Why Can't We Sing "Normal" Worship?

Looking back at 50 years of ministry, Tim Keller says this about the Western church: “While many Christian leaders were bemoaning the cultural changes, Western churches continued to minister as before – creating an environment in which only traditional and conservative people would feel comfortable … All they preached and practiced assumed they were still in the Christian West, but the Christian West was vanishing.”[1] The church got stuck moving to the same rhythms, singing the same songs, year after year until the world around them no longer understood the melody. Today, as non-Hispanic whites already are less than 50 percent of the youth population in 632 of America’s 3,142 counties, worship leaders like Sandra Van Opstal introduce us to The Next Worship.

This is not about updating the playlist for relevancy or belittling the old hymn. It is about worship that captures the full picture of God’s Church, His mestizo people. How do we worship God in a diverse world? Should a monocultural church really sing songs in different languages? What forms of leadership do we need to make the diversity of the Church plain in our context? What if we don’t have the musicians to pull this off? We explore these questions and more with your host Emanuel Padilla and our guest, author Sandra Maria Van Opstal.

About Sandra Maria Van Opstal

Sandra Maria Van Opstal

Sandra Maria Van Opstal, a second-generation Latina, is co-founder and Executive Director of Chasing Justice and lives on the west-side of Chicago with her husband and two boys. She is a preacher, liturgist and activist reimagining the intersection of worship and justice. Sandra served with Urbana Missions Conference, Chicago Urban Program, and Latino National Leadership Team (LaFe) of InterVarsity. Sandra’s influence has also reached many others through preaching globally on topics such as worship and formation, justice, racial identity and reconciliation. Sandra currently serves as Content Director for the Justice Conference, is a board member for CCDA and holds a Masters of Divinity from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. Her most recent books include Still Evangelical and The Next Worship.

Footnote

[1] Timothy Keller, Center Church: Doing Balanced, Gospel-Centered Ministry in Your City, 8.9.2012 edition (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2012), p. 253.

From Broken to Beautiful…

I was recently in Israel touring the historical sites. Early in the trip, my guide asked, “It’s violent there, right?” when I said I was from Chicago. To think, across the world, in a place marked by conflict and decades of war, my guide – who had never visited the city – still imagined Chicago to be a dangerous and undesirable home. Apparently, this story of Chicago is everywhere, but what happens when a group of young girls decide to tell a new story of the city? What happens when they take the broken shards left by violence and restore them to beauty? What does that make the city? What does that make them?

On this episode of The Feature we sat down with Hannah Olson, the director of Arise Creations, to hear stories of what drew her to Chicago, what keeps her here, and how a jewelry making program is changing the story of her neighborhood. She tells us about the urban hope necklace and the girls who make them. She introduces us to a beauty that emerges from the violence of the city. Here’s Hannah with your host, Emanuel Padilla, sharing her story.

Shop Arise Creations Today

1. To purchase any of the jewelry discussed in the episode, visit the Arise store here.

2. To donate to this ministry, you can give today by visiting their ministry site.

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About Hannah Olson

Hannah is the director of Arise Creations, a program of New Life Centers of Chicagoland. 

Arise Creations is an entrepreneurship and discipleship program where young women on the west side of Chicago are empowered, encouraged and educated through making and selling handmade jewelry. Hannah has been directing the Arise program since 2016 in Humboldt Park, Chicago where she, her husband, and son seek to live on mission for Christ with their neighbors and community. 

A New “American Dream”

Early 20th century Chicago was a grimy place. From a town of a hundred people, the city reached a population of over two million, and this resulted in filth, smoke pollution, faulty sanitation, and street congestion that was dangerous for pedestrians. Living conditions were dreadful. Despite all this, the city’s leading architect and planner still wrote, “City life has attractions that make a strong appeal to human nature. Opportunities for wealth and power and social consideration, for amusement and instruction, for the increase of knowledge and the cultivation of taste, are greater for the average person in the city than in the country.” This architect, named Daniel Burnham, believed it should come as no surprise that the city constantly drew “young men and women of ambition and self-reliance, who are lured [to the city] by the great prizes … open to the competition of all.” But, what happens when an ambitious young woman, a perfect match to Burnham’s profile, decides to renounce the “great prizes” of the city to move back home to an Island in the Pacific?[1]

Christiana Galea’i is an American Samoan singer and song-writer who was set to “make it” in Chicago, but she didn’t stay in the city, choosing to turn down a record deal to move back home to be with her people. Her dream was to inspire young musicians to produce excellent music right from the island, proving that Samoa has something precious to contribute to the global community. Christiana's costly decision reaped unimaginable reward. She’s inspired, enabled, and supported several budding artists who are now producing music of their own, making something new and good of the global city. Listen to this World Outspoken Feature to learn more about enabling culture-making musicians who are already telling a new story about the world.

About Christiana

Christiana Galeaʻi is an independent artist and creative writer who focuses perspectives of small island nations. Originally from Taʻū, American Samoa, she grew up traveling to places with different cultures from urban Japan, sunny California, and rural Alaska. These experiences inform her production of songs and writings that share native narratives from an authentic point of view. After studying music and biblical studies at the Moody Bible Institute, Christiana returned to her Polynesian home to teach. She continues her travels as an events coordinator that encourages local communities to share their unique stories. Christiana is an active member of the Congregational Christian Church of American Samoa and has a desire to see loving reform among its members. Aside from public speaking and artist collaboration, she enjoys ice cream. Her favorite flavor is mint chocolate chip, but it depends on the mood! You may find her latest creations at christianagaleai.com.

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Footnote

1. Sections of this article are from Seeking Zion: The Gospel and The City We Make, written by Emanuel (Ricky) Padilla. 2017. Quotes of Daniel Burnham are from his 1909 Plan of Chicago. Citation: Daniel Burnham and Edward Bennett, Plan of Chicago, First Edition (New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 1993), 2pg. 33.

Artz N The Hood

Young Culture-Makers make their own World

It’s nearly 1 a.m. when it’s decided. Eight high school students from East Denver convince their bible study leader to help them start an art camp. Nearly 20 years later, the week-long camp has an avg. of 350-400 campers and provides classes on everything from hip-hop dance to videography. For the original eight, camp was resistance. Camp was protest. Camp was proof their world was theirs to own. When Artz N the Hood was founded, it was a response to budget cuts in the Denver public-school system. The arts were among the cuts, leaving students with limited and costly access to creative outlets. So, on that night, eight students decided to run an art camp right from their church parking lot.

Artz N the Hood is an inspiring story of young culture-makers. The city they envision includes access to art education and a significant role for young people to contribute in real ways to making their city. Their story is a reminder that culture is always what we make. Culture is always communal. Q Nellum, the Bible study leader enabling these young culture-makers, shares our conviction that the city we make is fashioned from a diverse community of makers, including black and brown high school students. In our interview with Q and Sandra Jennings Curry, we hear the story of these culture-makers and what they produced: an intentionally wild environment of creativity and fun, where high school students lead and the whole community is involved. Artz N the Hood is a work of place-making best practices. Students learn about cooperation, leadership, social justice, and inclusion. They work together to make their city and reflect God’s Kingdom. Listen to this World Outspoken Feature to learn more about enabling young culture-makers making their city together.

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Footnote

1. Cover photo by Dayne Topkin on Unsplash

Podcast Credits:

• Recording: @lucasjmanning

• Music: @abelepadilla & @hellomrperez

• Production: @brandedhumans

• Interviewer: @rickyelpoeta