Why are Protestant Churches more friendly, helpful, and community oriented?

[SORROWS]

My Parish has so many activities, I have to keep a calendar not to miss the ones I want to attend.

One group my Parish has that I don’t think anyone mentioned is Always Our Children – understanding a relative who is homosexual. I’ve never attended but I know families that have really come together with love and respect due to this class.

The Socialable Seniors group is always going on trips. You have to sign up way in advance.

I love my Parish just the way it is. Everyone gets together after Mass for Coffee and doughnuts.

During Mass is my time with God.

 

[lak611]

True, but then again, you would never have had that sweet ( and most likely, once in a lifetime ) experience of returning Home. Talk about “Amazing Grace”!

[SIGN]Welcome Home, Brother in Christ[/SIGN]

I came Home in 96. When did you return?

God Bless!

Welcome home, both of you! I myself left the Church in 1996 and returned in 2001. Yes, God is amazing. “I once was lost, but now I’m found; was blind but now I see.” :bible1:

 

[Denise_Shae]

Welcome home, both of you! I myself left the Church in 1996 and returned in 2001. Yes, God is amazing. “I once was lost, but now I’m found; was blind but now I see.” :bible1:

Hmmm… we might need to start a “Reverts Reunion” Thread to praise Jesus and celebrate the joy of our Homecoming!
Or better yet, we could call it: “The Prodigals Have Returned”

[SIGN]Welcome Home to you, too, my Sister in Christ[/SIGN]

"O’ Sacrament Most Holy, O’ Sacrament Divine, all praise and all thanksgiving, be every moment Thine!" - Fr. Solanus Casey

God Bless!

 

[lak611]

During Mass is my time with God.

My church has a Mass on Saturday (Sunday Vigil), and three Masses on Sunday. There are daily Masses in the morning and evening during the week. So I have plenty of opportunity to have my time with God! Then we have all the different activities, mostly on Sunday, so I have my time with my neighbors in the parish too! It works out the best in both cases (being with God and being with my neighbors). :bible1:

 

[havemercy]

True, but then again, you would never have had that sweet ( and most likely, once in a lifetime ) experience of returning Home. Talk about “Amazing Grace”!

[SIGN]Welcome Home, Brother in Christ[/SIGN]

I came Home in 96. When did you return?

God Bless!

I returned this year. You can read how and why by clicking here.

 

[jmcrae]

We had Pancake Day today, after Mass.

We also have tons of other activities. The problem we have is getting enough qualified volunteers to staff all of the programs that we have.

 

[Wendy-Kay]

One of my complaints about the Catholic Church is that it’s unfriendly and not a very good community. I read posts here that say that Protestants are phoney and have just as many problems, and that you don’t go to church to feel good. But I think that Protestants have a lot on the ball. They offer more youth activities and church socials. We should be socializing within the Church. That feeling of community is an important thing, more important to some than others obviously. It’s also a big reason why people like myself are tempted to leave the church, because it’s not the greatest social support system.

I see my fellow Catholics getting involved in all sorts of other activities outside of church, but nothing’s happening in the church. Small Baptist churches will have a church van or bus and everyone takes field trips together. They have vibrant youth groups where kids can have wholesome fun and give the parents a break too. I wish the Catholic Church provided things like that more.

I don’t think any of this is true. Find another parish, as someone else stated. Or realize that the solution starts with you. It isn’t the clergys’ place to organize everyone’s social life. You, as the Church Militant, bear a responsibility as well. Join the parish council. Start a group. Organize a meet and greet. Start going to daily mass to meet the regulars. There is a milion things one can do.
It isn’t justifiable to be tempted to leave the Catholic Chruch because you aren’t having “wholesome fun” and there are no “vibrant” youth groups and vans. We go out of obedience to God. Jesus in the Eucharist should be reason enough.
My parish has all of those things you claim the RCC lacks, and it is because of the involvment of the laity. As we are reminded constantly by our good parish shepherd, it starts with you.

 

[lak611]

Or realize that the solution starts with you. It isn’t the clergys’ place to organize everyone’s social life. You, as the Church Militant, bear a responsibility as well.

This is very true. In the Protestant churches, it’s not the minister who runs the various groups and activities. Laypersons do this in Catholic and Protestant churches.

 

[water]

Disheartened, I still remember you in my prayer - if you are seeking to have community support, then keep seeking. Not because you are not finding one, it doesn’t mean there is noCatholic Church out there for you.

Don’t let others convince you that it is ok to have abortion. If you accept that, you will accept more worst things. You are seeking something for your need - that is good, but do not gain something and loose many other great things.

 

[Denise_Shae]

I returned this year. You can read how and why by clicking here.

It’s a wonderful witness to the beautiful Truth of the CC, Tony!

I posted a reply there.

God Bless!

 

[lak611]

Disheartened, I still remember you in my prayer - if you are seeking to have community support, then keep seeking. Not because you are not finding one, it doesn’t mean there is noCatholic Church out there for you.

Don’t let others convince you that it is ok to have abortion. If you accept that, you will accept more worst things. You are seeking something for your need - that is good, but do not gain something and loose many other great things.

I am confused here because I don’t understand what this thread has to do with abortion. The OP was asking about activites in parishes and didn’t mention anything about moral issues like abortion.

 

[puzzleannie]

One of my complaints about the Catholic Church is that it’s unfriendly and not a very good community. I .

you can’t take experiences at one or a few Catholic parishes and extrapolate them into a generalization about “the Catholic Church.” Some parishes are welcoming and friendly, some are not, some have lots of community-building activities and outreach, some do not, some parishioners make an effort to welcome newcomers, some do not. some have many stewardship and ministry opportunities for lay people, some do not.

I have attended or belonged to over 20 parishes in 8 different dioceses in my time and have experienced every spectrum of the scale from cold-blooded and self-absorbed to friendly, welcoming and an active light of Christ in the community. Depends on the pastor, the pastoral staff, the lay leadership and the community itself.

I have also, through family, friends and professionally had dealings with non-Catholic congregations of every description and found the same range of warmth to coldness.

as for youth activities, there are an abundance in this diocese but kids are so overscheduled with sports and extra-curriculars that they barely find time for CCD, let alone youth group or anything else. In this diocese parishes that do have 15-passenger vans are no longer using them to transport people because of lawsuits, and the inherent instability of this vehicle. (See a report on this in Group magazine last year, an evangelical-based YM publication). The dollar amount of lawsuits against the Catholic Church for liability cases related to transportation, especially youth field trips, is exceeded only by the sex abuse lawsuits, and is astronomical.

 

[water]

I am confused here because I don’t understand what this thread has to do with abortion. The OP was asking about activites in parishes and didn’t mention anything about moral issues like abortion.

Sorry, I was speaking to disheartened regarding this matter on the Catholic forums - that thread she wrote about the reasons why she wanted to leave Catholic, and one of the reasons is that she said about abortion.

 

[water]

you can’t take experiences at one or a few Catholic parishes and extrapolate them into a generalization about “the Catholic Church.” Some parishes are welcoming and friendly, some are not, some have lots of community-building activities and outreach, some do not, some parishioners make an effort to welcome newcomers, some do not. some have many stewardship and ministry opportunities for lay people, some do not.

I have attended or belonged to over 20 parishes in 8 different dioceses in my time and have experienced every spectrum of the scale from cold-blooded and self-absorbed to friendly, welcoming and an active light of Christ in the community. Depends on the pastor, the pastoral staff, the lay leadership and the community itself.

I have also, through family, friends and professionally had dealings with non-Catholic congregations of every description and found the same range of warmth to coldness.

Thank you for pointing this out. It is so true. At the parish I go to, St William in Round Rock, is one of the most active ones. There are so many activities at the church, and the Pastor is so great. I love every of his sermons.

 

[GregoryPalamas]

My Catholic Church is very friendly. www.byzantinecatholic.com

 

[Disheartened]

I’ve never mentioned anything about abortion in any of my posts, I don’t know how that got brought up in this thread. It’s amazing how some people can lead every conversation back to the topic of abortion I’ve noticed. I’ve always been stongly against abortion, but didn’t really want to talk about abortion here.

 

[Mommyof02green]

I’ve never mentioned anything about abortion in any of my posts, I don’t know how that got brought up in this thread. It’s amazing how some people can lead every conversation back to the topic of abortion I’ve noticed. I’ve always been stongly against abortion, but didn’t really want to talk about abortion here.

I know you didn’t!!! I myself wasn’t taken back by that statement…I even reviewed your other posting and couldn’t find it!

I think the poster may of confused you with someone else.

 

[Wendy-Kay]

I’ve never mentioned anything about abortion in any of my posts, I don’t know how that got brought up in this thread.

That caught me off guard, too. I assumed poster got you mixed up with someone else as well. But, don’t worry. I don’t think anyone thought you were considering an abortion.

 

[Eden]

DH - I understand why you feel shy because I am like that, too. But once you make yourself take that initial step by attending the first social function, you will only feel more and more comfortable.
So, why not give it a try? You have nothing to lose by trying.

 

[RCCDefender]

As for the kid thing-- Kids need to be entertained. You could tell me till your blue in the face that children need to learn how to sit in Mass and learn all about the catholic church and they have to do it in a solemn respectful way and I would say (that is why you lose them ) it has to be fun!!! When kids get bored, you will lose them. They will shut off their minds so fast and that is why kids leave the church. I dont know, maybe the protestant churches have a better grip on that.

I think if the CC would offer more programs like protestants do you would see more kids and adults staying

Im sorry if I have sounded harsh because I usually dont come on too strong. I guess I am having a particular nasty day.

Well, I hope you are just having a particularly nasty day because I really disagree with these statements. I don’t think the Catholic Church is losing anyone out of boredom. The Church is growing by leaps and bounds. The younger generations are becoming more orthodox, too. I think I remember reading about a study that concluded that. I think the aftemath of Vatican II left a lot of Catholics feeling lost and there was some falling away because of that. I kids were leaving the Church it may have been because much of the reverence was lost and the Mass in a lot of ways came to look more Protestant. Okay, now my little rant is over.

I wish I had Stephen Colbert as my Catechist. Maybe I wouldn’t have left the Church in order to return.

I’m only half-kidding.

This is hilarious!!!