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.