Karen Yates- Church Visit #2

Church name: St. Sabina Church

Church address: 1210 W 78th Pl, Chicago

Date attended: 10.30.2016

Church category: Different Ethnic/Racial

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

I have never been to a Catholic mass before, and this one in particular was not what I expected. I imagined it to be much more formal, reserved, and scripted than it was. I think one reason it wasn't that way is because it is predominantly African American, and so there was a different cultural influence. Compared to my regular context, it was much more liturgical and I was one of five white people there. Those attending were quite dressed up and the church elders, pastors, and youth in training wore white robes with African designed sashes. The service started with announcements, scripture reading, and then the call and response in the liturgy book. Worship had a a drum set, electric guitar, keyboard, and choir of six people. The singing style was a mixture of gospel choir with many repeated phrases and a mix of tradition hymns mashed with contemporary songs. The pastor was from South African with a slight accent. We had communion and that was the first time I've drunk wine from a communal cup. Then we said the Lord's prayer together holding hands across the aisle. When it was time to pass the peace to one another, it lasted for a solid five minutes and I received at least fifteen hugs and hands shakes from the most welcoming people. The overwhelming hospitality was amazing.

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

I was most interested by what was communicated and displayed in the space. The foundation of the sanctuary was shaped like a cross with the most rows of pews leading up to the front, and then less rows lining up on the left and right of the center. Every wall had intricate stained glass with every color of the rainbow. In the left section of the center, the elders and leaders sat in wooden chairs engraved to look like palm leaves. Behind them was a display of greenery and six wooden native Africans lifting their hands in a center circle. I'm still not sure what that was communicating, but I found it very interesting. Behind the main stage was a giant canvas with a painting of black Jesus with his gentle hands outstretched forward. He had light rays coming from him and a gentle smile on his face. I found myself staring at this painting for a lot of the service. Then, suspended from the center of the ceiling we the simple yellow neon words "JESUS." As you walked out the door, a giant banner hung that said in bold white letters, "Discipleship will cost. Are you willing?" The whole space was a mixture of historical and modern beauty influenced by European and African culture. It exuded peace, intentionality, and reverence. 

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

The one thing I found a little challenging at times was when the pastor would be screech shouting at the top of his lungs to emphasize different points throughout his sermon. It was almost to the point where I couldn't understand what he was saying. In my opinion, it distracted me from the message. He used different volumes at different points in his message to grab listeners, which I appreciated because it made it easy to stay attentive. Some words would be whispered. I just didn't care for the overwhelming string of loud moments. There isn't anything else I can think of that was especially challenging.  

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 church is located on the South side of Chicago, and so I can imagine a large part of the population of the church or that they interact with may be poorer economically. The message was on Matthew 5, specifically the phrase "Blessed are the poor in Spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." He defined "blessed" as being right with God and "the poor in spirit" as those who know they can't do anything without Christ who strengthens them. But then what struck me is he asked, "Are you proud of your poverty in the Spirit?" To me, it made a cool connection to every Christian's pursuit and growth in humility or being "poor in Spirit" to not being ashamed of physical poverty. God calls us to be poor in Spirit. Then the pastor asked, "how poor are you?" I was trying to think about his words if I were coming from a place of being economically poor, and I think it would this message would be a huge comfort. Our lives are not about our material possessions, but are matter of the heart and our character. It's about our utter dependence on Christ's work on the cross.