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?