Shyanne Bennett- Church Blog 1

Church Name: Lawndale Community Christian

Church Address: 2827 W. Ogden Av.

Date Attended: 9/14/14

Church Category: Lower Income

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

            The worship service had some similarities to the African American Baptist church I grew up in. The format of the service felt familiar. We began with worship, there were readings, the gospel choir sang, and then the pastor spoke. The biggest difference was that tithes and offering were not part of the worship service. Also, there wasn’t a dress code, so by default the dress code was casual. Perhaps, the biggest adjustment for me at the church was that the worship was not that charismatic.  Only a few people stood up during worship and raised there hands. Honestly, a lot of people seemed tired, not necessarily in a physical way. It made me wonder what sort of issues people were dealing with in their lives. What kind of baggage are they bringing to church? It’s beautiful that church can be that place for them. It made me wonder if these were the kinds of people my church back home missed because it is a more traditional African American church. Formal dress codes and expected charismatic expressions can sometimes detour people who are just thirsty for the presence of God.

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

            Wayne “Coach” Gordon, the lead pastor, was just returning from a sabbatical when we were there. He commended the church for functioning smoothly while he was gone and he said that’s how it should be. I think it’s great that even though Coach is this big time pastor his church and his ministry organization is not fully dependent on him. It shows that it all so much bigger then him. Another part I enjoyed was hearing about all the books Coach read during his sabbatical. Often, it seems like pastors who preach to largely low income congregations oversimplify there message and do not challenge the congregation to engage with their faith in more thought-provoking ways. I feel like this sort of encouragement helps move believers into maturity. The sermon was also great. He preached about lamenting the violence in the community and this showed that he was very attuned to the neighborhood.

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

            The set-up of the stage was a bit disorienting. The stage was in the middle of the room and the chairs wrapped around the stage. Due to the staging, at any point in the room there would be a singer whose back was completely turned away. It felt awkward. However, the nice thing about this set-up is that it feels more communal because as you are looking at the people on the stage you are also looking at the people on the other side. It helps you to remember that it is a communal space. Also, I was challenged by the exclusion of a specific time for tithing during the service. On one hand, I understand that it is to be more welcoming to a community that is struggling financially. On the other hand, I believe the church needs to encourage people to tithe because with tithing comes blessings and people who don’t tithe are missing their blessing (Malachi 3:10). Also, giving back to God what is rightly his should be one of the high points of the worship service. It’s a disservice to not teach people who struggle financially to honor God with the little bit they do have.

4. What aspects of scripture and theology did the worship service illuminate for you?

            The scripture for the sermon was pulled from Judges. It talked about how there are no more children playing in the streets. Coach said it is like that in their neighborhood. Since he has been in the neighborhood he no longer sees children playing in the street. There is a lot of violence in the community. He challenges the community to take a biblical response to this. He calls his church to lament the state of their community by fasting and praying every Wednesday lunch. I thought it was good to see how much the church saw itself as part of the community it served. You would expect this to be common practice in most churches, but in reality I believe most American church act separately or even in opposition to the communities they serve.