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.