Wishing to be Protestant again...

[Jerry_Parker]

Gamewell,

**You wrote: ** Everytime I see things like this written, it makes me really glad that I’m an Episcopal[ian], because it reinforces my belief that we don’t brand others who are different then we are.​

I’ve read a lot by “Continuing” Anglicans outside of, and besieged theologically orthodox members within, the Protestant Episcopal Church over the last couple of decades, and it seems to me that they chafe under some epithets that the trendy-minded and heretical majority of Protestant Episcopalians use to label them, as if they were shameful rather than some of them even being badges of honour, terms like Dinosaur, Fossil, Sexist, Traditionalist, Continuer, Schismatic, and some others. No, there is as much pride and arrogance among mainline Protestant Episcopalians as there happens to be among other Christians!

Pax, Jerry Parker

 

[gamewell45]

Gamewell,

**You wrote: ** Everytime I see things like this written, it makes me really glad that I’m an Episcopal[ian], because it reinforces my belief that we don’t brand others who are different then we are.​

I’ve read a lot by “Continuing” Anglicans outside of, and besieged theologically orthodox members within, the Protestant Episcopal Church over the last couple of decades, and it seems to me that they chafe under some epithets that the trendy-minded and heretical majority of Protestant Episcopalians use to label them, as if they were shameful rather than some of them even being badges of honour, terms like Dinosaur, Fossil, Sexist, Traditionalist, Continuer, Schismatic, and some others. No, there is as much pride and arrogance among mainline Protestant Episcopalians as there happens to be among other Christians!

Pax, Jerry Parker

Jerry,

Thanks for your response. I cannot comment one way or another as I’ve not been exposed to what you’ve described here.

 

[Roy5]

For a period of perhaps 5 years I deliberately went on a church-search. I visited not only Catholic and Protestant churches (my heritage is both), but also Orthodox, Mormon, Buddhist, Jewish, Hindu, Sikh - you name it, and I’ve probably been there. Some weekends I would attend two, even three services. I enjoyed experiencing the different traditions, learning about other faiths, better understanding how various religious groups operated and what they believed.

  A few findings - generalizations, too.

 (1) As a whole, in this area anyway Catholic churches have much larger congregations and are less friendly. Sometimes it seems that parishioners try to beat each other to the parking lot. Protestant churches are much more numerous but usually smaller - with the exception of a mega-church here and there. Most members seem to remain for the 'coffee hour'. There often - not always - is a deliberate attempt to find out who visitors are, welcome them, introduce them around, etc. 

  (2) Worship in 'low' Protestant churches - less liturgical, like Baptists, Presbyterians,  Congregationalists, Methodists - are much more informal during the service, maybe introducing guests, passing out ' visitors kits', providing visitors ribbons, etc. They often 'take attendance' (registration forms in pews) and write visitors soon, maybe even call and try to arrange for a visit. They is likely to be more attention to sick of the parish, more made out of deaths, weddings, etc. Baptisms are usually held during worship. And much more.

  (3) Catholic worship is more formal and 'uniform' - the same liturgy in every church, specific readings, less lively music, etc. Much depends upon the priest. There are the boring ones and there are the lively ones. If one wants a short sermon, yo'll get it from them. Some Protestant preachers are simply too long-winded. And some run the church like a Bible class. I personally prefer a 20-minute sermon that is relevant to daily living and neither a 5-minute homily or a 45-minute jumping from verse to verse (proof-texting, I think it's called). Again, a lot depends upon the 'performance of the preacher'. Some have good content and bad delivery. Others, vice-versa.

  (4) What I especially like about many mainline Protestant churches - the more 'liberal' ones' - is that they often stimulate one's thinking without trying to tell you what to think. Over the years I've become more and more skeptical of both traditional Catholicism with so many doctrines difficult to believe and conservative Protestantism which seems to worship scripture. When we read in the Bible that Eve was made from Adam's rib or that Moses turned a rod into a snake or that God ordered Saul to murder every remaining Amalekite - no, I simply don't believe such things!  

  My conclusion is that we ought to attend the church where we feel closest to God. Some folks like a rich liturgy and others prefer less formal worship. There are very different tastes in music - I like a mixture myself. Friendliness is key to me. I always feel a bit alienated when I attend worship and nobody says boo, even if I go to the coffee hour. I find that Catholic and Protestant churches vary in how friendly they are, though Protestants win out overall. In this area that probably has a lot to fo with size of congregation. Shortage of priests may play a part, too. 

  Oh, and I also enjoy hearing women preachers. They are likely to bring a different perspective. I wish some of them would talk a bit louder or speak more directly into the mike. 

  That's it for now, though there's plenty more to say. 

  God bless people of every creed, color and country. May religion become a bridge rather than a barrier.

 

[Roy5]

Wow! And my last posting was #666. If I were superstitious that might make me nervous. That’s one thing that troubles me about many Christians of all varieties. Far too much superstition that tries to pass as Christianity! I need a reasonable faith, not one filled with tales that strike me as unbelievable in our time.

 

[crazzeto]

Wow! And my last posting was #666. If I were superstitious that might make me nervous. That’s one thing that troubles me about many Christians of all varieties. Far too much superstition that tries to pass as Christianity! I need a reasonable faith, not one filled with tales that strike me as unbelievable in our time.

idk, Solomon had 666 gold coins in his valut when he went bad (or so I’ve heard I haven’t investigated), and certainly Christ lost his Apostles in John 6:66

Needless to say, I would suggest that I could only agree with your previous posting if truth didn’t matter. But it does to me. That said, I certainly do appreciate your thoughts. God bless,

 

[UponTheAltar]

Everytime I see things like this written, it makes me really glad that I’m an Episcopal because it reinforces my belief that we don’t brand others who are different then we are.

You know, maybe this statement would work better had I been raised Catholic with no exposure to other churches but, this is not the case. I also had an Episcopalian roommate up in college so, I can say what I said from experience. I didn’t say they don’t pray at all but, it always seems like church is the time when they all come together to talk. Fellowship is great but, it should not take precedence over prayer.

 

[Deb_H]

I think part of it is cultural. Protestants see no disparity between meeting friends, asking how the kids are doing, talking about work, setting down in the pew and singing the first hymn. To them, this is all one thing. Worship and friendship go hand in hand.

This is not the mindset I’ve seen in Catholicism. A Catholic reverently enters the hallowed sanctuary, kneels, silently prays and prepares themselves for mass. Any talk of earthly things would be frowned upon as distracting from God’s presence. This is not a criticism, just an observation and I don’t think Catholics would disagree with that sentiment?

Same with leaving. No Protestant would think of leaving without saying hi to everyone else, it would be considered rude unless the kids were screaming, etc. Catholics on the other hand, leave with the same reverence they came with. There may be some socialization, but not much more than a hello.

So, if your a Catholic and you want to meet other Catholics, don’t think Mass is going to fill that void. You have to find other venues, such as K of C, and any other groups that may be out there. You may have to even start it yourself and see what happens.

Fair assessment?

oh yeah ! sometimes missing that protestant fellowship
the weird thing about your assessment is not that its fairly true , its that
the Protestant church I was at taught a "me and God " line … and there the fellowship was great
The Catholic churches I have been part of teach an "us and God no one gets out alone " kind of line and the fellowship is not so great …

What gives ? I love being Catholic … I love the reverence . I still miss worship music that means something to me today and bible study with folks who participate fully and share fully .

 

[stormy99]

We have a large parish over 2,000 people…there are many opportunities for fellowship if you care to do participate…Bible study, Respect Life, picnics, name it…I don’t think of my Church as a place to be social…I think of it as a place to worship…

I was a Protestant and there is nothing worse in the entire world than hearing an hour long sermon…nothing…I don’t want to hear I’m going to hell unless I pledge more money…or read the Bible for an hour a day…or whatever strikes the pastors fancy that week…the Homilies at our church are 15 mins max…and they are not the most important part of the mass…No one tells me I am in adequate…rather we hear we are doing well…growing in our faith. And there’s always a comment on how if we choose to grow more.

Crying babies…a fact of life…but there is a nursery for them…school age children attend mass and do well…especially those that attend the school since they attend mass during the week.

Sunday school which I attended as a kid…another waste of time…why put them in Sunday School…

Fellowship is where you find it…and shouldn’t be the sole reason for being Catholic…

stormy

 

[gamewell45]

I was a Protestant and there is nothing worse in the entire world than hearing an hour long sermon…

10-15 minutes at my Parish.

 

[crazzeto]

We have a large parish over 2,000 people…there are many opportunities for fellowship if you care to do participate…Bible study, Respect Life, picnics, name it…I don’t think of my Church as a place to be social…I think of it as a place to worship…

I was a Protestant and there is nothing worse in the entire world than hearing an hour long sermon…nothing…I don’t want to hear I’m going to hell unless I pledge more money…or read the Bible for an hour a day…or whatever strikes the pastors fancy that week…the Homilies at our church are 15 mins max…and they are not the most important part of the mass…No one tells me I am in adequate…rather we hear we are doing well…growing in our faith. And there’s always a comment on how if we choose to grow more.

Crying babies…a fact of life…but there is a nursery for them…school age children attend mass and do well…especially those that attend the school since they attend mass during the week.

Sunday school which I attended as a kid…another waste of time…why put them in Sunday School…

Fellowship is where you find it…and shouldn’t be the sole reason for being Catholic…

stormy

I certainly pray that your pastor is reminding y’all to hit the confessional everyonce in a while… While I agree that hell shouldn’t be the main focus point, I think it’s worth being reminded there is one and you can go there every once in a while.

 

[Jerry_Parker]

Stormy,

**You wrote: ** I was a Protestant and there is nothing worse in the entire world than hearing an hour long sermon…nothing … [but] whatever strikes the pastor’s fancy that week. The Homilies at our [Catholic] church are 15 mins. max – and they are not the most important part of the Mass.​

I am with you, up to a point! The sects (Baptists, Pentecostalists, Campbellites, Adventists, et alia) are the worst offenders. They have abolished everything but the sermon, hymns (and sometimes a bit of other music), to the point that church-going becomes no better than, or different from, going to a public lecture hall! Even reciting the Apostles’ Creed or saying responsive Psalms is “too popish” for many of these! About the only prayers are usually one from the minister and another from somebody in the congregation, extemporaneously worded (hence often gauche and riddled with platitudes) and maybe an “altar call” (from preachers of a particularly strong, and unfortunate, “Arminian” soteriological persuasion). And, indeed, those hour-long sermons require more Sitzfleisch and patience week after week than any congregation should be required to exercise.

Another abuse in sects that have no Church Calendar and appointed Scripture readings for the Christian Year, is to preach over and over again on the same topic, or a few favoured subjects, and/ or on a small handful of favourite passages from Scripture, without covering adequate theological and exegetical ground during a year’s time. At least that is not so likely to happen in parishes of Catholic or other liturgical tradition.

However, all that I hear these days in the Catholic parishes around here (in Rouyn-Noranda, or have heard in those in Greater Montréal, or whether in English- or French-speaking congregations) are teenie-weenie sermonettes of about five minutes duration, and that is scandalously too little! You are lucky to hear homilies of even fifteen minutes’ length! The clergy do not seem to care for the reality that most parishioners only receive Christian instruction when they go to weekly Mass. Can they really think that five minutes, often of mere sentimental fulff, is enough for the growth of a Christian man or woman? Nay!! It is true that lay people ought to do some reading at home, regularly or at least now and then, of a Christian nature, and to read during the week, from the Holy Scriptures, but we know that even many Protestants and sectaries do not do that much, and certainly rather few Catholics! Only a minority of Catholics, for that matter, regularly listen to or watch Catholic radio and TV fare. No, a sermon of substance at Saturday and Sunday Masses is essential to the well-being and spiritual growth of the congregation to which a priest has been entrusted. That does not have to be more than fifteen minutes, if the priest is really potently concise and effective, more likely twenty to thirty minutes for a priest of average (or less) skills in formulating and shaping his sermon (but who still could preach adequately), but to pare things down to five (or even ten) minutes is scandalously inadequate!

Yes, the sermon has its part in the service, not even being the principal part of it during the Mass, but there are real duties for Catholic priests to take seriously preparation for, content of, and adequacy of their homilies or sermons.

Pax, Jerry Parker

 

[Lost_Again]

i didn’t know you were a convert… hmmm… coulda fooled me… Then again, converts and reverts make the best Catholics…

i should have left the Church a LONG time ago… what with all the liberal priests… rude priests… rude parishioners… uncaring Catholics who look down their noses at the less fortunate (lots of stories on that one…)

but what i get at the RCC is something i can’t get anywhere else… the Real Presence is only There… The Mass !!! How can anyone in his right mind (soul) leave the MASS, where all of Heaven participates… !!!

i irritated someone once by saying tht anyone who leaves the Church never knew Catholicism… but its true…

Ok Distracted… so maybe I hit you a little harder than I should have especially since you sincerely feel that way… its just that I hear that so much that its starting to wear thin on me… Its like the people who tell me I am “Under”-Catechized, or improperly catechized. I’ve been studying Scott Han and John Martignoni for three years along with a group of other fallen away Catholics trying to make the journey home…

please accept my mea culpa…

Serious question for you and Jerry

So where does it say in the Catechism that we are supposed to be miserable the whole time we attend church?? You both obviously have issues in your own parishes…

I too don’t remember the RCC being this way when I was a kid, a young adult, and even right before I left the church in '95 or so…

What the heck happened in my absence?

 

[Eklecktika]

As I mentioned before, I helped bring others to the Catholic Church, but now I’ve got a dilemma. My two kids, ages 12 and 13 are really complaining about going to our ‘boring church’ when their Protestant friends do all these really fun activities their churches sponsor. And I have an older son who may be considering becoming Catholic, but he has 4 children ages 1-6. I wince at the prospect of telling him he can’t put his children in Sunday School while he and his wife go to mass, but instead he has to keep four children under control for an hour while having to listen to a boring sermon. These are not show stoppers, but they really detract from giving incentives to joining the Church.

I realize that other will have chimed in on this, as I’m late to the party, but:

Are you looking for spiritual nourishment or entertainment? Mass is not supposed to be entertaining. I realize that some priests are better speakers than others, but is not the point of Mass the Eucharist, not the sermon?

I grew up with younger siblings-my brother and I are 18 mos apart, exactly-and there was no problem with us staying ‘under control’ for an hour. It was simple-either behave, or get hauled out of church, get a swat, and THEN behave. I may be a slow learner, but I pick it up eventually.

Seriously. If parents can’t get their kids to sit down and shut up for an hour, there’s a problem there. Nothing wrong with bringing a small, quiet toy to play with for a young child, but by six, certainly, a child ought to be capable of sitting quietly. And for the record, I have a son who will be four the end of october, and he sits quietly, sans toy, and knows that when we are at ‘God’s house’ he has to watch ‘God’ (aka the priest). We do not sit in the cry room, where children old enough to wear high heels are allowed to run wild. We sit in the sanctuary with everyone else, and act like big kids.

I don’t know of any teen or preteen that doesn’t gripe about going to church. That’s where parental discipline comes in. As my dad told me when I complained about it-“Suck it up, kid. You’re under my roof, you’re going to Mass.”

Life isn’t about being entertained, it’s about doing what is right. The earlier that lesson is learned, the better off kids will be. I can’t be sympathetic to the reasons given here. Theological issues, yes. But social issues, and ‘it’s not fun?’ Sorry.

Is there not a CYO that your kids can join? My CYO group went skating, skiing, swimming, made ice cream, picked raspberries, watched movies, etc, etc, etc. But we had a dedicated parent to donated their time to organize such events. If everyone expects ‘someone else’ to do it, who will?

 

[Jerry_Parker]

Lost Again,

**You asked: ** Serious question for you and Jerry. So where does it say in the Catechism that we are supposed to be miserable the whole time we attend church?? You both obviously have issues in your own parishes. I too don’t remember the RCC being this way when I was a kid, a young adult, and even right before I left the church in '95 or so.​

Um-m-m, really, Lost Again, I don’t think that I, for my part, expressed things that way! I certainly do not regard preaching, whether pitifully short or excessively extended long, as a cause of soul-benefitting but masochistic “misery”! I do have to stifle myself from being overly disgruntled by that sort of thing, and by the unwanted brevity and lack of Christ-centred piety and beauty of the Novus Ordo. However, I certainly do feel more unhappy, or even downright miserable, if I cannot get to Mass for the week!

No, the R.C.C. was not like that when I was younger, either. But in my case that was during the blissful days when the 1962 and 1965 Latin Mass still was the norm and preaching and music were substantial and edifying.

Things can be worse than the Novus Ordo. One could be a sectary! That is something that I don’t wish for any Catholic to become!

Pax, Jerry Parker

 

[Lost_Again]

Lost Again,

**You asked: ** Serious question for you and Jerry. So where does it say in the Catechism that we are supposed to be miserable the whole time we attend church?? You both obviously have issues in your own parishes. I too don’t remember the RCC being this way when I was a kid, a young adult, and even right before I left the church in '95 or so.​

Um-m-m, really, Lost Again, I don’t think that I, for my part, expressed things that way! I certainly do not regard preaching, whether pitifully short or excessively extended long, as a cause of soul-benefitting but masochistic “misery”! I do have to stifle myself from being overly disgruntled by that sort of thing, and by the unwanted brevity and lack of Christ-centred piety and beauty of the Novus Ordo. However, I certainly do feel more unhappy, or even downright miserable, if I cannot get to Mass for the week!

No, the R.C.C. was not like that when I was younger, either. But in my case that was during the blissful days when the 1962 and 1965 Latin Mass still was the norm and preaching and music were substantial and edifying.

Things can be worse than the Novus Ordo. One could be a sectary! That is something that I don’t wish for any Catholic to become!

Pax, Jerry Parker

Arrrrghhh…

That’ll teach me to try and post when I have ten minutes left on lunch… Look for a carefully re-crafted re-wording of the question…soon!

 

[RBK]

In my reading this morning I came across this: “The Mass is long,” you say, and I reply: “Because your love is short.” St. Josemaria Escriva

This sort of cuts to the heart of the matter for me. If we believe that Christ established a Church and that the highest form of prayer - that ****mos**t **pleasing to God - is the Sacrifice of the Mass…then what’s our problem?

During my last year as a protestant, there were two very memorable “worship” services for me. The first: a popular radio finance personality came to speak on a Sunday morning. Just prior to his taking the stage (yes a stage - this was a “warehouse” type church) the praise and worship team sang Gwen Stefani’s “Rich Girl.” How pleasing to God…

And second: on this church’s 10 year anniversary - again on a Sunday morning, confetti poured from the ceiling and hundreds of beach balls were thrown into the congregation. People were batting them around like at a frat party. When one hit me soundly in the back of the head, I decided at that moment that I had had enough.

I have never looked back. May I always keep my eyes fixed on what pleases God…not me.

 

[gretahope]

I realize that other will have chimed in on this, as I’m late to the party, but:

Are you looking for spiritual nourishment or entertainment? Mass is not supposed to be entertaining. I realize that some priests are better speakers than others, but is not the point of Mass the Eucharist, not the sermon?

I grew up with younger siblings-my brother and I are 18 mos apart, exactly-and there was no problem with us staying ‘under control’ for an hour. It was simple-either behave, or get hauled out of church, get a swat, and THEN behave. I may be a slow learner, but I pick it up eventually.

Seriously. If parents can’t get their kids to sit down and shut up for an hour, there’s a problem there. Nothing wrong with bringing a small, quiet toy to play with for a young child, but by six, certainly, a child ought to be capable of sitting quietly. And for the record, I have a son who will be four the end of october, and he sits quietly, sans toy, and knows that when we are at ‘God’s house’ he has to watch ‘God’ (aka the priest). We do not sit in the cry room, where children old enough to wear high heels are allowed to run wild. We sit in the sanctuary with everyone else, and act like big kids.

I don’t know of any teen or preteen that doesn’t gripe about going to church. That’s where parental discipline comes in. As my dad told me when I complained about it-“Suck it up, kid. You’re under my roof, you’re going to Mass.”

Life isn’t about being entertained, it’s about doing what is right. The earlier that lesson is learned, the better off kids will be. I can’t be sympathetic to the reasons given here. Theological issues, yes. But social issues, and ‘it’s not fun?’ Sorry.

Is there not a CYO that your kids can join? My CYO group went skating, skiing, swimming, made ice cream, picked raspberries, watched movies, etc, etc, etc. But we had a dedicated parent to donated their time to organize such events. If everyone expects ‘someone else’ to do it, who will?

Just my $.02…how did you understand that the OP wanted to be entertained? I read that he simply wanted warm fellowship. The book of Acts speaks of a church that helped each other in need, broke bread in each other’s homes, etc…something that many Protestant churches take from scripture as an important aspect of church life. I too miss this aspect greatly. Not sure what’s so awful about that…

 

[Eklecktika]

Gretahope, here is the OP again:

Hi, I chose that title to be somewhat provocative to hopefully garner people who could reply to this thread. I converted from Protestantism more than 10 years ago and I am happy to be Catholic. However, having said that I do miss much of the social aspects of a Protestant church. There were programs and bible studies for every age group; there were many ways of connecting to different people in your church–I had lots of friends in church and we would call each other up and do things together. There would be family picnics and other outings the church would sponsor.

In my 10 years of being Catholic my knowledge of truth has increased but at the cost of fellowship. I’ve been around 4 different Catholic churches in 10 years and all of them seem to be not much more than ‘Eucharist factories’ where you shuffle the people in, give them a boring homily, the Eucharist and shuffle them out until next week when you can do it again. The earliest youth group starts at high school.

I have brought some of my brothers and sisters in to the Church, but we all are beginning to pine for the days when going to church was enjoyable.

It does really appear to me that the Catholic Church, as an institution, does not foster fellowship anywhere near as much as the Protestant churches do. Am I wrong?

And before you say to me, “Well then, you get something started at your church!”, I’m trying to make the point that as an institution the Catholic church does not foster fellowship. I don’t want to be one person trying to roll a rock up hill, I want to be part of a Church that encourages fellowship.

As I mentioned before, I helped bring others to the Catholic Church, but now I’ve got a dilemma. My two kids, ages 12 and 13 are really complaining about going to our ‘boring church’ when their Protestant friends do all these really fun activities their churches sponsor. And I have an older son who may be considering becoming Catholic, but he has 4 children ages 1-6. I wince at the prospect of telling him he can’t put his children in Sunday School while he and his wife go to mass, but i**nstead he has to keep four children under control for an hour **while having to listen to a boring sermon. These are not show stoppers, but they really detract from giving incentives to joining the Church.

I don’t recall criticizing the need for fellowship, actually. I was criticizing the notion-mentioned by the OP in the statements that ‘the kids think it’s boring’, that ‘nobody calls to go do things’, that ‘the idea of having to keep four kids under control for an hour is daunting’-that Mass/Church/religion is for recreation or enjoyment. There is no reason one cannot pursue recreation with those they also attend Mass with. Again:
There is no crime in wanting friends within your parish.

But to expect someone else to do all the legwork so that you (figuratively speaking, of course) can reap the benefits, is unreasonable at best.

Since when did it become the responsibility of the parish to provide child care? Why can’t parents (and lest anyone get their back up-I’m speaking in generalities, because this is a BIG pet peeve of mine) enforce the notion that you are in church, you sit quietly. There are several families in one parish in town with the standard issue two kids, both obnoxious and completely ill-mannered, and there are several families with 8 plus kids-one has 17!-and all are quiet and well behaved, and no, the older children do not ‘parent’ the younger. It is possible, it takes effort, however, and that is the price of raising a child in the church. My former stepdaughter is severely ADHD-extremely intelligent, but VERY hyper-and she was able to grasp the idea at the ripe old age of 6, and only going to Mass with me during the summer and Christmas break, as she lived with her mother, and did not attend ANY church nine months of the year.

My point is-and I realize nobody wants to hear it, as those who dare mention it have been roundly condemned for their ‘unfeeling’-if there is something lacking for the junior high age kids-start something.

If something is lacking for people of your interest, start something.

If a friendship is lacking in your life, START SOMETHING.

As a single parent, there isn’t much available for my son and I, especially since we both have celiac disease, so pancakes, donuts, and ‘ice cream socials’ are out-so we get a group together and go to the park. Or go swimming. I have a telephone, and if I expect it to ring, I must use it to call others occasionally. Friends are not going to appear magically out of thin air.

The responsibility of the Church Proper is NOT to foster social groups-the responsibility of the Church is to protect and distribute the Deposit of Faith given to us by Christ. Any social needs are left to the parishioners…the members of the Church. I sincerely doubt the church of any noncatholic group sponsors anything-there are a group of people-perhaps only one or two- who donate their time to plan and advertise such events.

One needs to decide whether the social aspect is reason enough to decline joining what one knows to be the True Church, or not. I’d be interested to hear how you justify THAT decision to Christ when St Peter calls.

I’m curious how you managed to miss the suggestion to START SOMETHING and the admonition against expecting ‘someone’ else to do it in my first post.

Complaining about something is easy. Taking the initiative to correct the issue at hand isn’t always so.

 

[Lost_Again]

Just my $.02…how did you understand that the OP wanted to be entertained? I read that he simply wanted warm fellowship. The book of Acts speaks of a church that helped each other in need, broke bread in each other’s homes, etc…something that many Protestant churches take from scripture as an important aspect of church life. I too miss this aspect greatly. Not sure what’s so awful about that…

AMEN!!!

You “Get it”… That’s what I’ve been saying all along… In my old church we looked out for each other… In this one… “not so much”… We met in small groups, encouraged each other in times of need, shared the word. So far when I try and steer the conversation to starting something like that in this (Catholic) church they look at me as being one of those weird Christians, or they say that sort of thing only belongs in a Protestant church.
Shucks these people think I’m weird because I wanna join hands and say grace when we go to restaurants! (Something my wife and I did with members of our old church often)

SInce when did fellowship and caring become a product of Protestantism???

 

[crazzeto]

AMEN!!!

You “Get it”… That’s what I’ve been saying all along… In my old church we looked out for each other… In this one… “not so much”… We met in small groups, encouraged each other in times of need, shared the word. So far when I try and steer the conversation to starting something like that in this (Catholic) church they look at me as being one of those weird Christians, or they say that sort of thing only belongs in a Protestant church.
Shucks these people think I’m weird because I wanna join hands and say grace when we go to restaurants! (Something my wife and I did with members of our old church often)

SInce when did fellowship and caring become a product of Protestantism???

Hrm… As a cradle catholic I have to say that I don’t find joining hands particularly offensive (saying grace), though I will admit joining hands in prayer isn’t something Catholics typically do.

Again, I think I would suggest looking at the current offering of ministries and see what fits. If nothing seems to quite fit, I would talk to your pastor about creating oppertunities. It’s more invovled, but I’m sure more rewarding as well.

There’s nothing wrong with fellowship, unless of course one seriously was entertaining forsaking the true faith for it. In and of it’s self it’s a fantastic good however, something we should be doing as Christians.