On April 8th, 2018, I attended a service at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in Springfield with Emily Abbot and her aunt and uncle. The church itself was rather small and was similar to an elementary school in size. As we walked into the church, we were greeted at the sanctuary doors by members who wished us a good morning and welcomed us. The main meeting room was filled with pews where people would sit, with a podium at the front. Behind the podium were more pews, presumably for a choir. Emily, her family, and I sat on the right side of the room, toward the middle; in front of us was a place for the bread and wine (grape juice) used for taking communion. The area was covered by white cloth and three boys sat behind it, which I found a bit strange. The Sunday …show more content…
When the service, started we sang a few songs and then the Bishop came and spoke. To the left of the Bishop was a clerk who would count the members in order to see who was there and who was missing from the crowd. It was intriguing to me that if someone was missing, a group of people would contact the missing members to ensure their safety and wellbeing. When the Bishop began speaking, he gave the announcements and introduced the fact that it was testimony day. After the Bishop spoke, the boys sitting near the communion area began giving communion to the members. The bread was given first and I found it interesting that every single person, regardless of age or understanding of the ritual, took communion. The congregation prayed over the bread and the ate it, followed by taking the juice in the same manner as the bread. After communion, people began giving somewhat awkward testimonies. I was nervous because I did not know whether everyone had to go up to the podium and speak or if it was a voluntary process. If I had to speak, I thought I would have to give an uncomfortable statement: “I’m sorry, but I am not Mormon. I am
The service concluded with the bishop standing and speaking to the people for a few minutes he spoke on the importance of the service and He shared some scripture and personal stories. After the service Father Constantine invited everyone next door for refreshments, and stayed in the nave to answer any of our questions, this time was very helpful to me since this was my first time at a Orthodox church. Overall it was a very enjoyable experience I learned a lot about the Orthodox tradition. I don't think I would have been able to grasp the differences between the different branches in Christianity without witnessing them first hand.
This experience was really out of my comfort zone. It was hard to be an outsider and not prepared for what was to come and not speaking one of the languages used to understand the entire service. This service learning project gave me the opportunity to try a new church and gain a deeper respect for a different religion. Everyone at the service was very educated on speaking the sacred texts and participating in the rituals practiced. I hope to have gained a better understanding for those who are new to religions and are nervous to come to a worship service. I will make more of an effort to be welcoming and accommodating to those who are new to our church.
In my paper I will talk about my visit to The Community Church at Murphy's Landing (CCML). I have chosen this particular Church because it is a family church type and my neighbor goes there and she encouraged me to go with her. I went there with my neighbor on April 6, 2014.This church is an appropriate for this assignment because the people there are welcoming me with an open heart and they are willing to help and provide me with information. When I visit the Church’s site I read these words “We know visiting a new church can be intimidating. But, we want to help you to be as comfortable as possible when and if you join us”. The people gather in the church weekly to glorify God in joyful worship. The expressions of worship on CCML take many forms a prayer, a hymn of reverent awe, a guitar ringing with a chorus of praise, or a warm handshake and a welcoming smile. Their weekly services begin at 9:30 each Sunday at church. Also, they have weekly podcast if anyone wants to listen online. They have many types of services for parents, kids and students. People at CCML were so friendly; they gather around me and start welcoming me, one by one. People there introducing themselves to me, one after another and provide me with their contact information and help. Then we start talking about the church services and Christianity in particular. The mission of CCML was knowing, growing and loving. They seek to live out our mission by worshipping together as a local community of believers, growing in spiritual maturity through discipleship, education, and small groups, caring for one another within the context of the larger church body and small groups, and Communicating the love of Christ to our world, both through local outreach and global mis...
Venturing inside, we all noticed two things very quickly: we were at once wearing entirely too much clothing to be comfortable in the sweltering heat, and entirely too little to fit in with the rest of the congregants assembled. And yet we were welcomed with open arms. We had arrived, the Reverend Rogers L. Pruitt emphasized as we filed into the sanctuary, on a very special day. As he distributed bulletins and hearty handshakes to the rest of the group, I noticed that the front of mine read "Fragment Day." As I looked around the modest sanctuary, I wondered what the service had in store for us.
As I entered the Mormon Church in the Enchanted Hills ward of Rio Rancho, NM on a Sunday morning. Everyone looked proper and very formal. Men and boys wore a suit and tie. Women and girls wore skirts or dresses. The majority were wearing black and white. They all acted in an orderly fashion into the Sacrament meeting. At the beginning of the service we all took our seats and started the meeting off with a hymn while the organ was playing in the background. The organization felt traditional and old-fashioned. As we were finishing
As Quakers are non-Liturgical (Waiting on the Spirit) they believe actions are not necessary and everything comes from your heart. The room had six sides this had no spiritual meaning; it was so each speaker could be heard in the room as they believe in equal rights. There was a table in the centre of the room containing various books, including the Bible, Quakers Faith & Practice, Structure of Friends, and Advices & Queries. The table was not called an Altar. The Meeting House didn’t have any icons, symbols or even a crucifix.
For the worship service, I visited one of the Quaker's Friends meeting houses. Since my family's religious background is Catholic Christian, This offered interesting views and different perceptions. Quaker's history and believes were especially brought me interest.
Once the service started, my friend showed me where the schedule for the service was and what each number meant. There were different colors of numbers in the book and those indicated what section the reading or song was coming from. This was different from the church that I attend because we have a choir and a band that plays the songs and if you wish to join in you can but for the Catholic Church there is, no choir and the members of the church are the ones who sing. After some singing, the priest came up to talk and this is very different from what I expected. I was used to flipping through the channels and seeing the catholic churches with the priest who were a ...
At 9:55 a man referred to as an usher greeted me and handed me a program. The room I entered into next was large and had an aisle down the center separating the seating. There were eight chairs seated side by side in each row and fifteen rows in total on each side of the aisle to provide comfortable seating for 240 people. I took a seat amongst the rest of the youth in the second row from the front of the platform. On the platform at the front of the room sat various instruments, a large podium and multiple speakers. There was a large, rectangular opening in the center wall at the back of the platform where a large tub with steps, referred to as the baptism tank, was located. Beyond the tank was a large wooden cross hanging on the wall.
On March 7th, I spoke with Father Mark Emroll, explained the course assignment and requested his permission to attend the service. He briefly explained the prohibition for taking communion and that if I wanted to speak with either he or Father William Redmon it would need to take place after the service. Father Emroll explained the church
It was magnificent. The first thing to catch my eye was a monstrous chandelier that hung from the 50 foot ceiling. It was awe inspiring. As my eyes surveyed the room, it was hard to miss the antique maple pews that provided seats for approximately 300 people. Plush emerald green carpet was the grounding to the room. It's path led directly up to the stage which was home to a variety of items. The band, pulpit, arid baptismal were the most obvious. Above the stage was a huge dome, it was colored in shades of blue, mauve, white, and several other soft accents. A bright light was right in the center of its point. Our gazing was soon interrupted when the official greeter returned. This time she was quick and to the point. She collected our cards and informed us that service was about to begin. Within a matter of minutes, a middle-aged man stepped up to the pulpit and asked us to stand.
For my observation trip, I decided to visit St. Ignatius Church in Oregon, Ohio. I visited a mass at 11:30 on Sunday November 19. I decided to visit a catholic church because my family has no religious background whatsoever, and I decided that I could go with one of my good friends that way if I need to ask questions, she was there to answer them for me.
As a young child, I spent Sundays in the pews of various churches. My extended family had a wide variety of different denominations of Christianity. Some churches had loud music with singing and dancing, others lots of sitting and standing. But the
...ry service were beautiful. Everyone that spoke had something nice to say and somehow I found enough strength in my self to get up and read prayer that his parents had asked me to read.