I just wanted to share that I am extremely blessed to be where God has placed me. There is nowhere I would rather be on a Sunday than with these little ones.
That's fantastic! I've had the honor of serving on virtually every board and committee out there over the years. Although rewarding work I have to tell you that I have been involved in only the choir for the last 10 years. Very rewarding. Actually sang at a wedding in the church today.
I always find it wonderful when someone commits time to their faith community, especially when it comes to working with younger children.
I volunteer a lot of my time in a couple of programs for the Catholic Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas. I work with teens and young adults to help them with their call to vocations being the religious life, married life, or the devout single life.
As I was preparing to enter into the seminary, I met my now wife. The few years as I prepared and went through the process bought me such joy and happiness that I could not begin to describe. As a joke I say to some of the young men, want to be married try to become a priest!
@Bonanzadriver That is awesome! I grew up in the church, but gave my life to Christ almost 4 years ago after battling many demons. Went from a very terrible alcoholic to being trusted with the most precious gifts on this Earth.
I have always struggled with mental illness, but I feel God has His hand and plan to lead me through each season. His greatness and grace saved me from the brink of my own demise.
Church goer here. I've been going for my entire life, and even went to a seminary-type school for college (where I met my wife). While I'm not in the ministry, I help out at my church by serving on their media team once a month. Thanks for sharing your testimony, @ocpunk714 .
Brother love to see other spreading the word. I wake up every morning felling blessed and highly favored. With out the Lord I would have never made it as far as I have.
In most cases, I only have the opportunity to attend services at the truck stop chapels. You would think that most truck drivers could justify a shower, before they enter the House of God, and then they want to glare at me like I am being disrespectful when I come to service with a clothespin on my nose!
@motie2, my guess is if the Reverend preached that sermon, he might run off his truck stop congregation. The reality to it, is that changing into fresh clothing, would require most truckers to do laundry more often. That is, unless they are utilizing the old venerable sniff test.
I grew up with both parents on staff at a non-denominational church. I remember our children's church leader always had a bowl before and after it started, right there outside the foyer. It was like burning incense before entering the sanctuary. What a great guy...
71 year old retired clergy, who won't join the local congregation because if I was the young preacher, I would worry/feel that I was constantly being judged. (The fact that every preacher is constantly being judged, notwithstanding. I have taught a couple of adult ed classes there.
Good to hear from ya! @ocpunk714 I'm a priest in the Episcopal Church. My Sunday starts at 8:30 and goes 'til 5, thee services, two in English, one in Spanish. And if the "punk" in your handle means as in the Punk movement, I can join you there too. Saw Minor Threat play at the Channel in Boston in the early 80s, blew out my eardrums in Chicago going to hear Naked Raygun, Government Issue, Youth Brigade, Dag Nasty, Suicidal Tendencies, et al.
My father was a Catholic. My mother was raised a Pentecostal. My grandmother - who was Pentecostal - always said the important thing was a belief in God and encouraged us to attend as many different denominations as we could and find the one that we felt most comfortable with. Other than that she was a stereotypical member of her church. She was over 6-feet tall, wore her hair in a bun and when she had it down, her hair would almost touch the floor.
We had a Chaplain on my first unit and he would conduct services 3 times a week. He would preach that God would listen to your prayers in the woods or on the back of a ship floating in the ice just as much as he would if you were sitting in an expensive building. He always said he thought building a million dollar building to praise God when churches could use the money to help the poor was a sin.
I'm to old to appreciate punk rock, but I'm a big admirer of the work of the Episcopal Church. I partnered with the local Episcopal priest for nearly 20 years; he ran a weekly mass for the young developmentally disabled Christians in our community: He conducted Mass, I gave the homily/sermon, and a RC sister distributed the Host for the several young Catholics that attended.
I'm uncertain about punctuation: Should Priest, Mass, and Sister always be capitalized? @mseddon, give me a hand here?
Our younger son and his wife is a member of a small Episcopal church in West Louisiana. How small? 95% of the congregation are related to three families. Sunday services usually has about 25 people and they have an itinerant Priest who is only there once or twice a month. Each family takes turns doing the readings from the Bible on Sundays.
As a side gig, I served a congregation in Fargo that had twelve families. They had me lead services and deliver a homily, but the members took turns reading Holy Writ, just as you describe!!!
I have a friend who keeps cheeseburgers "on the down low"..... something to do with three biblical prohibitions concerning eating meat and dairy together.
Yeah. When I'm not holding my dental drill I wear a few hats here at Redeemer. My favorite role is the originator of our Men's ministry Pipe/Cigar (Whiskey) nights. Making incense and celebrating to the glory of God.
No and I've never understood believers of any faith. I believe most of the evil in this world is done in the name of a profit of holy ghost. Religion kinda creeps me out and that a "divine" power drives lawmakers scares me a little. I've always thought that promises of a righteous death were just fables to keep the masses fighting and working for the anointed ones.
That’s cool man. I wasn’t a believer either. I grew up Christian, but never really followed that way of life. The reason my life is still intact however, is because of Jesus Christ. I wouldn’t consider it luck because I don’t have any. I don’t consider it fortune because I have none.
There’s no way to explain it to someone who isn’t a bi-polar, suicidal, recovering alcoholic/drug addict. I was literally on the verge of killing myself. When God came into my life, everything completely changed. Life is as imperfect as it ever was, I am just more at peace now. God’s love truly comes with no strings attached because I’m the last person who deserves it. Just my opinion.
Also, my faith is only concerned with the teachings of the Lord. I don’t have one mindset to push an agenda such as politics. I just want to find like minded individuals such as myself. It’s how I ended up here. Lol.
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I've had the honor of serving on virtually every board and committee out there over the years. Although rewarding work I have to tell you that I have been involved in only the choir for the last 10 years. Very rewarding. Actually sang at a wedding in the church today.
I volunteer a lot of my time in a couple of programs for the Catholic Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas. I work with teens and young adults to help them with their call to vocations being the religious life, married life, or the devout single life.
As I was preparing to enter into the seminary, I met my now wife. The few years as I prepared and went through the process bought me such joy and happiness that I could not begin to describe. As a joke I say to some of the young men, want to be married try to become a priest!
I have always struggled with mental illness, but I feel God has His hand and plan to lead me through each season. His greatness and grace saved me from the brink of my own demise.
(The fact that every preacher is constantly being judged, notwithstanding. I have taught a couple of adult ed classes there.
We had a Chaplain on my first unit and he would conduct services 3 times a week. He would preach that God would listen to your prayers in the woods or on the back of a ship floating in the ice just as much as he would if you were sitting in an expensive building. He always said he thought building a million dollar building to praise God when churches could use the money to help the poor was a sin.
I'm uncertain about punctuation: Should Priest, Mass, and Sister always be capitalized? @mseddon, give me a hand here?
There’s no way to explain it to someone who isn’t a bi-polar, suicidal, recovering alcoholic/drug addict. I was literally on the verge of killing myself. When God came into my life, everything completely changed. Life is as imperfect as it ever was, I am just more at peace now. God’s love truly comes with no strings attached because I’m the last person who deserves it. Just my opinion.