Ian Donahoe - Church Visit #2

Church name: Lawndale Community Church
Church address: 3827 W Ogden Ave, Chicago, IL 60623
Date attended: 10/5/2014
Church category: Significantly lower socioeconomic demographic

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

While I am very familiar with the Lawndale area, due to the fact that I'm interning at the clinic, I'd never had the opportunity to attend the church that started it all.  The service began with a praise component that was actually quite similar to my regular context, with a mix of traditional and contemporary songs.  The organization of the church itself was circular, and I loved how it invoked a sense of "theater in the round," which allows both the pastor and the audience be aware of all those who are present, and no one is lost in a back row pew.  There was also significant leadership by women, whether that be through music, announcements, or prayer.  Unfortunately, Coach was speaking elsewhere that morning, and our sermon was delivered by Dr. Darryl Saffore, talking about "The Realities of Christian Discipleship."  This was followed by communion, and no one left the building without receiving a handshake from the pastor.

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

One section was entitled "Prayer & Praise," and during this section I felt particularly at home, which is super surprising as I was currently sitting in a rough inner-city neighborhood of Chicago, and not my rural Indiana church surrounded by cornfields.  This component consisted of individuals from the church going to a mic and reporting on praises they have, or prayers that they would like lifted up.  Every last Sunday of the month, my church takes communion together, and this is followed by "living church," which is essentially the same concept.  This level of authenticity and vulnerability is overwhelming, and I feel that this level of union is lacking in higher liturgical services.  While there is a time and place for liturgy, I still feel the need to get off the program and pray if needed.  This is where authentic community happens, and I feel that this has contributed greatly to the level of transformation this small church has been able to achieve.

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

Perhaps something that saddened me the most was the lack of young men in the service.  This is the generation that needs the most help in this community, and the congregation was heavily skewed towards women and older men (a large contingent of the men were from the Hope House program).  Leadership development is crucial in this community for long-term sustainability, and Dr. Saffore emphasized that he wouldn't be where he was today without the leadership and mentoring of Coach Gordon. I hope that these younger men find spiritual communities elsewhere, and I feel that some find that through the Firehouse, led by Phil Jackson.  The Firehouse is much more geared towards the needs and desires of the younger generation, and I'm thankful that LCC had the foresight to include this aspect of their ministry.  Other than that, I felt that the service was uplifting and I felt remarkably at home.

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 main point of the sermon was going through the main points of Gordon & Perkins' new book, Making Neighborhoods Whole. I read this book over the summer, and Dr. Saffore framed this discussion within the framework of Matthew 14:22-24.  While many of these concepts, such as relocation, redistribution, and reconciliation have been preached at me ever since CCDA, during the sermon relocation was described as "a theology of presence."  Simply being in the community, as a Christian witness, can do wonders, and that is evidenced by the presence that LCC has been able to develop in this community.  Dr. Saffore also emphasized that Christian discipleship is not an easy road, and that Coach faced incredible difficulties during the beginning of his ministry.  However, he stayed amidst the odds, and this theology of presence has brought about true transformation.  As we were leaving the service, one of the pastors asked where we were from.  When we said Wheaton, he remarked: "Without Wheaton, none of this would be here."  Coach has applied theology for the needs of this community, and in that sense LCC has become a missional body for transformation.