Two Church Perspectives

Last Sunday I went with a group of ten people who attended Trinity United Church of Christ, a large, almost entirely African-American congregation in the south side of Chicago.  Committed to Christ and to the advancement of the Black Value System, Trinity UCC is an "Unashamedly Black, Unapologetically Christian" congregation. The Black Value System is a unique blend of culture and religion, combining African American heritage with Christian values.  We were greeted warmly as we entered the church building, though as we walked through the doors I couldn't help but notice the signs forbidding cameras and requiring all members of the media to check in at the office.  I had to wonder if the recent political drama had turned Trinity into something of a tourist spot, but I didn't see a disproportionate number of visitors.  After some singing, led buy the 200 or more members of the choir, who were all dressed in traditional African garments, the message was delivered by Rev. Otis Moss III, a charismatic young preacher who had recently taken over pastoral duties at Trinity following the Rev. Jeremiah Write scandal.  The message was passionately delivered and followed by a spontaneous alter call, and though service lasted nearly three hours, it never grew tedious.

The following Sunday (sept 29) I attended Reba Place Fellowship, an intentional community within a Mennonite congregation located in Evanston, a suburb north of Chicago.  Reba Place Fellowship began as a VS unit that developed into a permanent intentional community in the late 1950's.  The members of the Fellowship all lived together and shared a common purse in an attempt to return to the community style living of the first disciples.  In the 1970's, a charismatic preacher from Houston brought spiritual reform to the community, though this caused some older members to leave and eventually caused problems due to some authoritarian household and pastoral relationships.  This led to the formation of Reba Place Church, a congregation that now contains nearly 300 members, and is independent from Reba Place Fellowship, although the 30-45 members of RPF are members and attend RPC.

The church service took place in a converted taxi-repair shop, although this was impossible to tell from the inside.  The service included hymns, praise and worship songs, and even a congregational dance.  The sermon was then given by Nancy Bedford, a theology professor. Once the service concluded, we ate lunch with some of the members of RPF.  We were also given a tour of the Community before the 2 hour train ride home.

This past week has been spent mostly in the Faith House or the church, listening to speakers who come to have conversations with us about things like conflict resolution, teaching English as a second language, cultural differences and theology.  On Thursday I worked at a community garden, weeding and picking up trash.  That evening we practiced solitude.  No one was allowed to talk or use any sort of electronics.  I spent some of the time by myself downtown, and the rest reading or journaling.

And now I start my last week in Chicago.  The Brazil team leaves one week from today (Oct. 6), and I will try to get one more blog posted before I leave.

In the Faith House

This Sunday we attended the church next door to the Faith House, First Church of the Brethren. The congregation is quite small, but the service was very energetic and the pot-luck meal that was served afterwards was outstanding. The people there were welcoming and friendly. We were given a list of area churches that we can attend by Krista, one of our leaders. On the list is Trinity United Church of Christ, the former church of presidential candidate Barack Obama. I might get a chance to attend that church in the following weeks.
This week has been spent mostly inside of the Faith House, talking to each other about our personal stories and finding out our personalities. We have not done much city wandering this week, although we did travel to uptown Chicago this afternoon to visit Emmaus Ministries. Emmaus Ministries is a program that works with male prostitutes to give them a safe place to stay and help them get off the streets. We listened to storytellers who worked for Emmaus Ministries tell the stories of some of the people who they had helped through songs and monologues. It was a very unique experience.

In Chicago

I've been in Chicago for close to a week now, and I've finally found time to post my first Brazil blog entry.  So far this week has been spent getting to know the other Radical Journey participants and getting to know the city.  We have been given several assignments throughout the week that have enabled us to get a good feel of how the city and the public transportation system work.  We were also given a few objectives that were slightly more challenging.  For example, on Wednesday night after we found our way to Millennium Park, we were each given a dollar and told to find supper.  My team decided to look for a soup kitchen, so we stopped at a church and found directions to the closest one.  We had an interesting meal and some interesting conversations, and we actually left quite full.  It was quite an experience for me, and my team has considered returning to the soup kitchen some time this month to volunteer, if our schedule allows it.

The time spent here in the faith house is filled with lots of interesting conversation with my other housemates.  We play games, read books, watch the office, and just hang out.  It has really been a good experience so far, and I look forward to the rest of the time to be spent here in Chicago.

Tommorow, we will be blindfolded, dropped off at random points in the city, and forced to find our way back.  That should be pretty exciting; I at least am looking forward to it.  After that, many of us are going to the Celtic Festical.  That will be fun too.

Well, this is the first blog I have ever written, so hopefully it was interesting.  I will keep everyone who is reading this updated.