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Dress up for church?

I am not a church-goer. I hope that I am a Christian to my friends and neighbors. The churches in this vicinity place too many limits and rules to fit the agendas of the church leaders for my wife and I to be comfortable with. I also am of the opinion that there can be a BIG difference between a religious person and a Christian person. The only true word is in the Bible, it is a History and a Code of Ethics. If you live within it's limits you can't go too far wrong.

Years ago I was guiding a cariboo hunter in the local mts. We were sitting on top of a pinnacle having our lunch and looking out across 70 or 80 miles of wild country. It was Sunday and I jokingly said that we had missed church. This old hunter extended his arm toward our view and stated, " Most churchy-folks will never know how great and wonderful God is".

I have often thought about that statement.
 
Our east coast church is very informal which is one of the things that attracted us to it and younger people. Folks come in jeans, tee shirts shorts or dress up more- what ever they feel like is fine. It makes it much easier on young families. There is a band with different types of guitars, drums, brass section, keyboard and often a fiddler. No organ music. No hymnals, the words are put up on an overhead screen. No carrying in of candles or prosessions. No robes, no pews. a pared down relaxed worship service. Attendance is a total of400-500 at two services. The sermon outline and Bible passages are up on the screen also. We are over-run with little kids and more on the way.

The church is big on folks learning the Bible and also that everything we are and have is really God's so the focus isn't on giving money but ourselves. That is key.

The church supports many foreign missionaries including some church members who have worked in difficult countries and there are some less organized outreach help into the non- member community.

The inevitable of all of the above is that committees absolutely have to organize it at meetings or there is chaos. If there is any way to run sizable church programs without meetings please tell me. I just finished a week of doing arts and crafts for the Daily Vacation Bible School- open to the community- we had 278 kids registered and over 100 volunteers. It was like organizing for a war I suppose!

Anyway, I'm delighted to be serving in a booming, exciting church like this. If you have a chance to join in or form such with this sort of focus, you may also find it worthwhile.
 
Your church sounds like one in Spearfish, SD.
It is booming and the pastor gives a wonderful message.
The lead guitar player/singer always adds something that
has to do with nature. He is very emotional about it and makes
it a valuable addition to the services. All the singers are joyous,
and the words are put up on a screen as well.

For any of you who would like to watch it online, the website is
www.teamcountryside.com

It is non-denominational and 2 services are held each Sunday.
They started this church about 3 years ago, I believe. The main
part of the church is a gym with a stage and they have added on.
No offering plate is passed, but you can give in a white box as
you leave the building.

Folks attend in all kinds of attire...but they do ATTEND!! The pastor
dresses very casual as well, but his message is what is important.
He delivers a really good message every week. For some reason, I
feel it is meant directly for me...
 
As an Elder, I am glad to see anyone there and appreciate the efforts to get there....


As a member, I try to make certain I am not wearing anything that would require extra work for someone elkse to clean up....

I once heard someone talk about reading the Bible in context. He sauid to imagine the sounds, smells, ect and place yourself there.. Foot cleaning... It was done on feet that had been walking down dusty roads.. Likely much of what Jesus was around did not smell very good. But he was most interested in the person...

Still, I try to clean up, but have been running late as well ACS... Glad you were there and hope you got something out of the real message rather than the one you were singled out for. The guy who cornered you is proof postive church is a hospital for imporfect people and sinners. I am glad you are showing up as you are looking for real medicine. Don't let the wannabe doctors detract you from why you are there,

PPRM
 
The sermon in church this morning was "Friendship". The pastor talked about welcoming EVERYONE to the church. In fact, 3 services on Sunday (maybe 1 on Saturday night) is being considered as he heard about some folks in need who drove through the parking lot, but did not come in, as the parking lot was full. This pastor doesn't care how people dress. He talked about "the Grace of God" regarding things like how you are dressed.

Anyhow, it made me think of this thread. As I said, anyone that wants to hear the sermon, www.teamcountryside.com.

It was a really good sermon.
 
burnt said:
sounds exciting nr. I would like to see it should the road lead there sometime.
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Come on ahead! We'd be glad to have you visit. (Just give me a heads up so I can clean :wink: )
 
Faster horses said:
The sermon in church this morning was "Friendship". The pastor talked about welcoming EVERYONE to the church. In fact, 3 services on Sunday (maybe 1 on Saturday night) is being considered as he heard about some folks in need who drove through the parking lot, but did not come in, as the parking lot was full. This pastor doesn't care how people dress. He talked about "the Grace of God" regarding things like how you are dressed.

Anyhow, it made me think of this thread. As I said, anyone that wants to hear the sermon, www.teamcountryside.com.

It was a really good sermon.
Click to expand...
I wonder if that is the church we visited in Spearfish right after the Ranchersnet get-together a few years ago?? Can't remember the name of it and we entered from a back door so I can't remember what the front of the building looked like. Wouldn't that be a coincidence! I love their website, something our church has been waiting on for too many months. We should have hired somebody to do it instead of leaving it to busy traveling geek members! I'm glad you found a helpful church Faster Horses. Do they have Home Groups? Our church encourages folks to meet in each others home about every two weeks in small groups. One has been meeting at our house for two years- a mix of people from their 30s to 80 years, married, single, divorced, widowed. We have a brief discussion based on the morning's sermon, pray for concerns then socialize. The purpose is to be a supportive family. It links folks together in an amazing way that cannot be done Sunday mornings.
 
An hour is a time increment that must have been invented for a reason. :roll: :-)

In my earlier post on this thread, it was alluded to that I really appreciate our pastor's good message each week. I also highly value that when an hour is up, he quits. This fact was brought home last evening when a guest speaker took the pulpit. While the message was very good, the hour lingered and lingered until it turned into an hour and a half. It was abundantly hot in the room which didn't help the situation. Trying to think back to the message in a week or two, the content won't be remembered nearly as much as how long it was. :oops: :roll: :wink:

It doesn't matter if it is church, a feed sales meeting, or cowboy poetry, brevity is just as important as the content of the message. That is one of the things that makes Shortgrass's sermonettes highly regarded. He can say so much with very few words.
 
Soapweed said:
An hour is a time increment that must have been invented for a reason. :roll: :-)

In my earlier post on this thread, it was alluded to that I really appreciate our pastor's good message each week. I also highly value that when an hour is up, he quits. This fact was brought home last evening when a guest speaker took the pulpit. While the message was very good, the hour lingered and lingered until it turned into an hour and a half. It was abundantly hot in the room which didn't help the situation. Trying to think back to the message in a week or two, the content won't be remembered nearly as much as how long it was. :oops: :roll: :wink:

It doesn't matter if it is church, a feed sales meeting, or cowboy poetry, brevity is just as important as the content of the message. That is one of the things that makes Shortgrass's sermonettes highly regarded. He can say so much with very few words.
Click to expand...

A 3-point sermon done in 20 minutes with a couple applicable examples is my favorite and about all I can follow. Taking notes helps for sermons longer than that but I get fidgety.
 

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