Aafke Loney- Church Visit #2

Blog Title: Church blog #2

Church name: ECWA Goodnews Church Chicago

Church address: Gage Park

Date attended: 8/28

Church category: Different ethnic or racial demographic

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

At 9:00 am there was a bible study and prayer meeting for all of the women in the church. It was such a powerful moment, because all of the women from the church were all gathered together to pray over the city together.  Most of the women knew each other, but there were also a few guests there as well. In most contexts like this in other churches that I have been to, they allow the guests to pass during prayer, but not at ECWA. Sam and I went together and it was fully expected that we would pray during this time. Each woman that prayed was very passionate and convicted while they prayed.  The service itself started around 10:00 am and there were maybe about thirty people there in total.  Most of the members were from Nigeria and quite a few of them were related, so everyone knew each other pretty personally. The service went on for over two hours, which is unusual for me, and there was a time during the service to acknowledge the new visitors, Sam and me, and to celebrate the birthdays that were happening that month. Overall, this service was very different from my regular context because the church itself was so small, everyone knew each other, and the length of the service itself.  

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

The worship service was very welcoming. Everyone there knew that Sam and I were visitors and I think I hugged or shook hands with almost every member.  They were all very curious about why we were there and where we were from.  Many of them carpooled each other to church and knew what was going on in each other’s lives.  It was such a beautiful moment to see the church singing “Happy Birthday” to the members who were celebrating it that month. They talked about prayer requests and it was clear that the people who needed prayer were involved members of the church. These requests were personal to other members of the church who knew these people.  I appreciated being able to meet the pastor and talk to him about why we were in the city.  Talking to the different members of the church made me realize how passionate they were about spreading the gospel and reaching more people.  They had a time during the service when they checked in with a few of the people running different ministries and we got to hear stories of what they were doing and who they were reaching out to.  It all felt very personal.  This church is very intentional about building community and having relationships.

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

The service itself was very long. In total I think we were at the church for four hours.  Although I really appreciated the personal aspect of the service sometimes it was hard to follow along, because I did not know the people they were talking about. The community in the church is very strong and they are intent on checking in with each member, which takes a long time. When the service ended, they had another meeting to talk about the vision for the church and what steps they are taking to expand their ministries to reach more people. Everyone was expected to go to this meeting. So although, it feels very welcoming to be included in everything the church is doing, it can also be very overwhelming to be involved in what they are doing. I also did not know any of the worship that was sung throughout the service.

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

I appreciated the sermon itself, because it was about being a messenger to everyone.  He emphasized the fact that scriptures are not exclusive. We are called to reach out to all people whether we look different or act differently.  His message was emphasized through his sermon but also how the congregation treated Sam and me. We were the only two white people in the congregation on that Sunday, but I never felt out of place or unwanted. We were all there because of our love for Jesus Christ and the gospel was being lived out to the fullest at Goodnews Church.