This past week majority of the groups were able to present their experience of their congregation visit.  During these presentations, I’ve noticed some similarities and differences between the different groups. Some groups were fascinated with the visit and loved every single part about it.  Others didn’t know what to expect and thought of it as a “cultural shock”.  It was interesting to see how others thought about their experience and to see what they learned from it.  

My partner, Rosemary, and I were able to present our experience at our congregation visit this week.  We went to New Life Redlands Church and we were able to both go on the same day. My experience compared to Rosemary’s was quite different.  Because it was a Christian church, I knew what was going on and how people would be/act like. However, Rosemary normally goes to a Catholic church, so her experience was, as she described it to me, a “cultural shock”.  For example, one thing that she noticed was that there were no stained glass on the walls. At her Catholic church, they have stained glass all over the walls. At New Life Redlands Church there weren’t any stained glass.  The walls were made out of wood and brick. Another difference between our experiences was that I was familiar with the worship songs. I knew all of the songs that the worship team sang, so it was easy for me to sing along.  On the other hand, Rosemary was not familiar with any of the songs. So while the church was worshiping, she felt uncomfortable and out of place.

All in all, these are just a few examples of what we both shared with the class about our experience.  Everyone’s presentations was so fascinating to hear what these other churches are like.  I had no idea that there were churches that do what they do today.  I can’t wait to go to the next congregation visit and see another different side to religion that I have not seen and experienced before.