posted
Tomorrow, I'm going to church for the first time in probably 7 or 8 years. I was raised Baptist, but I stopped going to church due to what I felt was preachiness and also due slightly some hypocrisies I was seeing. So now, I'm finally coming back. I decided to ask opinions from others of what kind of church to go to. Everyone recommended Methodist. So that's where I'm going tomorrow. I'm so nervous though. I'm worried about getting there. I'm worried about not liking it or not fitting in. I'm just so worried. Someone hit me with something so my brain stops worrying.
Posts: 1960 | Registered: May 2005
| IP: Logged |
posted
Are you going with anyone? Are you planning to physically introduce yourself to someone there as a first time visitor to their church?
I've found United Methodist congregations to be very welcoming...if you want to BE welcomed. It's also possible to just attend and leave without having much interpersonal interaction.
posted
I'm going alone. I'm going to try and physically introduce myself to people. I'm going to go to the Sunday School class for college age people as well. I'm hoping that way I can get some interpersonal interaction out of it.
Posts: 1960 | Registered: May 2005
| IP: Logged |
posted
There will probably be "greeters" stationed near the door to shake hands with people as they come in. If you tell them you're a first time visitor and you haven't been to church in awhile they will likely introduce you to a few people and show you around.
Posts: 9866 | Registered: Apr 2002
| IP: Logged |
posted
Well I browsed both Baptist and Methodist sites for churchs around my area. I ended up going for Methodist on the recommendation of friends and family. I choose this particular Methodist church because they were one of the few with a Sunday School class for college age kids. Most of the rest had a big gap between youth and adult singles.
Posts: 1960 | Registered: May 2005
| IP: Logged |
posted
pfresh, hope you enjoy your Sunday at church. No need for nerves -- THEY are on trial, not you! ;-)
Posts: 3149 | Registered: Jul 2005
| IP: Logged |
posted
Yeah, that's what my parents said. They said "A.J., if you go to this church and don't like it, don't write off all churches. Just go try another one until you find one that fits you." It didn't make me any less nervous though.
Posts: 1960 | Registered: May 2005
| IP: Logged |
posted
Are you back from church yet? How did it go? I was going to share with you my experiences of visiting the Pentacostal church and the A.M.E. church, but you were nervous enough.
Let's just say, it was NOTHING like an Orthodox Jewish synagogue.
Posts: 10397 | Registered: Jun 2005
| IP: Logged |
posted
I'm back now. I went to the Contemporary Service from 11-12, then to the college age Sunday school class from 12-1:30. It was pretty good. Parking was kind of no fun (they only have a small visitor parking lot and it was full, so I had to park near the curb on a side street near the church). I went and introduced myself to one of their greeter people. They pointed out where stuff was to me and they were pretty friendly. I enjoyed the service; it was an equal mix of more contemporary music and traditional services. The Sunday school was okay. There were about 8 of us in total (2 married college age people, 2 engaged college age people, and then 4 of us that were just college age). The first half of the class was just spent joking around and socializing. The second half was a discussion of communication with God and such. It was fairly interesting. Odd thing to note: Even though I wasn't really dressed up, I was still more dressed up than about 70% of the people there.
Posts: 1960 | Registered: May 2005
| IP: Logged |
posted
Well, these are Christians, after all. Unlikely to do anything of the sort until at least the third date.
Posts: 10645 | Registered: Jul 2004
| IP: Logged |
posted
Nope, no bite marks to speak off. Kind of crazy, before I had even gotten home, they had brought over a bag that had information about the church, a fancy pencil, and a loaf of homemade bread. Kind of a nice gesture.
Posts: 1960 | Registered: May 2005
| IP: Logged |
posted
I gave the homemade bread to my roommate. He seemed to enjoy it.
As for the church, I did wish there were a few more college age kids. As I said (I think), I was the youngest of the group. 3/4th's of the group was married/engaged already, and they may all be out of the college age group within a year. I wish there were more people there around my age.
Posts: 1960 | Registered: May 2005
| IP: Logged |
posted
You might try one more church, it could even though it doesn't claim it, have more young college students.
Posts: 5362 | Registered: Apr 2004
| IP: Logged |
posted
Most the other churches seemed to skip over the college age group. It went youth (which went through grade 12) and then skips to adult singles (which is typically for people in their late 20's and early 30's). I'd be open to suggestions though.
Posts: 1960 | Registered: May 2005
| IP: Logged |
posted
But it's possible there are people in those ages there, just they aren't listed on the website. Also I know here in Bloomington IN, many religions have "campus" churches, which have lots more college age people. You might look at a church closer to your campus.
Posts: 5362 | Registered: Apr 2004
| IP: Logged |
posted
The only church super close to campus is the Asian-American Baptist Church, which I don't think I fit with (what with me not being Asian and all). The rest are 5-10 minutes away and are more or less clustered on one street (the street that the one church I went to today was on).
Posts: 1960 | Registered: May 2005
| IP: Logged |
posted
Not that I know of. I know that we have a Baptist student ministry that meets on Mondays (but I can't attend because it's when I have class). There's also one of the FOCUS groups or whatever around here. I don't know about services on campus though.
Posts: 1960 | Registered: May 2005
| IP: Logged |
posted
Wait, I'm still back on the homemade bread. Is this common in Methodist churches? If I were to go to one would *I* get bread??? Ok, I guess that would be immoral. Or at least deceitful. Mmm. Bread . . .
Posts: 471 | Registered: Jul 2005
| IP: Logged |
posted
I don't know if it's common or not. I was surprised they were so fast in trying to welcome me.
Posts: 1960 | Registered: May 2005
| IP: Logged |
posted
It's not uncommon, but it's not universal. Some UM churches do cookies. One church I visited gave visitors a copy of the church cookbook. The church I'm at now hands out coffee mugs with the church logo, stuffed with brochures about various activities and ways to get involved.
Some just follow up with a phone call or a letter. There's been a big push in the UMC in the last few years to be more intentional in welcoming new visitors, but the details depend on the local congregation.
Posts: 9866 | Registered: Apr 2002
| IP: Logged |
posted
I can try to find out what church the children of my husband's former employer go to (they're at UTD and Richland, respectively, and live in the area), if you want.
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
| IP: Logged |
posted
I'll ask my husband to see if he can find out tomorrow. I know they're either Methodist (more probably) or Baptist. Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
| IP: Logged |
posted
Well I now have at least some experience with both of those, so it should work if I try another church.
Posts: 1960 | Registered: May 2005
| IP: Logged |
posted
I just talked to Jeff's former employer, and I'll e-mail you with what he told me, since he gave me an e-mail and phone number to give you. Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
| IP: Logged |
posted
Bread is not uncommon, in my experience. My church (Lutheran) used to send out home-made bread to all the new visitors. I'm not sure why they stopped.
The Campus Ministry church I went to in college (again, Lutheran) sent out home-made cookies to new visitors.
posted
Nah, only the really old Lutherans named Ollie and Sven bring that to potlucks. You're much more likely to see Veggie Jello (tm) and assorted casseroles.
Actually, you really only see that sort of thing in the midwest, or so I've been told. Most Lutheran potlucks I've been to here (in Arizona) have contained mostly non-jello and non-casserole selections. And the exceptions are nearly always from people who grew up in the midwest.
posted
Well, my cousin's husband is a Lutheran minister, and was called to Minnesota, where they lived for several years. He says he dreaded potlucks there because at least three people would always bring lutefisk, and would come up and bring him some to try. Blech.
He does say he hasn't seen it but once since moving back to CA. Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
| IP: Logged |
posted
Oops, apparently it's "Ole" not "Ollie". My bad; I've only ever heard the jokes, not read them. And the wife's name is Lena; I had forgotten that.
quote:Are you back from church yet? How did it go? I was going to share with you my experiences of visiting the Pentacostal church and the A.M.E. church, but you were nervous enough.
Let's just say, it was NOTHING like an Orthodox Jewish synagogue.
Did they bring out the snakes? Or speak in tongues?
My uncle is a pentacostal minister and he jokes likes that all the time. The first time his Baptist daughter-in-law went to church with them he scared her to death with stories of their church and they are nothing like that.
Posts: 1319 | Registered: Jul 2005
| IP: Logged |
posted
At the Pentecostal there were no snakes. But tongues, lots and lots of tongues. And a band with a loud percussion section.
The A.M.E. church passed the collection basket, like, 8 times. I didn't know that it was going to be coming around and around, or I would have paced myself. The minister asked that we all give to support the work of the church in the community caring for the sick. They passed around the basket. I dropped in $5. They carried the baskets up front and emptied them. Then the minister asked us all to support the work in feeding the hungry -- and passed the baskets again. Then for a new roof. And some furnace repairs. And to help a young woman "in trouble". It went on for a while. In synagogue, they never pass a basket for collections.
Also, when I first arrived, I was pegged right away as a newcomer (I may have stood out as the only white person there). They pinned a HUGE fake flower and ribbon on me (like there was any chance of me blending in), and helped me fill out a card saying with my name, where I'm from, where I usually go to church (or not), what I do for a living, how I found out about their congregation. I was naive. I didn't realize that during the service, the minister would call out "We call on our sister Esther to stand now and witness for us." Two members of the congregation, a man and a woman appeared behind me, and "helped" me to my feet. " Our sister is a nurse who has known many members of our community in her ministry. Even though she lives not far from here, she has never set foot inside this church before. Our sister Esther has been going to a Jewish church, but now her eyes have been opened! Witness for us, Sister!" Everyone turned around and looked at me, and they were shouting things like "Hallelujah!" and "Praise G'd!"
I figured that I wouldn't share that experience until AFTER you had your easy and non-scary introduction to the Methodists.
At our synagogue, if you see someone you haven't seen before, you wait until the service is over, introduce yourself, and invite the person for lunch. If you are ever in town on a Saturday, with no lunch plans, this is a good bet for a free lunch.
Posts: 10397 | Registered: Jun 2005
| IP: Logged |
Printer-friendly view of this topic
![[Smile]](smile.gif)
I was just wondering when you were going. Hope you enjoy it!
![[Wink]](wink.gif)
![[Angst]](graemlins/angst.gif)
