Question Time!

[Deleted User] · July 2013

It makes me sad that this board is pretty dead. So, I think it's question time!

Did you grow up in church?

If you did, what's your favorite childhood memory from church?

Have you gone to the same church your whole life (or since you became Christian)?

If not, how many churches have you attended?

If you feel comfortable, why did you change churches (personal reasons, you moved, started attending with your FH/DH at a different church, etc)?

[Deleted User] · July 2013

Did you grow up in church? No.

If you did, what's your favorite childhood memory from church?

Have you gone to the same church your whole life (or since you became Christian)? Nope.

If not, how many churches have you attended? Regularly, 4. But I regularly visit the one where we are getting married. (It's FH's home church.)

If you feel comfortable, why did you change churches (personal reasons, you moved, started attending with your FH/DH at a different church, etc)? I started regularly attending church in college, so that's 1. I moved after graduation to Georgia, 2. Moved to Texas, 3. And now I'm in Virginia, 4. (Will soon be moving to Maryland, which will make 5.)

fre3doms · July 2013

Did you grow up in church? Yes

If you did, what's your favorite childhood memory from church? Probably how pretty it looked at Christmas time and the cool events we often had.

Have you gone to the same church your whole life (or since you became Christian)? No.

If not, how many churches have you attended? 4 regularly. 1 (that my parents still go to)until I went away from college, 1 in college, 1 after coming home and now the 1 my fiance and I go to.

If you feel comfortable, why did you change churches (personal reasons, you moved, started attending with your FH/DH at a different church, etc)? Current church was the one my FH and I picked together. We love it and Sunday I'm getting baptized there. 22 years after I became a Christian but better late then never. I'm also in charge of the church library now and look forward to having it ready for the congregation to use.

fpaemp2011 · July 2013

Did you grow up in church?

Yep. From conception.

If you did, what's your favorite childhood memory from church?

Children's choir, and later Youth Choir and Youth Praise Band. Youth Camps were AMAZING, as well, and have so many special memories.

Have you gone to the same church your whole life (or since you became Christian)?
No

If not, how many churches have you attended?
4

If you feel comfortable, why did you change churches (personal reasons, you moved, started attending with your FH/DH at a different church, etc)?
My parents worked every other weekend, so we went to church with my grandparents on those weekends, and church with my parents when they were off. When I was 9, we moved next to my grandparents (about 40 minutes from the church my parents went to) and moved membership to their church. When I was 15, almost 16, that church got a new pastor that my parents did not like. We started going back to their old church and they've been there for 11 years now. I was baptized there when I was almost 17, after being saved at 15.

DH and I were members of the church he was the youth pastor at from 2011-Mar 2013. We've recently joined a church in the town we're living in now. We had attended that church in undergrad, but never really got involved.

flutterfly88 · July 2013

Did you grow up in church? yes

If you did, what's your favorite childhood memory from church? I think it's the candy man, he was a greeter and he gave out candies to the children, it was caramels and then it was jolly ranchers

I also enjoyed the DVBS programs growing up.

Have you gone to the same church your whole life (or since you became Christian)? No

If not, how many churches have you attended? 2

If you feel comfortable, why did you change churches (personal reasons, you moved, started attending with your FH/DH at a different church, etc)? The first church was the church I was born into, and then the church that I am attending now is a daughter church (although different denomination, ask me how that works!) to the one I attended growing up. It was planted about 6 years ago, and I had originally gone just to help with the launching of it, but while there God told me to stay put, so I did.

[Deleted User] · July 2013

@elBecko I'll be in the Eastern Shore area, living most likely in/around Salisbury. Where do his parents live?

fpaemp2011 · July 2013

@elBecko- My in-laws are in Frederick.

[Deleted User] · July 2013

Yea.......... Salisbury, from what I'm gathering, is not "the place to be" in Maryland. On the bright side, we'll be only about 3 hours north of where I live now, which means that we will be able to come visit here so my FH can meet all of the people I currently attend church with.

amakayeb · July 2013

Did you grow up in church? Yes, at least for as long as I can remember.

If you did, what's your favorite childhood memory from church? I have a very vague memory of singing the Gloria Patri (part of the liturgy) when I was really little. I also remember taking a little notebook, and I loved drawing the hymn board. There are so many special people I remember from when I was little, too.

Have you gone to the same church your whole life (or since you became Christian)? I have attended many churches.

If not, how many churches have you attended? I attended 3 or 4 churches before I started school because of my parents moving. I remember all but the very first one. Then I went to the same church all through school. When I was in college, we would attend the campus church or go to any of a number of area churches on Sunday. After graduation, I moved 500 miles away to teach at a Lutheran school. I belong to one of the churches affiliated with our school, but occasionally will attend one of the other two. Before I became the full time organist at my church this January, I would sometimes go to the church in the town I live in if I had something going on or I didn't feel like driving 30 minutes to my church.

If you feel comfortable, why did you change churches (personal reasons, you moved, started attending with your FH/DH at a different church, etc)?

One funny note, my FH is doing his internship year at the church in the town I live in. When people found out we were dating, they all wanted to meet me and were wondering why I didn't start coming to church there. I think being the organist at another church was a pretty good excuse, though!

With FH going to be a pastor, I'm sure we will have a few more churches to attend throughout the years!

flutterfly88 · July 2013

@elBecko D stands for Daily

kjlamb · July 2013

Did you grow up in church? YesIf you did, what's your favorite childhood memory from church?Camp. I went to camp every summer. Loved every second of it. Have you gone to the same church your whole life (or since you became Christian)?NoIf not, how many churches have you attended?I have gone to several different church services but I have been a member of 2 WELS ChurchesIf you feel comfortable, why did you change churches (personal reasons, you moved, started attending with your FH/DH at a different church, etc)?We switched churches when I was in grade school because the pastor was easier to understand, so much so that my sister and I were begging to go to church. Now I secretly go to a Missouri synod church on some weekends because I like the way the pastor expains things better. I am only staying WELS for our future kids so they can have a good education. My Fiance is joining my church

kjlamb · July 2013

kjlamb · July 2013

alisonmarie658 said:

@kjlamb -- myself and @amakayeb are Team LCMS (yeah, we're a team now) -- are there not LCMS churches with schools near you?

there are but they are not that great-like 10 kids in a class, so rooms are combined.In the schools I went to I had 23 kids in my 8th grade graduating class and 113 in my high school. we memorized 15 passages a day and I know my bible inside and out because of it. I am just worried that LCMS will not have as vigerous theology/Bible knowlege training. I would love to speak to someone who did go to an LCMS school and High school.

lyndsay782 · July 2013

Did you grow up in church? Yes, but it was Catholic, and I left that denomination and became an AG Pentecostal Gal.

If you did, what's your favorite childhood memory from church? I loved going away on retreats in high school both as a student and as a counselor. It allowed me to become more immersed and was my first time experiencing God's wonders on a deeper level.

Have you gone to the same church your whole life (or since you became Christian)?

I grew up one Catholic church and since being saved have only gone to one.

If not, how many churches have you attended? Just two

If you feel comfortable, why did you change churches (personal reasons, you moved, started attending with your FH/DH at a different church, etc)?

I left the Catholic church back in college because there were parts of the doctrine that I began to question and had some issues with the other members I encountered (including my own parents, and their picking and choosing what parts of the bible they wanted to follow). You were never really encouraged to delve deeper into the Word, and if you asked questions during Youth group, your thoughts were ignored and dismissed if they weren't exactly what the priest wanted to here.

I was pulled to my current church last year, after my now FI got out of the hospital, felt the Holy Spirit, was saved and haven't looked back. It's such a different environment. The church I grew up in was basically 1-2 hours a week, and you were good. But walking a true Christian path is so different. As a Catholic, the rules of that religion got in the way of any real relationship I tried to have with The Lord, but now I've been taught that God is so much bigger than doctrine.

Disclaimer: I know that there are plenty of Catholics who do read their bibles, and who have relationships with God, so I'm not putting any of them down I'm just saying it wasn't working for me and my Christian walk.

amakayeb · July 2013

kjlamb, I actually teach at an LCMS school. While it can depend on the school, ours has a very strong Biblical/theological foundation. Now, my kiddos don't memorize 15 passages a day, but they still know their Bibles really well by the time they graduate 8th grade.

As far as combination classrooms, those aren't necessarily a bad thing. Many teachers of combo classes are able to do a lot of individualization for each child in their class. There are often more opportunities to provide enrichment for advanced students and remediation for students who struggle. The opportunity to learn from peers is also a benefit. I actually was in combo classes for most of elementary school (although I went to public school--there just weren't Lutheran schools in my area growing up) and it was always a wonderful experience.

As for the small class sizes, that allows our kiddos to form close bonds with each other that last long after they leave our school.

If you have any other specific questions, I'd love to answer them for you. But my main point is that the drawbacks you listed aren't necessarily drawbacks, and the best thing to do if you're interested is to visit the schools, talk to the principal/teachers, etc. The LCMS is very proud of its schools, and almost every one I've encountered has been a wonderful place. You could also check to see if the school has its NLSA accreditation, which shows that the school has gone through a rigorous process of evaluation, reflection, planning, and growth.

Just some things to think about...

amakayeb · July 2013

@alisonmarie658: Team LCMS-- I love that!!

arrippa · July 2013

Did you grow up in church? Yes but I left it when I entered high school. It took me 15 years to come back.

If you did, what's your favorite childhood memory from church? We did a little Christmas pagent and I was always a sheep. I loved roaming around the sanctuary on all fours baa-ing.

Have you gone to the same church your whole life (or since you became Christian)? No, I started out in an United Methodist church but I now attend a Southern Baptist church.

If not, how many churches have you attended? 2

If you feel comfortable, why did you change churches (personal reasons, you moved, started attending with your FH/DH at a different church, etc)? I started attending my now church after I moved.

Ash61612 · July 2013

Did you grow up in church?

Yes, I grew up in a church from a young childhood age.

If you did, what's your favorite childhood memory from church?

when we had VBS

Have you gone to the same church your whole life (or since you became Christian)?

no, I haven't gone to the same church my entire life

If not, how many churches have you attended?

I have attended 3 churches

If you feel comfortable, why did you change churches (personal reasons, you moved, started attending with your FH/DH at a different church, etc)?

There was some personal reasons why we left the 1st church to go to the 2nd. The second time my family left a church was because there was some personal attacks made towards my family. My parents haven't joined a church since then. I go to the church DH goes to. It's not a 100% fit for me but it works.

ochemjenn · July 2013

Did you grow up in church? No, but my mom did take me to Sunday school for a few years. I remember a lot of Sundays she was asked to stay for the service, and I would hope that we would stay, but we never did. I don't remember her bringing my younger brother, so I not assume that she didn't want to leave him home very long with my dad, or that my dad would have gotten mad.

If you did, what's your favorite childhood memory from church? I liked vacation Bible school. Whenever we drive by signs for them around town, I sing "Jesus Loves Me" in my head.

Have you gone to the same church your whole life (or since you became Christian)? no

If not, how many churches have you attended? 3

If you feel comfortable, why did you change churches (personal reasons, you moved, started attending with your FH/DH at a different church, etc)? I've moved. The second church I had stopped attending several months before moving. Although I had gotten involved there singing in the choir and with the young adult Sunday school, which was more involvement that I'd had in a church before, I felt pressure from people who thought I wasn't doing enough. My introverted self felt uncomfortable with the hints that I should be spending even more time with people and stopped all involvement/attending.

Ash61612 · August 2013

Have you gone to the same church your whole life (or since you became Christian)? no
If not, how many churches have you attended? 3

If you feel comfortable, why did you change churches (personal reasons, you moved, started attending with your FH/DH at a different church, etc)? I've moved. The second church I had stopped attending several months before moving. Although I had gotten involved there singing in the choir and with the young adult Sunday school, which was more involvement that I'd had in a church before, I felt pressure from people who thought I wasn't doing enough. My introverted self felt uncomfortable with the hints that I should be spending even more time with people and stopped all involvement/attending.

I am feeling this from some people at the church DH and I go to. They actually get upset and mad when I say no. I have a crazy, crazy work schedule and can't commit to doing all things I am asked to do.

fpaemp2011 · August 2013

Ash61612 said:

Have you gone to the same church your whole life (or since you became Christian)? no
If not, how many churches have you attended? 3

If you feel comfortable, why did you change churches (personal reasons, you moved, started attending with your FH/DH at a different church, etc)? I've moved. The second church I had stopped attending several months before moving. Although I had gotten involved there singing in the choir and with the young adult Sunday school, which was more involvement that I'd had in a church before, I felt pressure from people who thought I wasn't doing enough. My introverted self felt uncomfortable with the hints that I should be spending even more time with people and stopped all involvement/attending.

I am feeling this from some people at the church DH and I go to. They actually get upset and mad when I say no. I have a crazy, crazy work schedule and can't commit to doing all things I am asked to do.

Yeah...I did this as a pastor's wife. I did what I could...and what I felt God had gifted me to do. But it wasn't enough for many. They basically wanted me to be the co-youth pastor, even though I work best with babies and kids under 10, and most expected me to be back into everything 2 weeks after Ezra was born...I didn't even grace the doors of the church until he was 2 months old. It's one of the things that eventually caused us to start looking at what/where was next. I wish people would realize that pressuring an introvert will only cause them to withdraw even more-- not open them up.

amakayeb · August 2013

@fpaemp2011: My fiance and I have already talked about this. I'm also an introvert about to become a pastor's wife. He is very adamant that I will not be expected to be involved in everything. It's actually very sweet.

fre3doms · August 2013

Hooray for introverts! I'm one too. Not going to be a pastor's wife but I feel you about not wanting to be overly involved. I do plan on starting to help at children's church because we're switching to two services.

fpaemp2011 · August 2013

amakayeb said:

@fpaemp2011: My fiance and I have already talked about this. I'm also an introvert about to become a pastor's wife. He is very adamant that I will not be expected to be involved in everything. It's actually very sweet.

That's awesome. And I pray that the members of your future churches are supportive of that, as well.

People were actually pulling DH aside into his office to complain about me. Cuz that's the best way to handle that...

kjlamb · August 2013

@amakayeb thanks for the info, i will most certainly visit the schools and talk to the teachers there, and my fiancee. maybe soon i will join your Team LCMS

kjlamb · August 2013

alisonmarie658 said:

I agree with @amakayeb -- I went through LCMS school preschool to eighth grade and I had some combined classes and some not -- my school started expanding and started adding an extra teacher every few years based on when large classes were coming up and when the funding was available and for the last 5-10ish years all the grades have been separated. It definitely depends on the area. Where I grew up has one WELS church and no school and about 8 LCMS churches where 4 or 5 of them have Preschool-8th grade as well as 2 local(ish) high schools. My grandma used to be WELS because it was the only Lutheran church within an hour and a half but when they got a pastor that told them that they shouldn't pray with other denominations more than half the church left and started their own LCMS church. Just my experience though.

This is my biggest pet peeve with the WELS. How can they judge who's prayers God hears, and whose worship service is the best?

kjlamb · August 2013

alisonmarie658 said:

@kjlamb -- this always confused me as well because how are you supposed to evangelize if you don't pray with others?

I understand why they have that "rule" basically because WELS says you should not worship with them because then others will think you hold the same beliefs as them. As long as I know I am praying/worshiping with other christians-I see no problem. We are all praying to the same God, and have the same core values. No one is really that judgemental anymore where if im seen praying with a Baptist they will assume I am one also. We would just be 2 brothers/sisters in Christ praying for one another. No big deal.

amakayeb · August 2013

My parents initially started visiting the WELS church when they moved to their current city (when we were little and my mom was pregnant with my sister). She was really turned off when the pastor told her that sponsors had to be members of a WELS church. When she told him that our family was Lutheran, but not WELS, he said they could find people in the church to do it then. I think that was more just the pastor himself, but my mom did NOT want to have random people she didn't know, in a town she had just moved to, as my sister's sponsors! (It didn't help that the pastor also told her to sit in the back pew in case we were noisy and she had to take us out during the service...)

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