The Salem Baptist Church
On April 14th, 2013, I attended a service with my class at Salem Baptist Church. The Salem Baptist Church is located at 3131 Lake Street. This was a voluntary class visit and I attended it with about ten of my peers, along with my teacher. This was the first Baptist church I had ever experienced and, therefore, it was filled with exciting new experiences. I have never really learned about Baptists, but I had heard a few stereotypes and brief descriptions of Baptist Churches; as a result, I had some pre-conceived notions and expectations. I had a prediction that the church was going to be predominantly African American since it was in North Omaha and due to a popular stereotype of Baptist Churches. Also, I believed that there would be a very loud, energetic choir. Thirdly, I thought that the pastor’s sermon would follow a stereotype I had heard and be a very strong, loud, shouting message. My last expectation was that the church service would be fairly quick with a few songs and a short strong sermon. My first pre-conceived notion was correct. As I arrived at the church, I noticed that my peers and I were the only Caucasians, as everyone else was African American. My next pre-conceived notion was also correct. When the service began at 11:15am, the choir was full of energy and singing extremely loud. This continued throughout the entire service. Also, the choir was so energetic that they also danced and swayed during songs. The third pre-conceived notion that I had was also correct. The opening prayer, which was not done by the pastor, was a very loud prayer that was full of strength. The man that gave it had a very strong personality and provided inspiration with his stern voice. The pastor also followed this method and shouted his message into the microphone. Pastor Dr. Selwyn Bacchus was very passionate about his sermon and gave it with full force. My last expectation about the service length was completely wrong. The service ended up lasting about two