Can i be brief? I'm not sure.
We missed church all the month of June until today. The first Sunday after the excommunication, i simply wasn't in the mood to go to any church, anywhere. The following Sunday Duane was away for a SAR commitment. The one after that was Father's Day & we never attend either that or Mother's Day (although Duane was off the mountain that day, too).
So today was our first day at a service for the month. We tried out a small church that is affiliated with Assemblies of God. Very passionate church. I liked that there are a lot of children there. I don't think either Duane or i would be comfortable attending there often.
The truth of the matter is that we like liturgical services. They are what Duane was raised with. They are part of a healing in my life coming out of an unhealthy church background. They feel "safe" to me - i know what is going to happen when & what to expect (except when G was doing the service!). And, frankly, most Protestant churches that are non-liturgical feel incomplete & unbalanced to me. The lack of the liturgy is such a loss. Also the loss of regular communion.
So, "home" is probably not to be found. But that's ok. Church hopping feels fine for now. I'd like to get involved in a "small group" so that we can meet others & perhaps make deeper connections. But, maybe in time.
Maybe, because the page is so wide now, this will look brief! :)
351
9 comments:
I don't know what church you were attending but I do know that it is very difficult to find a new church after attending the same one for many years.Linda
I don't know what church you were attending but I do know that it is very difficult to find a new church after attending the same one for many years. Good luck. Linda
Thanks, Linda. We were at a Lutheran Church that wasn't very healthy. We were excommunicated because we had begun visiting other churches. We'd been there 3+ years.
Thank you for stopping by & taking the time to comment. :)
I'm with you, Kathryn. Even though I don't attend church, every now and then I have a reason to go to one -- you know how it is, someone's son or daughter is in a Christmas play, you end being asked, and ...that's how I end up parked in a pew. Regardless of the reason, since I was raised in the Episcopal church, I find that more relaxed "modern" services sort of wig me out.
This is kind of a long story so I'll keep it as brief as possible, in one of those strange confluence of events, a couple of years ago I ended up sitting next to my ex-mother-in-law during a Christmas pageant. As it happens, we get along fine, but I'm surprised we weren't tossed out because we got to giggling during the hymns something terrible.
Between the guitars, and the relaxed lyrics, etc. etc. we both kept trying to join in a hymn singing the traditional words...and then being grossly out of step with the congregation.
What would Jesus do? Apparently give us both dirty looks because that's what was making us laugh like fools.
I hope you find a place that suits you soon, Kathryn.
I have been to Anglican and Catholic chrches which follow liturgy, don' t know any other. May the Presbytarians have a set liturgy???
May God lead you to a Spirit filled church
Congrats! I think the post was quite brief! Sorry to hear about your excommunication from your church for visiting other churches. That is quite sad as we are all part of God's family and the church shouldn't treat other churches as the enemy.
I imagine that the Anglican church is closest to Lutheran as far as liturgy. You might also try the methodists. I prefer the non-lithugical services although all churches follow some form of order of service. I trust God will lead you to the appropriate place of worship.
Growing up Catholic I sometimes miss the liturgy, sometimes I don't. Also, I like going to a house church, but sometimes I don't. It's all so confusing.
I like the new look of your blog. I am not a church person, a lot of it is that I wasn't brought up with it. I have gone once in a great while but not often.
I just had a spare minute and landed on this post of yours :) I just wanted to share my thoughts about "church" these days. We all have our comfort zones, things we are used to, like to see and are looking for in a church, or anything really, but I believe the most important thing in a church is that it be one where God is welcome. It might be comfortable to have everything outlined and a solid routine, or it might seem most enjoyable to have a church that matches each person's checklist, but really, we all need to encounter God. He is the one who heals us and He is who we need, and many times, I don't think He is welcome in most churches, they are too busy with their own agenda and seem to forget that God is alive and well and has things He would like to do to, but many churches are too busy to pay any attention.
I know I didn't have a home church for many years despite praying that God would show me where He wanted me to be. I was also kicked out of a church in the past, lol. When I first came to my home church now I didn't hardly give it a second chance because it wasn't "what I was looking for" but after praying about it and God continually bringing it to mind, I went back once more, this time open and allowing God to show me what He was doing there. I was blown away, am a member there now and am so incredibly thankful.
As I wrote shortly after that experience, we should stop doing so much looking and do more listening :) At least that applied for me, for sure! Bless you!
Post a Comment