Church name: Lawndale Christian Community Church
Church address: 3827 W Ogden Chicago, IL 60623
Date attended: September 14
Church category: Different socioeconomic background
Describe the worship service you attended. How was it similar to or different from your regular context?
I came into Lawndale with a lot of expectations but also with a cluelessness of what the church was actually like. I’ve heard Coach speak about a handful of times before, and I recognize CCDA as the mecca of Christian Community Development. But I knew very little about the church community whose name has become nearly synonymous with the neighborhood it resides in. I grew up in one of those super large, suburban, non-denominational, hip coffee shop, alt-rock band, pastor wears skinny jeans style churches, and since coming to Wheaton, I've attended a relatively pleasant Anglican church. Lawndale Christian Community Church does not match either of my past church contexts. The church is structured with the stage in the center of the congregation, rather than upfront. I wasn’t sure how this would work logistically, but multiple worship leaders were arranged to face different parts of the audience and the pastor (Coach) walked in circles around the stage for his entire message. The style of worship was also much more different than my usual context. In my past churches, you simply stand, sing, and maybe, if the worship leader asks you to, you raise a hand or two. Lawndale displayed much more outward signs of worship with clapping, arms raised, and verbal affirmations. They also used both a worship team and two choirs, a welcome deviation from Christian rock and my typical church background.
What did you find most interesting or appealing about the worship service?
I saw a lot of elements in the Lawndale service that I wish were present in churches universally. From the beginning of the service, I sensed that Lawndale has a strong presence of female leadership and does not appear to undervalue the talents and gifts of the women in the congregation. This might be too big of a conclusion to draw from a single worship service, but women participated as greeters, as worship leaders, as readers of scripture, and in other leadership roles more than I have seen in any other church. Furthermore, I liked that Coach preached from the center of the room and periodically spoke to members of his congregation by name throughout the message, taking an inclusive posture and making his sermon more engaging. I also enjoyed the service’s greeting portion, where I was casually hugged by strangers. Lastly, I like that Lawndale does not take an offering as part of their service but rather has an offering box in their auditorium.
What did you find most disorienting or challenging about the worship service?
Honestly, there was very little that I disliked about Lawndale, but I can pick a few things that challenged me. First, I think that the little bit of Anglican in me wishes that we would have taken communion. Additionally, something unusual for me was the presence of Senator Dick Durbin in the service, sitting just one row behind me. He is currently making his rounds through the Chicago church circuit, just in time for November. During the time for greeting, members of the congregation lined up to shake his hand and take pictures of their children with him. I think that this is a brilliant campaign strategy, but I don’t necessarily want to encounter brilliant campaign strategies at church. Another way I felt challenged by Lawndale was through the awareness that this church is not necessarily for me. Lawndale is deeply entrenched in its community, which I am not a part of and know very little about. Although I felt included and welcomed at Lawndale, I knew that I could not related to the service on the level that residents of North Lawndale can.
What aspects of Scripture or theology did the worship service illuminate for you that you had not perceived as clearly in your regular context?
A few weeks ago, I heard Christianity and churches described as the greatest grassroots movement for good that the world has ever seen. The comment was said casually, but it struck me as a radical idea. The churches I have regularly attended in the past do not seem to be a part of a great movement, but rather, they seem stagnate in their communities. Although I believe deeply in social justice, I tend to compartmentalize this passion as distinct from my Sunday morning worship. Lawndale made it impossible to compartmentalize. The sermon was community-focused and centered on a future vision for the city, one where children will play in streets and the elderly will sit out on porches (Source). Coach lamented that Lawndale is not currently like this vision, but he acknowledged the unique role of each member of the church in their community to love their neighbors with the love of Christ. He called the congregation to participate in a fast every Wednesday to pray for the end of violence in Lawndale. I have never seen a church so focused on social justice and purpose as Lawndale, and it made me with that these elements were a regular part of my church context.
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