Taylor Pride - Church Visit #1

Alabanza y Worship: Two Languages, One Purpose

Iglesia Nueva Vida 

1665 N Mozart Chicago, IL 60647

September 14, 2014

Socio-Economic 

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

         Worship at Nueva Vida was lively as ever. Any place where you can dance, jump, and sing/scream in Gringo-Spanish freely is somewhere I want to be. Hispanic culture often fosters worship environments that stress the importance of demonstrative worship. In my experience in Pentecostal worship settings, I have found that many services also involve congregants dancing, raising their hands, singing loudly, and shouting. At Wheaton, the church that I usually attend in Oak Brook holds bilingual services occasionally. During these times, we sing a variety of songs (and by “variety”, I mean mostly Chris Tomlin) in both Spanish and English. However, the worship songs at Nueva Vida did not have English translations nor were they simply Spanish words put to the tune of an English song. These songs were unique to the Spanish-speaking community at Nueva Vida. Additionally, atypical of worship experiences in my regular context, the pastor requested for the congregants to stand for the reading of the Scripture. In the past, I have frequently seen this practice in more traditional settings, but it was interesting to note the combination of expressive worship and deep respect for the Scriptures.

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

The passion of these brothers and sisters was undeniable and infectious. The building itself, tucked back in a neighborhood near Humbolt Park, was not particularly luxurious or flashy. I noticed that as a Spanish church plant of a large, megachurch, Nueva Vida was able to have a quality sound system and exquisite instruments. In my experience in Latin American churches, what the band lacks in talent, the congregation often makes up with passion—Hispanic culture tends to be more demonstrative in expressions of love in general. As a musician, I was particularly surprised how the church’s sound system and talented worship band facilitated passionate response to the love of God among the congregants. Additionally, being that all the songs were in Spanish, there was a sense of distinction from New Life Covenant, creating a more unified worship experience. After the service, William K. Eldredge and I were ushered to the pastor, who personally greeted us and conversed with us in Spanish and English. Though we definitely did not deserve such treatment, I was struck to see how these brothers and sisters strove to make non-Hispanic believers like ourselves feel welcomed and accepted. This act of hospitality made me consider: how do predominantly Caucasian churches treat Hispanic visitors? How does our predominantly Caucasian country treat Hispanic immigrants?

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

         Something that I wrestled with was that even though this church is low-income, it is supported by New Life Covenant—creating an interesting yet potentially problematic dynamic. For instance, throughout the course of the service, the pastor continuously cracked Spanish jokes and spoke highly of Spanish-speaking culture. Additionally, his analogies were centered on his background as a Puerto Rican. At one point, he even said “Jesus era portorriqueño”—“Jesus was Puerto Rican.” With this in mind, I found that this frequent reference to Spanish culture illustrated the church’s foundation and purpose as an enclave of New Life Covenant. With this in mind, there is a strong sense of connectedness among church members via the Spanish language. Behind the scenes, this church is an extension of New Life Covenant, possibly ushering an underlying sense of dependence on the “mother church.” Nevertheless, the passion imbued in the hearts of these Hispanic brothers and sisters was undeniable and seemed to trump any sort of economic reliance on the larger community of New Life Covenant.

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

         Through the sermon and worship, I was made aware of how faith is inherently intertwined with culture. Often, as I follow Jesus, I forget that my understanding of Jesus has been developed and processed through a cultural lens specific to my personal background. In my experience, I do not typically notice when a pastor or spiritual leader references cultural phenomena—I am numbed due to my cultural immersion. In light of Billings’ perspective about how the Gospel is indigenized in culture while simultaneously challenging other aspects, I have found that this ideal applies differently to minorities in the United States. For instance, because minority cultures often face the threat of assimilation by living in the U.S., it is reasonable to relate cultural nuances to the Gospel (e.g. the Pastor of Nueva Vida proposing that Bible characters maintained a Latino diet). On the other hand, minority communities must be cautious that cultural abnormalities do not become intertwined with spiritual identity to the point that culture potentially trumps the bond of Christ shared across culture. Nueva Vida seems to balance these tensions—I was truly connected to these Hispanic brothers and sisters without ever feeling like jokes in the sermon were intended to exclude non-Hispanics.