I was a Baptist and thoroughly enjoyed my time there while growing up. Our church was strong for most of that time with great leadership and a vibrant body.
As you may or may not know, each Baptist Church is autonomous. When the Pastor that had led the for many years retired, the turmoil began. Everything in a Baptist Church is put to a vote including personnel. That means, when a new pastor was chosen (elected), there were many that thought him the wrong choice. Therefore, about a third of the Church left. This kept going on and the Church membership and attendance dwindled. Last August, a very good friend of mine was asked to Pastor the Church. I went to the service where they would vote on whether or not to have him. They allowed members, that had been attending in the last year, over the age of 18 to vote. The vote was 42-0. Back when that Church was growing, there were probably over 1000 families there and now they could only muster 42 adults. Itās funny how things work out because if my friend had been asked to Pastor that Church a year earlier, I wouldnāt have been confirmed in the Catholic Church 11 days ago.
There is no hierarchy in many denominations and all of the hierarchy in the Baptist Church is local. Doctrine can and does change with each new Pastor. Iāve always had a problem with Communion (Lordās Supper) in the Baptist Church. If it was symbolic as the Baptists believe, why did Jesus not tell the disciples that left him because of that teaching, tell them that? Why did Paul say that it shouldnāt be ingested unworthily? I was shocked to learn, in my early twenties that the Baptists, at least the ones that I associated with, believed that Baptism was symbolic and not necessary. I always thought it was special that Baptists practiced a Baptism of immersion, just like Jesus. Learning that they thought it meant nothing crushed me. I always had problems with the āonce saved always savedā. If it was once saved always saved, why did Paul tell the early Christians to work out their salvation with āfear and tremblingā. It sounded a lot less guaranteed than some faiths would have you believe.
I spent most of my adulthood running from and to God. Every time I ran to God, I was flabbergasted by the doctrinal differences of the Non Catholic Christian faiths. It just seemed to me that there had to be a better way.
Two years ago, on September 22, 2012, my daughterās choir was having a concert and they were borrowing the Sanctuary of a local Catholic Church to hold the performance. I had Catholic friends growing up and had dated Catholic girls so I had been to Mass. This church was beautiful but I could tell there was something more there. Even though it wasnāt a church service, I could feel the presence of the Holy Spirit in that place.
The next week, I mentioned it to some acquaintances that were Catholic and I mentioned I was thinking of visiting the church. They encouraged that action. I went the next week and was simply amazed. The spirituality in that place was so thick, you could cut it with a knife. I literally could feel the hand of God massage my soul. Iām not ashamed to say that I truly love rituals and the Catholic Church embraces rituals that date back to ancient times. I was immediately hooked and did what I could to learn more and more about the Catholic Church and attended fairly regularly. Thatās not to say that Satan wasnāt waging spiritual warfare to keep me from the Church because he was. Thatās not to say that I didnāt struggle with some of the doctrine, I did, but the director of Adult Education at my Church helped me with those struggles by explaining what some things really meant. Once I had a solid explanation, there were no barriers that couldnāt be overcome.
I started Inquiry in February 2013 and loved it. I was certain I was going to start RCIA the next August but another, fairly hefty barrier was set in front of that. Like I mentioned before, a good friend of mine was asked to Pastor my childhood church. That church was near extinction and I thought it might be best if I attended there for a year, putting off RCIA for a year. The Adult Education Director at my Catholic Church presented a compromise. He said I could skip the classes in RCIA and he would meet with me every week and provide the training one-on-one. I accepted but as soon as I started RCIA, I knew I wouldnāt skip classes. I had to be there, learning with the group. Iām glad I basically bailed on his offer. Then at the Easter vigil, just 11 days ago, I was confirmed in the Catholic Church.
As far as my childhood Baptist Church is concerned, it is growing and will succeed. Their attendance now is nearly three times what it was when my friend was asked to Pastor and Iām confident that the Church will continue to grow. As far as Iām concerned, there are many that will never set foot in a Catholic Church for many different reasons and Iām glad there are places for them to congregate and learn about and worship God. Yes, there is a great lacking in these places but they do serve a purpose and it is to His Glory that they do exists. Some of these people, like me and the others that are posting in this thread, will be led to look for more in their worship and find the fullness of the Catholic Faith.
) that impression grew to a certainty. Now I struggle more with the fear that I wonāt make it to Heaven, but Iām as sure as I can be that there is one, and that a path exists to reach it.
Through a series of events and Nudges, I was directed to the Catholic Church. Last September (2013) when I was received into the Catholic Church, I FINALLY felt (and still feel) that Iāve come home, with a completion to my Jewish faith. Iām glad all the rest of you cradles and converts and reverts kept the home fires burning and the lights on! 