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| 2349: Grace
Place, Chicago, Illinois, USA |
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Mystery Worshipper:
Hector the Lector.
The church: Grace
Place, Chicago, Illinois, USA.
Denomination: The
Episcopal Church, Diocese
of Chicago.
The building: Although Grace Church was established in 1851 and has occupied
several locations in its 150 years, its home since 1985 has
been a brick commercial building that was renovated into a
loft-sanctuary on the second floor, with a large open hall
on the ground floor used for church and community affairs.
The circular sanctuary space has large wooden beams and overhead
pipes befitting its industrial heritage, but feels intimate
and contained due to being enclosed by circular structures
that suggest traditional church walls and Gothic windows.
The cross above and behind the altar looked like a steel girder
plate.
The church: In addition to long-term residents of the neighborhood, Grace
reaches out to the nearby college communities (Columbia University
Chicago, Roosevelt University).
The booklet insert provided details about programs (adult spiritual
formation, discussion groups, movie nights) and ministries
(sack meals taken to Humboldt Park, worship services for college
students, community breakfasts). Their website also has useful
information about these.
The neighborhood: It's in the heart of Chicago's South Loop/Printers
Row neighborhood. The South Loop, the historic commercial center of
downtown Chicago, is also home to city government buildings and
cultural institutions such as the Art Institute of Chicago, the Chicago
Symphony, and the Joffrey Ballet. Printers Row is a neighborhood of
exposed brick buildings originally used by printing and publishing
businesses, and now mainly converted into residential lofts.
The cast: The Revd Ted Curtis, rector, presided. He was assisted by the
Revd Deacon Sue Nebel. The guest preacher was Christine Wenderoth,
Ph.D., associate professor of ministry, Lutheran School of
Theology, Chicago, and director of the JKM Library at McCormick
Seminary, Chicago. Jing Qiao was the guest violinist.
The date & time: March 4, 2012, 10.00am.
What was the
name of the service?
Holy Eucharist.
How full was
the building?
Full – about 70 people.
Did anyone
welcome you personally?
No, but friendly eye contact as people passed my seat.
Was your pew
comfortable?
No pews at Grace Place! Individual chairs, such as one might find in an
office waiting area, with cushioned seats and backs.
How would you
describe the pre-service
atmosphere?
Quiet with whispered conversations. Young children weren't shushed.
What were the
exact opening words of the
service?
"Blessed are you, Holy and Living One."
What books did
the congregation use during the
service?
No prayer books or hymnals to juggle (no pew racks to hold
them), since everything – hymns, liturgy, scripture
readings – was in a photocopied booklet.
What musical
instruments were played?
Baby grand piano and violin. The guest violinist, Jing Qiao,
played three a prelude (Bach?) and again during the offering
and at the end of the service.
Did anything distract
you?
As an architecture buff and survivor of a recent kitchen remodeling,
I was pleasantly distracted by the physical space: high, open
ceilings above me crossed by a network of water pipes, thick
wooden support beams, the brick outer walls.
Was the worship stiff-upper-lip,
happy clappy, or what?
The worship was relaxed but intentionally and simply prayerful.
Stripped down to essence – like the physical space – but
this may also be
due to my visiting during Lent.
Exactly how
long was the sermon?
19 minutes.
On a scale of 1-10,
how good was the preacher?
6 – Professor Wenderoth was direct, conversational,
personal.
In a nutshell, what
was the sermon about?
Her text was Mark 8:34-35 ("Let them deny themselves ... those
who want to save their live will lose it, and those who lose
their life ... will save it"). She said that her week of preparation
had been haunted by worries about her adult son. Life is hard
sometimes, but we don't have to be alone. We have our communities
of support along the way, and we have Jesus, who chose his
own difficult journey.
Which part of
the service was like being in
heaven?
The two minutes of silent reflection following the sermon.
And which part
was like being in... er... the other place?
Not quite hellish, and entirely of my own making. As a visitor,
I felt shy during the exchange of peace. Parishioners were
sincerely friendly and welcoming, and seemed accustomed to
moving about the sanctuary to greet everyone. I stayed close
to my chair and felt obvious for doing so. A good think to
remember when I greet visitors at my home church.
What happened
when you hung around after the service looking lost?
A woman said hello and apologized for not recognizing me if I had been
to Grace before. We had a nice conversation about Grace's history and
my reasons for visiting Chicago.
How would you
describe the after-service
coffee?
Coffee, juice, cake and fruit. No chairs or tables; people
visited standing up.
How would you
feel about making this church your regular (where 10 = ecstatic, 0 =
terminal)?
9 – The programs and ministries described in the booklet would
appeal to me.
Did the service
make you feel glad to be a
Christian?
Yes.
What one thing
will you remember about all this in seven days' time?
The intimate sanctuary space and the warm community. |
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| The Mystery Pilgrim |
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| One of our most seasoned reporters makes the Camino pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela in Spain. Read here. |
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| London churches |
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| Read reports from 70 London churches, visited by a small army of Mystery Worshippers on one single Sunday. Read here. |
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