Catholic Church Observation Papers

When my friend and I first got to the church, we were surprised to see that it looked like an ordinary house. We greeted everyone on the main floor

The people there were very welcoming and kind. The shook every single person hand and greeted them genially when they walked in. As I sat down, there was a countdown till when it begins. There were seats all around and in the center they had a stage, where there were people preparing to sing. They began their ceremony exactly at 8:30 with singing 3 songs. When we sang, everyone stood up for respect. Followed by that, the pastor recited a prayer with everyone to make this week better than the last. He welcomed everyone, including the people who are new, and told them more about what they do at Kennedy Road Tabernacle Church. The priest then talked about the Provision of Vision from the bible. There was a sheet that was handed out so as you listen you fill in the blanks. ( I attached the sheet I completed) I thought this was very convenient because it makes you pay attention and have something to do other than sitting down. He was reading about the Provision of the Vision and relating it to financial difficulties and how God is always there for you. After, I talked to one priest to get a better background of Christianity. I related what he said to the reading of ‘Christianity’ we did earlier in September. When he spoke to me, he said that they believe in one god, but that includes the father, son, holy spirit, He said Jesus died for us on a cross for the sins of the

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One interesting concept that I learned was to stand the book straight up on the next available chair, instead of faced down or in any other position to accentuate the importance of the scriptures and prayers that the books consist of. The service started promptly at 9:00 pm in which the members of the Jewish Synagogue were already wearing a tallit, which is a prayer shawl that represents the six hundred and thirteen commandments, and silently prayer with a swaying motion incorporated. After asking the congregate that was aiding the observers throughout the service, he explained that Jews usually sway, rock, or shake because it is stated that the physical act is a way of connecting spiritually to God while praying along with other justifications within the Torah. My initial feelings regarding the acceptance of me as a visitor was kind of unsettling because I was the center of attention along with the two other observers. Some congregates would greet us warmly offering any help, while some others often discretely talked among their other fellow congregates about our attendance with some people staring for portions of the service. Besides, the interaction of the congregates to the clergy was very divided in the aspect of gender roles due to the fact that the table that two intricate cased Torahs were brought out on could only be seen by the men and recite by men only. As far as the division of roles, I found it interesting that some of the women explained to us that it was not a form of disrespect or act of degrading because they play their specialized role in the congregation, which is often misunderstood and in their perspective more liberating than most portray it to me. It was also explained to me that women are seen as separate but equal when stated throughput Jewish

Going to a church that is not of your current denomination or faith is an uncommon thing to do. We are accustomed to staying within the group of people that have common beliefs, especially in regards to religion. Therefore, attending a different church can be uncomfortable for some. Personally, I had the irrational fear of being rejected by church goers of a Southern Baptist church for worshiping the same God in a different manner. Despite my initial concern of being left out or unacknowledged at the sermon, Panther Creek Baptist Church was humble, welcoming, and open to talk about the regular attendants.

As the only white individual entering the church on Sunday I felt extremely out of place and very uncomfortable, at first. Upon entering the church, before I could even find a place to sit, the pastor came to welcome me and showed me a place to sit for the service. The pastor was very kind and so welcoming that my nervousness and worry started to vanish. Once I was seated and more people entered the church, I was treated as if I had always been there and was part of the group. Although I was the minority at the service I did feel very comfortable with my surroundings and with the people in attendance. The whole experience was very interesting and broadened my perspective on the African American culture.

The two churches I attended were First Baptist and Frazer Methodist Church. The experiences I had were not too far from each other meaning they weren't really all that different. The First Church I went to was Frazer. When I first got there I was a little confused because I didn't really know anybody at first. But as I got in to the church and started to meet more people I felt very welcomed like I was meant to go the church. When the service started the first thing that happened was the Youth Minister came and spoke to us. He was telling us about the mission trips they are currently doing and also what they had been learning about in the weekly service for the past few months they had been talking about being spiritually fit for God. After he talked to us about that he sent us all off and we went to Sunday School. At Sunday school there

The synagogue was an extremely modern looking building, and in my opinion looked like most churches that I have been to and am more familiar with. Pulling into the parking lot, there were newer vehicles and luxury vehicles, which made me believe most of the members were of a middle to high socioeconomic class. There was

In my experience at first progressive Baptist Church I was very much out of my comfort zone because not only did I not feel as welcomed but it was a little awkward because of all the looks I was receiving. I felt I was not dressed as they were and felt as if I didn't fit in and right away I just didn't feel appropriate with my attire. While I was there I actually had people wanting to shake hands and asking me questions about me coming and there was one man who just stared at me and so it was uncomfortable and didn't know how to react. While I was there I started to notice that there is a little difference from the church I go to and the music was way different as well, everyone will talk back with amen or thank you Jesus. The difference

Next, going to a baptist church had some similarities and difference compared to going to a synagogue. The similarities were that they are both places where people in the community come together to pray and worship God. Another similarity is that there are parts of the service where there are readings from either the torah or bible that are long and boring. There are also parts of the service where there is standing and singing. Furthermore, there’s also the similarity of there being one person who leads the service, in a synagogue its a rabbi, and in church it’s a pastor. The rabbi or pastor speak and the community listens or participates when asked. A final similarity that I noticed is that at both synagogues, and African American baptist churches the services discuss topics that are culturally significant.

As ridiculous as it may sound as a white male my services are rather well dull and boring so the service I attended was an African American service. Needless to say they are rather vibrant and exuberant. I have a rather long beard but dressed for the occasion with a suit and slicked my hair back to look as professional as possible. Upon walking in I was of course asked why I was there I simply told them that I was wanting to try a different church and I had come across their church. I was informed to sit anywhere I like so I just sat towards the back in the corner as to not draw to much attention to myself and simply take in all the things that they do.

In contrast to the tall spires one might expect when encountering a Roman Catholic Church, the Saint Mary Orthodox Church in East Brunswick, NJ is a relatively small, unprepossessing structure. It does not resemble a conventional Roman church or steeple; nor does it resemble the elaborate domed Orthodox Churches of kind I have seen in photographs of Russia. It is a square brick building with two relatively nondescript pillars flanking the front. What is noteworthy is the elaborate mosaic of Mary that adorns the front of the building. I have long heard that icons and images are a very important part of the aesthetics of Orthodox worship and this was confirmed by the sight of the building.

The church we attended was a traditional African American church and far from open-minded. That is why I chose to observe Expressions Church. Although, Expressions Church and my church is of the same religion, I knew it would be different. My experience at Expressions church was interesting, not because of the religious things that was mentioned but just about everything else. The church is not in a traditional chapel, it is located in a building on the North West side of Oklahoma City. After arriving I immediately noticed flyers on the front door for free HIV testing and dates. Upon entering the church I quickly felt like an outsider but still tried my best to be as open as

I chose to attend service at two different Jewish churches. The first one was Congregation Gesher L’Torah in Alpharetta, Georgia and the second was Congregation Beth Hallel in Roswell, Georgia. Though both were of the Judaism religion, there were some differences. I attended a Friday night service at Congregation Gesher L’Torah. My apprehensions about being black and going to a Jewish church made me invite a friend to go with me. I was glad I did, as the stares and long looks we got during the service validated my concerns.

When I visited my first Jewish synagogue, I expected it to be very different. My previous experience with religious ceremonies was limited to a few visits to Baptist churches. The most surprising thing for me at this one was, oddly enough, its similarity to Christian services and rituals. I went into the religious visit expecting an enormous difference in the customs and perhaps even in the attitudes of the people attending the service. What I found instead was a religious ceremony very reminiscent of the Christian ones I’ve been to before.