Carter Harms- Reflection 1

Church Name: Lawndale Community Church

Church Address: Lawndale

Date Attended: October 5^th

Church Category: Lower socioeconomic

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

After going to CCDA, a couple of us students wanted to go and visit the church that started the movement. We went to the second service and walking in I knew that it would a different experience than my home church, even apart from the fact that the majority of the congregation was African-American. First, the fact that it was in gym and not a manicured sanctuary was different. Second, to borrow a term from theatre, it was church in the round with the stage in the middle. Third, there was no light show/rock concert vibe like my church back home. Finally, there was a time for people to come to a mic and give either praise or a prayer. However, it shared some similarities with my church back home in Texas. Particularly, the service followed the same format with worship, prayer, and then the message. Also, the communion was served in the same way that my church serves it. 

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

I really loved the corporate time for prayer or praise. It was just so edifying to hear real stories of how God had meet people where they were at or how people were seeking Him in the midst of a rough period. I also really liked how it was done in the middle of the service. It reminded me about how church is not just pastors and worship leaders putting on a production for my spiritual benefit, but rather the church is the body of Christ that is called to support each other. I think the reason I liked it some much is because I think that it pulls of the mask of normalness that people can put on and reminds us of our need to be mutually dependent on God. At my home church, it can feel like people are always acting like everything is fine, or have to go to a dark room and whisper about any problems they have.

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

I found the preaching was the most challenging part of the service. The week I went, the head pastor Coach was guest preaching at a different church in the city, so the message was given from another pastor. I found it hard to keep a receptive posture towards the message, because to me it felt like this pastor was putting on a show. He spent the first ten minutes just trying to get laughs out of the audience and talking about himself. While the crowd was receptive, I grew impatient with the theatrics and just wanted to hear a sermon. I started to realize that this was my type A personality rearing its head and I just needed to practice a little patience.

What aspects of scripture or theology did the worship service illuminate for you that you had not perceived as clearly in your regular context?

The aspect of theology that was brought out more clearly than my regular context was a theology of the church. Back at my home church in Texas the worship service is very one sided, with the worship leaders and pastor driving the worship. It reinforces an very individualistic approach to church as the service does not ask anything of the congregation. However, at Lawndale the service included a lot of participation by the congregation, especially during the time of corporate sharing. This highlighted the communal aspect of the church and how we are all to be members of the body, not just passive churchgoers