- Jun 2, 2024
- 67
- 22
- 28
- Country
- United States
- Faith
- Non-Denom
- Marital Status
- Single
OK, so after years of being a nonbeliever and more years of being lukewarm, I found a church in my state to attend. See, before July 2024, I didn't own a Bible, I had no Christian friends, and while I did watch some Christian content, I did not attend a church. Even now, I struggle with sins like lust (which is made worse by my romantic loneliness), profanity, and laziness. That's why for my 27th birthday, I got a New International Version translation of the Bible.
Next on the list was finding a church. I looked for some in my city, and I found one. It's non-denominational, but one of its pastors is an ordained minister of Assemblies of God. It's an egalitarian church, meaning one of the pastors (that I know of) is female. I visited the church with my mother on September 1st, 2024 (I visit her sometimes), to attend a Sunday service and vet it. So far, so good. We had worship songs, and the sermon in question was about transition--of how God can move us into new chapters of our life, and throughout the journey, can mold us. One of the pastors, he bought up Joseph, Jacob's son and Abraham's great-grandson. I'm familiar with Joseph's story, and how God allowed him to spend 12-13 years working in a different country and culture as a slave, or rotting in prison. Despite this, he became the second-in command of all of Egypt and saved them and his family from dying in a famine. We finished service by greeting any newcomers, and another worship song.
As for the church itself, both the clergy and the churchgoers are multiracial. Some black, some white, the pastor giving the above sermon was Indian. Their beliefs are as follows:
"We believe that the Bible is God’s Word. It is accurate, authoritative and applicable to our everyday lives.
So all of their doctrine is sound, and I signed up for their next scheduled water baptism (which is on October 20th) on their app. Tomorrow (September 22nd, 2024), they're having a luncheon, the intention of which is to help newcomers get to know each other and the church. I'll be attending. On a related note, I've also been bonding with a staff member at my workplace. Her name is Debra, and I cracked some Bible jokes about her name, and for the past few months, I had been sent to where she works. I work at a clinic, and I was sent to a center on-site that specializes in MRIs, physical therapy, and brain health.
I found out that she and her husband are both Christians, so apart from finding a church, I found a Godly woman who I can talk to. She gave me a card thanking me for all that I do, and said that she deeply appreciates me and likes the Biblical conversations we have.
Next on the list was finding a church. I looked for some in my city, and I found one. It's non-denominational, but one of its pastors is an ordained minister of Assemblies of God. It's an egalitarian church, meaning one of the pastors (that I know of) is female. I visited the church with my mother on September 1st, 2024 (I visit her sometimes), to attend a Sunday service and vet it. So far, so good. We had worship songs, and the sermon in question was about transition--of how God can move us into new chapters of our life, and throughout the journey, can mold us. One of the pastors, he bought up Joseph, Jacob's son and Abraham's great-grandson. I'm familiar with Joseph's story, and how God allowed him to spend 12-13 years working in a different country and culture as a slave, or rotting in prison. Despite this, he became the second-in command of all of Egypt and saved them and his family from dying in a famine. We finished service by greeting any newcomers, and another worship song.
As for the church itself, both the clergy and the churchgoers are multiracial. Some black, some white, the pastor giving the above sermon was Indian. Their beliefs are as follows:
"We believe that the Bible is God’s Word. It is accurate, authoritative and applicable to our everyday lives.
We believe in one eternal God who is the Creator of all things. He exists in three Persons: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. He is totally loving and completely holy.
We believe that sin separated each of us from God and His purpose for our lives.
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ as both God and man is the only One who can reconcile us to God. He lived a sinless and exemplary life, died on the cross in our place, and rose again to prove His victory and empower us for life.
We believe that in order to receive forgiveness and the “new birth”, we must repent of our sins and place our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ
We believe that in order to live the life that God intends for us, we need to be baptized in water and be filled with the power of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit enables us to use spiritual gifts.
We believe in the power and significance of the Church and the necessity of believers to meet regularly together for fellowship, prayer and holy communion.
We believe that Jesus, the same yesterday today and forever still heals, performs miracles and is actively involved in the life of the believer.
We believe that our eternal destination of either eternal union with God or eternal separation from God is determined by our response to the Lord Jesus Christ.
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ is coming back again as He promised.
We believe marriage is a gift from God that is designed for one man and one woman. Sexuality should only be expressed in the context of that marriage covenant."
So all of their doctrine is sound, and I signed up for their next scheduled water baptism (which is on October 20th) on their app. Tomorrow (September 22nd, 2024), they're having a luncheon, the intention of which is to help newcomers get to know each other and the church. I'll be attending. On a related note, I've also been bonding with a staff member at my workplace. Her name is Debra, and I cracked some Bible jokes about her name, and for the past few months, I had been sent to where she works. I work at a clinic, and I was sent to a center on-site that specializes in MRIs, physical therapy, and brain health.
I found out that she and her husband are both Christians, so apart from finding a church, I found a Godly woman who I can talk to. She gave me a card thanking me for all that I do, and said that she deeply appreciates me and likes the Biblical conversations we have.
