Catholic Church Observation Papers

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.

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

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

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 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

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

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.

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.

At the main service we started with a prayer. And then we sang a few songs and listened to the sermon. The sermon was about how no matter how broken we are God will accept us. After that we ended the sermon concluded with a few songs and went home. Overall I really enjoyed the experience at Frazer it was very nice and they had some really good points. But one thing that I didn't really like was the fact that it wasn't really personal like I like the Church service to be. The next service I attended was First Baptists Sunday service when I first got there I knew almost every single person the people that were there were mostly Trinity people and some the people were from other schools but I still knew most of them. The first thing that happened was they had a free breakfast for anyone who wanted it. The first thing we did was talk about the wednesday service and what they did at the Wednesday evidently that Wednesday they talked about being fit for God. So after we sang a few songs we went to the Sunday School. The person who hosted the Sunday school class was

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.

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

My photo ethnography is based off my experience at a church in Olive Branch, Mississippi. The name of it is Saint Luke Church of God in Christ. Saint Luke is pastored by Elder Earl Shannon, is located in the beautiful city of Olive Branch, Mississippi. They offer a big selection of ministries designed to meet the needs of families in the Olive Branch area. Saint Luke is also nicknamed, “The Ark of the Community”. Saint Luke has a long history dating back to 1925. In 1925 Charles and Millississ Shannon established Saint Luke Church of God in Christ. Saint Luke started out with just about twelve members. Back then each church service was held in the homes of the members. Saint Luke's first pastor was Elder Bonner. Elder Bonner was succeeded

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.

They had purple clothes with white cross on each side of the aisle as well as the altar. I was surprised that I did not see any candles or sculptures during the communion. The priest did all the readings on the powerpoint instead of the scripture. Because the church was much smaller than Catholic churches, the music was more effective and shocking, though they did not have any pianos or guitars. I found the choir later on the second floor. There was a lot of singing throughout the service, and usually people sang with the choir. During the congregation, I found that most people were in a group of much older age, and they were all friendly and faithful. The sermon was similar to the Catholic ones, for the priest talked about grace, sins, and resurrection. However, it seemed that they did not believe the power of confession. Communion was offered afterwards, and they were willing to let visitors receive blessings. Food and coffee was even provided after the service, and we had a great time chatting with people

I chose to do my cultural experience at Temple Beth El of Fort Myers. There I attended there Friday night Shabbat Service where they worship though song. I chose to bring a long a friend of mine who has a Jewish family members hoping for a little insight in order to understand what has happening during the service. She has been to a few services and was able to explain all the things in the church and the parts of the ceremony I would not have understood if I was alone. She gave me a lot of insight about the things they wear and informed me a lot of their custom. I had heard previously that the Shabbat service is mainly in Hebrew, therefore I wanted to bring someone a long that could help answer some of the questions I was expecting to