this church was the way in which they worshiped.

For me the most challenging thing about the service was the sermon. The pastor preached on 2 Corinthians 9:6-12. The pastor's main point was that God will supply you with everything you need, especially finances. "And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work." The pastor explained that if you sow generously, you will also reap a generous harvest. He brought up two women and gave one of them 10 dollars. He had the one with 10 dollars give it away to the other woman. The other woman got to keep that money. Then, the pastor brought up a gentlemen to whom he gave 70 dollars, and the pastor had him give the woman who now had no money all 70 dollars. I believe that the passage is certainly true, but I don't know if I'd go as far to say that you are always going to get money back when give. I think that the point of the passage is that God is going to give you everything you need, and that doesn't necessarily mean money in my opinion.

Clearly, poverty is prevalent in the community of this church. The pastor felt the need to reassure his congregation that God will take care of their finances as long as they are generous in giving and faithful to obey God's word. There were many amen's throughout the service, and a lot of approval over his illustration of giving money to the random members of the church. All in all, I believe that the sermon I heard reflects a dire concern that the community has for their own well-being. They are concerned that they will not have enough money to survive. To me it seemed as if the pastor was saying that God will make sure you have enough money to survive. I think that God is going to give you whatever he knows you need for fulfilling His purposes, which could easily mean money but it could also not mean money in my opinion. My whole experience highlights the reality that poverty is a huge issue in the city, and as Christians we are called to care for the poor. So what do we do in light of the reality of the poverty that plagues city neighborhoods?

Sarah Kelly

Church name: Lawndale Christian Community Church

Church address: 3827 W Ogden Ave, Chicago, IL 60623

Date attended: October 23, 2016

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

I visited Lawndale Christian Community Church with six other class members. We took the train into Lawndale, and I noticed gradual changes in the landscape, people’s dress, etc., as we entered the south side of Chicago. When we arrived at the church, I immediately felt welcomed as someone ushered us inside. The community was primarily African American, in contrast to my home church Beloved Downtown, which is predominantly Asian American and Caucasian American. During the service, several church members came up to pray about the violence in their community. The pastor announced several recent deaths in the church community, including two women and two young men who were shot. The service was structured similarly to my home church, with announcements, prayer, worship, and a sermon. The sermon was on forgiveness, and the audience was fairly vocal in responding to it throughout with “Amens”, laughter, and affirming sounds.

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

I appreciated the unity of the congregation and its engagement in the worship service. The church space was set up so that the chairs surrounded the speaker in a circle. This created an image of unity. In addition to being vocal, church members appeared to be comfortable touching one another for comfort, etc. The unity of the church was embodied in the actions of congregation members. Further, Lawndale Christian’s service seemed to be less strictly organized than my home church. The leadership at Beloved (and many other white American evangelical churches) works for more of a smooth “performance”. I appreciated that the service engaged the congregation instead of the leaders only trying to “perform”. This gave a space for the church to address the present needs of the community.

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

I found some of the basic cultural differences most disorienting about the worship service. For example, although I am aware of violence in Chicago because of the media, etc., it was shocking to hear about it first hand during the service and to see the congregation lament over the dead. It made me realize how frequent and widespread the violence is. Also, I was surprised to see that the head pastor was white where the majority of the congregation was African American. I would be curious to hear how he arrived at that position, and if the church members have any negative (or positive) reflections on a white leadership.

How did the service help you to reflect on questions of wealth and poverty?

The service challenged the way the privileged talk about “fixing” issues of wealth disparity and violence in communities. I feel like at Wheaton we often talk about violence and poverty as if the people who live in the communities aren’t doing anything about the issues. It brought perspective for me to see the church members praying for their own community in a way more intimately knowledgeable than we are capable of. Further, the sermon on forgiveness reminded me of when Dr. Lee said about our double-standards regarding forgiveness—we applaud African Americans for forgiving their white oppressors but we don’t expect America to forgive its foreign enemies. I thought it was interesting to hear this sermon on forgiveness in the context of a low-income neighborhood following our class discussions. It reinforced some of the notions I have regarding the influence of power, race, etc. on issues of wealth and poverty. 

Collin Flake

Lawndale Community Church

3827 W. Ogden, Chicago, IL, 60623

October 2, 2016

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

The worship service I attended was in Lawndale, so the surrounding context was very different from Wheaton. The service was held in a gym-like building with chairs arranged around a central stage where the preacher stood. A lot of things about the service reminded me of some nondenominational churches I frequented growing up, such as the use of slides and videos and the focus on pastoral preaching which was heavily practical. These things are very different from the Anglican church I attend in Wheaton, where there is only artwork rather than screens and the preaching can at times be intellectually focused to the point of becoming elitist. The serving of communion through pre-prepared packets was also a big change from the traditional bread and wine surrounded by specific liturgy that is usual at Anglican churches. I was also surprised by just how many church buildings there were, which made it clear that Lawndale does not just exist for Sunday worship but also as a holistic community center, which is different from any church I have attended.

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

I enjoyed a lot of things about the service. Though I didn’t know all of the songs we sang, I appreciated the worship itself a lot. The church members were willing to sing wholeheartedly, which is something that isn’t very common for adults to do in most of the churches I have attended—they just tend to kind of mumble while the younger members or the choir actually sing. I also appreciated just how welcoming and loving the people at the church were. In just one visit, I met at least five people and got to know their names, and one of them was one of the pastors. Even though I stood out, the people at Lawndale welcomed me in as if I’d been going there for years. This is a sharp contrast to most of the churches I have been to, in which I could attend every week and never meet new people unless I joined some sort of small group.

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

My initial answer to this is crossing the street. There were no crosswalks near where we parked, and the other attendees just kind of meandered across the street with traffic speeding by. Having grown up in rural Georgia and now living in a suburban context, I was a bit afraid my church visit would end with me becoming roadkill. I also noticed that the Hope House men all sat together in a certain section during the service, which seemed to keep them separate from the wider community, almost as if they weren’t yet a part of it. This seemed to make it easier for people I interacted with to gesture in their general direction and talk about all of them together, which seemed like it could potentially hinder their integration into the community and prevent the from being known on an individual basis.

How did the service help you to reflect on questions of wealth and poverty?

Seeing just how much Lawndale Community Church seems to do for its surrounding community was convicting in two ways. First, it made me notice just how little my own church is connected to the surrounding community. Second, it made me realize that I have placed myself in an area where my church doesn’t need to provide many of the services Lawndale Community does because people can already afford them. I was also reminded of just how much I have in common with the poor by worshiping beside them, taking communion together, and even expressing our mutual frustration with the current election cycle. However, I was also forced to realize just how much I have psychologically separated myself from the poor in just how few of these interactions I have on a regular basis. This can be illustrated in a story from when we were driving through Lawndale on our way back to Wheaton with the windows down and I saw one man turn away from the car and discretely hand a paper bag to another man. As I was wondering what was happening, the second man exclaimed, with a full mouth, “These are the best chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever had!” In that moment, I realized just how much my perception of the poor is inevitably shaped by either negative or positive dramatizations because I am so seldom among them.

Wesley Newton

Church Name: Lawndale Christian Community Church (LCCC)

Church Address: 3827 W. Ogden Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60623

Date Attended: October 23

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

“Everyday” space: My Anglican church is sunlit, spacious, and elegant.   In contrast, LCCC met in a dual-purpose, somewhat-dim, nearly-undecorated gym.  This inverted my theological aesthetics, but I realized that LCCC, too, creates sacred space.  My context emphasizes transcendence; LCCC stresses incarnation.  Immersive incarnation—descending a ramp below street level, one tangibly entered the heart of North Lawndale. The focal point was not a fenced-off altar or lectern, but rather a low platform placing Pastor Gordon vulnerably in the middle of the congregation.

“Informal” liturgy:  My Anglicanism prizes serene silence; LCCC undergirded a pastoral prayer with keyboard improvisation.  My tradition uses the Book of Common Prayer; LCCC extemporized intercessions.  My tradition spotlights priestly hierarchies; LCCC involved laypeople (even a young boy!) in Scripture reading, new-member initiation, and prayers.  Communion wasn’t celebrated that Sunday—the service centered less around sacrament and more around community call-to-action.  The order of the service was geared toward the pastoral and missional: praise songs, prayers, and Scripture readings all built toward the pastor’s Biblical teaching.  Even mysticism became dynamic.  Mourning fresh murders, their “soul shalom” prayers became, not a ritual, but a vital spiritual discipline.  Their service integrated into everyday life.  For instance, there was no official time for “the passing of the peace,” but the members warmly greeted me before and after the service. 

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

I previously viewed Gospel music as superficially optimistic, but Lawndale showed me the cultural power of the genre.  Amid a neighborhood tallying 39 murders to date, their music exuded defiant hope.  While much Contemporary Christian music peacefully fades out, LCCC’s Gospel songs climaxed in cymbals and exultation.  Out-of-cultural-context, I heard the laid-back drumbeats of Gospel music as apathetic; in context, I heard the slow grooves as poignantly proclaiming peace.  Their songs didn’t ignore evil—one song desperately cried “I/we need you, God!”  Indeed, the mix of major and minor harmonies reminded me of Stephen Nichols on What Blues Music Teaches Us about Suffering and Salvation.  But, Gospel affirmation was dominant—“Yes!” must have been the most frequent word in the choir’s repertoire.  The congregation continued this affirmative mood with passionate responses throughout the pastor’s sermon.  

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

The service made me question how I “do theology.”  The sermon title was decidedly un-esoteric: “Miss Me with All That.”  At first, I suspected the homiletics as “topical teaching” supposedly inferior to “Scriptural exposition.”  Pastor Gordon’s preaching style was anecdotal, and his exegesis of Genesis 3 was almost allegorical (God’s response to Adam and Eve’s sin as an example for how we should react to others’ offenses).  It was initially unsettling to think of the Fall narrative less in abstract terms of soteriology and more in immediate terms of interpersonal relationships!  His very nickname, “Coach,” challenged my ideal of “Scholar-Pastors.”  However, LCCC defied simplistic stereotypes.  Amid crisis, one doesn’t have the luxury to fancifully separate theological theory from pastoral application!  The sermon may have been “topical,” but at over 50 minutes, it was no suburban sound-bite.  Pastor Gordon’s storytelling wasn’t entertainment but prophecy.  The congregation’s interjections showed that his message was hitting home.  

How did the service help you to reflect on questions of wealth and poverty?

First, this service made me reconsider the socioeconomics of the Church’s mission. While some may be skeptical of mixing evangelism and social work, Chicago’s spiraling murder rate gives James’ warning “faith without works is dead” new urgency.  LCCC’s street presence emphasizes learning, health, and youth centers, while understating “typical church activities.”  We passed by their health center before entering the sanctuary!  This holistic spirit shaped the service, with banners proclaiming “Loving God, Loving People” and “The Lawndale Miracle.”  The men in bright-blue “Hope House” t-shirts bore witness to transformed lives.  Many groups call themselves "Community Churches" as a marketing ploy; with LCCC, it truly expressed their purpose.  Second, this service made me reconsider the Church’s identity.  LCCC was neither well-dressed nor raggedly-dressed, neither all-black nor all-white (though dominantly African-American).  Rather, the service represented West-Side eclecticism.  This suggests that the Church shouldn’t identify only with wealth or only with poverty, but should rather relate the two.  Third, LCCC pursued community development while avoiding gentrification: its campus mixed old and new, redemption accomplished by refurbishment, not by replacement.  

Kyu Eui Lee

Church name: Lawndale Christian Community Church

Church address: 3827 W. Ogden Avenue, Chicago, IL 60623

Date attended: 10/23/2016

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

As soon as I walked into the building, I saw the spirit of the community rejoicing in Christ as the band, choir, and fellow members sang loudly in unison. The stage for the main preacher and speakers was located in the middle of the gym with leaders facing each direction of the congregation. This made the worship feel more in connection with one another. In my regular context, the band would be situated next to a wall, and the entire congregation would all be facing them in one direction. This church also sang more gospel-like songs while my church would sing Hillsong and more contemporary worship songs. Before the sermon, Lawndale Church began with the mourning of the loss of boys and adults in their church from shootings in Chicago. Then the service moved on to announcements, a sermon, and prayer which was similar to how my church would orchestrate their service.

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

I found the praise portion of the worship service most appealing because it was a new experience. I felt that the jazzy vibe and the atmosphere of the congregation was much different from other churches. This church was lively and sang together while moving their bodies as each member felt the music together. I found that the most interesting part about the service was the communal mourning for their lost ones. Their community is extremely close and personal to the point that members would shout to correct the pastor when he got a name wrong. Without losing respect for one another, the congregation voiced their anguish and sorrow for their lost ones in prayer. This was interesting and radical because other churches would not share death so easily. My Korean-American church back home would be against sharing death in such a wide and loud way. They would instead mention the death once and keep it more to themselves.

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

I found the pastor’s deep desire to implement the “Soul Shalom” concept very challenging. It was a good reminder that God is with us and that we cannot falter in our trust with God. However, it felt very much forced as he continuously urged us to try each step during the service. Nonetheless, Lawndale’s recommendation of “Soul Shalom” helped me realize that my prayers and concerns were completely different from this community’s. It was challenging because I understood how differently we live and attend church as my prayers were focused on my life while their prayers were solely devoted to their lost ones and those families that were severely affected. "Soul Shalom" was indeed challenging because in one way it did not feel connected to the message, but in another way it showed the different types of prayer and concerns people had.

How did the service help you to reflect on questions of wealth and poverty?

This service helped me open my eyes on wealth and poverty as I saw the different types of struggle each community goes through. It helped me realize that poverty in certain locations was completely and differently perceived compared to others. And although wealthy communities might also face problems of their own, I came to accept that this community, in its poverty and low-income background, was very community-oriented and understanding of what they were going through. It helped me see the humbleness in which they were living in and the humility to pray together as a community about issues that not only impacted their church, but their actual community outside of church.

Justin Miller

Church Name: Lawndale Christian Community Church

Church Address: 3827 W. Ogden Avenue, Chicago, IL 60623

Date Attended: 10/16/2016

1. For the class Church visit, I attended Lawndale Christian Community Church with Jake Wentworth, Eric Veker, and Joey Miser. The church service was held in a multi-use gymnasium which the church could not only use for its weekly service but to also have all sorts of events for the community. Unlike  many traditional style churches which have the pulpit and stage at the front of the sanctuary, the stage and pulpit were at the center of the sanctuary with the community seated on all sides. This was super cool and I really liked how it gave the service a different vibe, almost like the service was taking part in the community instead of separating itself from them. The service contained a lot of worship and praise to the Lord in different ways and also included scripture readings, pastoral teaching or "coaching," and a sermon at the end. It was unique to see how Rev. Dr. Gordon aka "Coach," had a time of teaching in the service that wasn't related to the sermon, but rather was geared towards giving the people of the church something they could use in their own lives. This coaching moment had a great impact on me because I think too often we go to church to hear a sermon, but fail to understand ways to apply it in our lives.

2. For me, the most appealing aspect of a church service is seeing how the people respond to worship. I have always loved worshiping with others in a place of community and this has allowed me to experience many different kinds of services. However, what I liked most about Lawndale's worship was the diversity displayed by different forms of music. The service opened with more contemporary style worship with multiple singers and musicians playing more modern praise and worship songs. Then following the call to worship the Church was led in singing by the church choir which sang more traditional negro spiritual tunes. The final type of worship was a special solo sung by a female member of the church who had an incredible voice and was such a blessing to hear. Along with the music, I also love attending predominantly African-American church communities because of the freedom with which they worship. Men and women of the congregation cried out to Jesus and gave Him honor and glory without caring what anyone else around them thought. So beautiful.

3. I love worshiping with my black brothers and sisters in Christ and have had the opportunity to be involved in a few African American congregations in my life. This all goes to say that I still have a hard time dealing with thoughts about my life when I visit these congregations. What I mean by that is that many of the African-American church's that I have attended like Lawndale have come from a lower socio-economic place than I have. While I am extremely thankful for my family and the blessings God has given me, I often have a hard time wrestling with the question of why God has blessed me with so much while there are so many people that seemingly have so much less. This self-pity I take upon myself is intended for good, but can also be a form of self-righteousness.  I feel bad for the cards that I received that others seemingly didn't, when actually it is I whom I should pity because as a result of my background I do not have the same trust in Jesus that those whom I feel bad for do. They are the ones who are in fact blessed because our Savior lives and they proclaim it unashamedly as I so often do not.  

4. The service really challenged me in my thinking about these questions of wealth and poverty. Throughout the entirety of the service, I had this feeling that those who gathered at the church were there for no other reason than to be in community with one another and God. To them, death isn't some far off thing that is talked about casually from time to time. Rather death in some ways could be at their doorstep quite literally. While I don't want to over-exaggerate death in Chicago, it is a reality that many of these members of the community have to deal with. So how do they deal with things like death and other issues that very relevant in their lives which or hardly thought about in mine? Many turn to drugs and addictions to find fulfillment, but those at Lawndale find theirs in the community of believers at their church and others who surround them. Living and loving as Jesus loved is for them not an idea which is talked about in the classroom, but one lived out harshly in the streets. To the men and women of this community, Jesus is their hope and it should be in my life as well. 

David Harris

Lawndale Christian Community Church

3827 W. Ogden, Chicago IL 60623

10/23/16

The church service I attended was an incredibly enjoyable and enlightening experience for me.  There were several aspects of the service that were distinct from a service that I would attend at my church on a sunday.  The first aspect that i noticed was the way the sanctuary was arranged.  Here, the stage was in the center of the congregation with chairs on every side.   In addition, the band was located behind all the chairs in the corner of the sanctuary.  My church on the other hand has the stage located in the front of the church, and the entire band is located on it with all the chairs going out from the front of it.

The time of singing was also different than a typical sunday at my church.  It began much like one would at my church; with a full band and a few singers.  However, the time continued with a choir leading the singing while most of the peope sat down.  My church will occaisonally have a choicr, but they act as back up singers to the lead singers instead of replacing them as the main leaders.  Beyond simply the programming, the sermon itself was also quite different than one you would see at my church.  My church normally contains an expository sermon which methodically works through the text of the day.  The sermon at LCCC was much more topical in nature, and did not first seek to methodically work through a section.

The biggest difference and what i will spend most of time on was the deaths that occured in the congregation during the week.  There were several deaths during the week of older members of the church, as well as two more who were shot the night before the service.  How the pastor, and members of the church spoke, prayed and delt with this was incredible to see.  The heart they have for their community and the violence that pervades was incredible.  Especially hearing a woman pray for the people perpetrating the violence, her heart was not only for the ones suffering but for those perpetrating it as well.  I found this encouraging, challenging, and hopeful.  This is something i am still reflecting on.  This gave me a whole new view and example of what it looks like to have  service in the wake of incredible trajety based on where it is located.  While i have experienced death in my church before, never have I experienced unexpected loss of this amount so close together.  Then thinking of having a church service in the light of this is something that i am lost in considering.  This experience truly was incredibly eye-opening.  

Max Boyd

Max Boyd – Church Visit

Church name: St. Sabina

Church address: West 78^th Place, Chicago IL

Date attended: 30 October 2016

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

I think that the entire purpose of the assignment is to get to a point when you are completely out of your context - and in this case, St. Sabina was completely outside of my normal context. This can be seen from everything: the demographic of the congregation, the fact that the church is Catholic, the fact that the church is charismatic and Catholic, the order of service, the emphasis on different parts of the service...like I mentioned, almost everything is outside of my normal context. The service was about an hour, constituted of amazing gospel worship, readings from the Scriptures, reciprocal prayers, and many other components. I felt excited the moment I walked in, greeted with a giant sanctuary and its center a painting of black Jesus and a giant neon sign "Jesus".

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

The most interesting was for sure the mix of charismatic and Christian. I have never, ever seen this and to be honest wondered how it would be possible for them to mix, but they did in a beautiful way. To mix those two things with a predominantly African-American community in a mostly impoverished area. The mix is the most interesting thing about the service, but ironically the reception of this mix is the most appealing part about the church. The way that the congregation and priests interact with each other was beautiful and so very welcoming. Hugs all around - for everyone. Waving and warm interactions between the congregants and between the congregants and the priests. Walking in, you did not feel as estranged as you could walking into another church. I loved the appeal to passion and love that the congregation had along with the attention to their own culture.

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

I think the most disorienting things about the service was actually sort of unintentional - the accent of the priest was so thick coupled with the fact that the he was screaming into the sound system made for a difficult time trying to understand what he was trying to say. But regardless of being able to understand, it was a bit disorienting to hear the preaching be "yelling". I have heard it before, but this particular screaming was disorienting. The other challenging thing was assuming Catholic understanding and theology to be a "prerequisite" to the service. Things like the explanation of the Eucharist, or the understanding of how the order of service is done. Obviously not necessary, but would be helpful.

How did the service help you to reflect on questions of wealth and poverty?

I think that two things allowed me to see how to reflect on wealth and poverty was 1) seeing simply where the church was. Seeing the placement of the congregation and how they worship God and understand how God loves them in their situation. (I realize this is incredibly vague, but I really can't think of another way to explain it). The second realization was a major one and it was part of the sermon. The sermon was on the "poor in spirit", and although the pastor went in-depth to explain the "in spirit" part, the explanation was extremely practical. The priest mentioned many applications of when to be poor in spirit and how Jesus calls us to this. He mentioned the violence all around them and the disparity in politics. So it was seeing how wealth and poverty affects the message that you preach - how you see the Scriptures and how you see Jesus.

Jonathan Oldham

Jonathan Oldham

Lawndale Christian Community Church

3827 W. Ogden, Chicago, IL, 60623

October 2, 2016

1.  The Sunday morning service I attended was held in a gymnasium, with chairs set up around a central, square platform.  There was a small combo (keys, drums, and bass) warming up and playing some stuff before people arrived.  The service itself followed a very similar flow to that of my normal church.  It started with some worship, followed by announcements for the church.  After that was a child dedication ceremony, which was cool.  We sang a bit more, then listened to a sermon from the pastor.  We watched a video as well that highlighted the message that he wanted to get across, and it was a very powerful video.  We ended by taking communion together, and were then dismissed.  The overall flow was similar to my regular context, but there were subtle differences, like the size of the congregation, the style of worship, the physical orientation (circular), and the use of technology through the video.

2.  I definitely found the general atmosphere of acceptance and community appealing.  It was a smaller church than I go to, and it felt like a lot of people knew each other well.  There were casual conversations and greeting before the service started, and I really got the sense that the people cared for each other.  I also really liked the set-up for the audience.  All the chairs were surrounding a center stage from which the pastor spoke and the singers sang.  It made it feel more community-like, rather than all of us being aimed at a frontal stage.  I also really appreciated the child dedication ceremony, as it was not only a testament to the congregation, but it was also a call to the congregation to enter into the process of raising a child in Christ.  Overall, the community seemed authentic and the people genuine, and the service reflected such.

3.  Naturally, I was a little disoriented by the worship.  I’m not a huge fan of songs that repeat a few lines over and over without any actual verses, which is what I found at Lawndale.  They also had a choir sing a song, but we didn’t know the words and we just kind of listened, which I was unsure about.  The ending benediction-like song didn’t have any printed or projected words, but most of the congregation seemed to know it.  I felt left out during that part.  I also felt a little unsure about the use of a 15-20 minute long video that almost seemed like its own sermon.  I don’t know if I would say that this was a bad thing or a good thing, since it did have visual enactment that enhanced the message.  Overall, I felt much more aware of my own presence in that church, partly from it being new but also from us being some of the only white people there.

4.  This visit made me think about a number of things on wealth and poverty.  First of all, I was expecting the situation and the actually church to be a lot worse off economically.  I was expecting it to be more run down, but the facilities were fairly nice, and there was a good use of electronic media.  I think that speaks to my own preconceptions about what churches in low-income neighborhoods are like.  Second, I admired the joy and thankfulness and generosity of the congregation.  They didn’t seem bitter, and there wasn’t an atmosphere that anything was missing either.  They were genuinely happy with what they had, and the offered what they had to the church.  I think that goes to support that people who have less seem to be more generous (see Mark 12:41-44)