Kimi Bryson - Church Visit #2

Kimi Bryson - Church Visit #2

Church name: Lakeview church of Christ
Church address: 4716 N. Malden St. Chicago, IL 60640
Date attended: Nov. 6, 2017
Church category: different ethnic/racial

Describe the worship service you attended. How was it similar to or different from your regular context?
I have actually been attending the Lakeview Church of Christ throughout the semester. I have never been to a “Church of Christ” church before, and still know little about the denomination. However, I appreciate the ethnic diversity of the church. The pastor estimates that the church is 40% white, 40% black, 5% Asian and 5% Latino/Hispanic. I have spent time in black churches and white churches, but this church is the first time I have been in a congregation that is truly multiracial. The Church of Christ also worships without instruments, which has been the other main difference from the churches I have attended, whether white, black, or Asian.

What did you find most interesting or appealing about the worship service?
I find the most appealing thing about the worship service how inclusive it is of different people throughout the church. I am still getting used to the order of worship, but someone sings or leads worship, someone else gives a short message before communion, and someone else asks what the congregation is “thankful” for, and none of these things are typically done by the pastor. I think the inclusion of people is really interesting. However, the most-included people tend to be white men, then two black men who play a part in church leadership. Women rarely speak or lead things, even though the pastor is more “liberal” and believes women should fully participate in church worship.

What did you find most disorienting or challenging about the worship service?
The most disorienting or challenging thing about the worship service has been the questions I have around why the Church of Christ differs from other denominations that I am used to or have heard of. Also, I find myself a little critical of the way that racial and gender discrimination still goes unrecognized in worship even if the pastor is aware or cares about those issues.

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 sermons in particular have approached Scripture differently than I am used to, or at least with conclusions that I would not have come to on my own. I have also greatly appreciated the close-knit nature of the community. Because the church is so small, with less than 100 attendees the four times I have gone, it is easier to meet people. And several members of the church have been attending for years - one I believe for 18 years. The transience of many city churches does not seem wholly reflected in this community, and I appreciate that.