Living Water Evangelical Church
Two Congregations, Two Languages: One Church
With Naperville’s Asian population constantly on the rise, its no surprise that Asian-American Churches have been popping up all over town. On the North Side of town you will find Living Water Evangelical Church, a thriving Chinese-American church made up of Mandarin and English congregations.
In response to the need of maintaining their cultural identity, Living Water Evangelical offers worship services that stay true to their Chinese heritage. Their Mandarin services allow Chinese Americans a chance to sing Chinese hymns and hear scripture in their language. Meanwhile, the English services are an opportunity for younger Chinese Americans to come together and worship within the same building.
To learn more about Living Water Evangelical, explore the tabs below!
A Ministry dedicated to the worship of God.
Committed to growing together
Living out the life-changing message of Jesus Christ
We are
aspiring to be a grace-filled body of Christ.
striving to build on God’s truth and be transformed daily by His word.
a multi-generational Chinese church seeking to be a praying community of believers.
a family where each member offers their gifts, abilities, and experiences to further God’s kingdom.
encouraging one another to be all that God intends.
Finally, we are a broken people in need of grace, committed to being these things as a church.
English services at Living Water Evangelical Church are Sundays at 10:30am.
The Worship Space and Bulletin
During the school year, the adult english service takes place in the English Chapel while the youth english service is in the gym. Both are on the lower level of the church. In the summer, these services are combined and take place in the gym. The gym has a stage, set up with a band and some decoration, and folding chairs for the congregation to sit in.
You are handed a bulletin as you enter the worship space. To see an example, click here.
Congregation Demographics and Participation
This congregation is almost entirely made up of people from Asian descent. For the most part, the people who are not asian are either married to someone who is, or are friends of invited by people who are.
This congregation is pretty participatory in worship. During the praise songs, they are vocal and some even raise their arms in the air.
Worship Music
The music during this service is very contemporary. Led by a full worship band, they sing songs such as O Come to the Altar. However, they also sing contemporized hymns such as an updated version of the doxology.
Sermon
Unlike some churches, the sermon is not the central point of the worship service. Here, it is merely another part of the service.
Reading of Scripture
During the scripture reading, every single person in the room pulls out a bible. If they don’t have physical copy, they use their phones, but most have one on hand. If you don’t, someone will gladly let you borrow one.
Order of Service
Their order of service follows the contemporary approach:
- Call to Worship
- Praise
- Welcome and Announcements
- Mission Spotlight
- Offering
- Prayer for the Congregation
- Scripture Reading
- Message
- Communion
- Praise
- Doxology
- Benediction
One thing that’s emphasized through their service is the involvement of members of the congregation. As you will see in the bulletin, each part of the worship service is lead by a different congregant. This makes the experience more about the community and less about the leadership.
What it’s like to be a visitor?
While they don’t have any specific stations set up for visitors, the greeters are very friendly! After the service, you are invited to go to lunch, and they connect you with other people. During observation, multiple people came up to talk to me after the service and invited me to stay for lunch!
“That God is awesome, that he is great, that he should be involved in every aspect of your life. He should be Lord of everything, he should be first in every aspect of our lives. Worship is an expression of loving God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. That people would love God and appreciate him more.”
Website: Living Water Evangelical Church
Address: 1256 Wehrli Road, Naperville 60565
Phone Number: (630)-983-5677