The For The Interethnic Church Experience

It was safe to say that it was the total opposite. When I arrived at the church, they had golf carts around the parking lot taking people to the church. The church was very large and modern. When I walked in, it reminded me of a hotel because they had security outside patrolling the cars as well as outside the church. This was something I was not used to because I usually do not see security at a church. As I walked in, the church had a large modern lobby. Before entering the auditorium where the ceremony was held, everyone had to pray before entering. This was completely different from Catholics because usually, you pray once you get inside. When I sat down they had people handing out packets of wine and the Eucharist. The ceremony began with people singing for about thirty minutes followed by a praise dance. It was a beautiful experience because everyone was very engaged and singing along. The people sang with so much power and emotion. The reverend spoke about God, but what I liked was that he related the information to personal experiences. He spoke about information that has been occurring in today’s society, which made it more personal. People were very

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

Total Church: A Radical Reshaping around Gospel and Community by Tim Chester and Steve Timmis emphasizes the two overarching principles that govern the practice of church and mission, that is: Being gospel centered and being community centered, where the content of our message is the gospel, and the context of our message the Christian community. Only when those principles are put into practice does the Word is carried away, with the mission of the church being carried out and the mission of the church of making relationships a priority is carried out.

I was attending a chapel service and at Pittsburgh Theological seminars. I’m not sure who was ordained, because I’m still new, I know that these are my class mates, and we don’t really get in to who is ordained and who is not. So, I’m going to assume that they were all lay persons. There were about 6 people involved in the service, there were 3 musicians a 3 people that read different part of the service. It was a beautiful call and response type of service, which I thought was interesting. I want to say that the on participant is the one who runs our chapel service.

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

On the Sunday, the 20th of September I went to St. George Antiochian Orthodox Christian Church located in 4335 16th St NW, Washington, DC 20011. The church rents out the National Theater for service every Sunday. This church is a non-denominational church and it is not at all traditional. The Pastor is Brandon Samuel, a middle-aged man with a wife and kids. The service was from 10:00 am to about 12:00 pm. I am a Christian so this church experience was not new to me, but it was quite different from my church at home as the church I attend back home is a Pentecostal church.

I planned to arrive earlier than the service started in order to make a more accurate observation. I figured that would be a good plan because I was so nervous about the assignment and being able to recall all of the requirements. I was also nervous when it came to an outfit because I wasn’t sure what the majority of the members would wear to their Sunday service. I wanted to look respectable but I also didn’t want to look out of place at the same time. As I pulled into the parking lot, I began to observe the vehicles and the people exiting them. I noticed that more than half of the vehicles were sedans and the other half mostly being minivans and larger sized SUV’s. As I was observing the people as well, I noticed the age span of the members attending. I saw children as young as newborns and adults who appeared to be in their late 70s. I noticed that more than half, I would say about 60%, of the members attending appeared to be older than the age of 40. As I continued observing, I felt more comfortable with my outfit decision. I wasn’t overdressed but I wasn’t underdressed either, I felt comfortable. I

Don’t get me wrong though; there are people out there that dress honestly for religion or just for their own personal preferences. There are some exceptions, as there is with any given rule, that you may find some individuals at Edmond Memorial still wearing Abercrombie and Fitch and some adults still rocking the short shorts and parachute pants. Styles do change, as well as clothing brands, and proves that people do dress out of vanity, with the exception of a few.

I have not attended a service, but I have been welcomed into their social events, which are fairly synonymous with their worship. Social events and worship flow seamlessly together. I have been impressed by the vibrancy of the community and their dedication to developing relationships – both with Christ and each other.

Dressing properly is not only the proper things to do, but also it can lead to greater things. For example, the way you dress to a job interview is key to getting the job, because it will tell the person hiring you how organized or serious you want the job. Also, it can gain you respect, because if you dressed in an inappropriate way for an occasion such as church some people could see that as a disrespect whereas if you dressed appropriate people will see that respect you have for the church.

The first cultural event I experienced was going to the non-denominational church with my girlfriend and her family. My expectations were to be going to a church that was more of a cathedral look. I expected to see religious statues and carvings within the church. To my surprise, it was completely opposite. We drove up to the campus and it was huge like a basketball stadium. When we entered the church it was huge with a very modern look. It looked nothing like a church. Then we entered the auditorium where there were floor seats and balcony seats that which looked like you would sit in at a sports event. This was the day I met my girlfriend’s family so not only was I nervous attending a church service in a place so big and different from what I expected I was meeting her family. I met the family everyone was really kind and welcoming. The church service began and it was like a concert. They had drums, guitars, keyboards, and singers. The dynamic was not similar to what I have experienced in the services I had attended back home. It was loud, fun, and people were so comfortable being there. The pastor spoke

The importance of Christian ecumenical movements and interfaith dialogue in Australia post World War II is of great significance to the broader Australian society. It plays a great role in uniting and celebrating the differences and recognising the similarities of the religions, as well as appreciating the uniqueness of the various religions. Ecumenism and interfaith dialogue have been an important feature due to a range of reasons including the abolishment of the White Australia Policy, the arrival of mass migration after WWII and the different ethical and religious views around Australia.

The event I went to was a while ago in Brookings when I was living on campus. I picked this event because I really loved the real diversity of the group. It was not just attending a short student group meeting, it was off campus in an Islamic Center in Brookings. I really was submerged into a different culture instead of getting a glimpse of it. I come from a Christian Baptist background so being there was slightly uncomfortable, but it was a good experience. I also went with a few friends of mine and that made me more comfortable because they could share in that experience with me. The name of the event was the “Interfaith Dialogue”. The theme of the event was how people of different faiths (specifically the Islamic faith), view war and veterans. It is meant to be more of a mutual place where people can come and have conversation about issues in today’s world.

Since I did not know the attire regulations of the St. Brendan Catholic church, I wore something that was acceptable to my church. I wore a long black dress, a blazer, and flat shoes in respect to the church. When I looked around St. Brendan church, I saw the members dressed elegantly. Most of the women were dressed in dresses and skirts and very conservative. Some wore a veil that covered their faces. It was interesting because I do not see that in my church. The men wore suits. I saw few teenage girls wearing slacks which I believe is normal because teens from my church and sometimes including myself wear pants in service, however, we get in trouble. I asked one of the members, Tammy, if it was acceptable for women to wear pants to this church and she said that it was a depravity according to the Bible, however, it has become an erroneous norm. She referenced Deuteronomy 22:5, a bible book, “The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman's garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the LORD thy God”. My pastor once told me a similar verse and this was why we also cannot wear jeans. I found in interesting that my religion the Catholics have similar

On July 4th 325 A.D, an estimate of 320 Christian bishops and deacons met in the Bithynian city of Nicaea, now known as Iznik, Bursa province- Turkey to discuss the creation of a world-wide council in which would represent the Christian Church.