Anna Erickson - Church Visit #1

Church Name: St. Peter and St. Paul Orthodox Church

Church Address: 6980 County Line Road, Burr Ridge, Illinois 60527

Date Attended: Sunday, October 2

Church Category: Orthodox

Describe the worship service you attended. How was it similar to or different from your regular context?

I was really amazed at the reverence of this service. It was so focused on God’s character, and the worship was almost entirely a prayer. The prayer book for the divine liturgy we attended was very helpful in explaining what was going on. Most of the practices were different than my regular church context, such as using bells and incense, singing most of the liturgy, and praying for almost the entire service. A few commonalities between this church and my regular context were that people were very welcoming, and that Scripture was honored as very important and central. There were multiple families that invited us downstairs for the potluck afterwards, and we got to sit and talk with a Wheaton grad who attends there, along with the choir director and a few other people. I really felt invited in and like a member of the body of Christ, which is similar to the experiences of warmth and welcome I have experienced while visiting some other churches of different denominations. This church was particularly welcoming, though, which challenged my previous assumptions.

How did the worship service illuminate for you the history and contours of global Christianity?

When we were talking with Matthew (the Wheaton grad) and his family afterwards, they explained how the hands that were laid on each Orthodox priest in ordination can be traced to the apostles. It seemed really special that the worship style and process that we were participating in during the service have been practiced by the church for such a long time. It made me think about how all that I have previously known about church history has been based on things I know about western church after the great schism. I think attending this service has deepened my realization that Christianity is a lot bigger and a lot older than Protestantism. I got to talk to the choir director as well, who was from Romania. He talked about growing up in an Orthodox church there while Romania was Communist, which was fascinating to hear. I think his stories helped me realize that the church has been enduring in many forms throughout so many points in political history.

How did the worship service illuminate for you your personal identity as a Christian?

It was really good for me to have to confront the reality that my church experience growing up is not the only church experience that is valid or honoring to God. I have been in the process of deciding where to go to church in Wheaton, and I think visiting St. Peter & St. Paul has made that process a little more challenging. I am really thankful for the ways God has used my upbringing in Evangelical Christianity to shape me and form me, but I also think that it’s important to enter into spaces that acknowledge the reverence and sacredness of God in a fuller way. This service deepened my sense of awe at the wonder and mystery of who God is, but it also didn’t seem to fit completely with my perception of God as being very personal. I think that is mainly because the service focused more on who God is as a hearer and answerer of prayers, rather than being centered around a sermon about my relationship with God.