Fellowship...raising a family...

[GodIsLove]

I have read a lot of people on here don't go to church (I have sporadically gone to different ones and never felt that I found one that I felt called to stay in)...and I agree that TM is fellowship and I am so glad God led me here. The question is, what about finding other like minded Christians, and more specifically what about raising kids to have UR Christian beliefs? I'm guessing it is easier to be a part of a denomination so that your kids have friends at the church that you attend. I live in a very multicultural place and many of my friends are agnostic. I love them of course and I know eventually they won't be :)

In your opinion should I look for a church or is it a lost cause?  I've heard the UU churches are basically secular now, is that the case? Wait and see where God leads me? Just looking to see what other people's experience has been. Thanks!

[Eduard]

I went to Orthodox Churches here as well as a Baptist church, but I never felt that I belonged there ultimately, even if the pastor was a good man and did not seem focused on hellfire at all, the people there felt pretty cold and I feared that if I tried to talk about UR it would fail. I have tried doing so on the internet without good results.

So far, I have found like-minded people on Tentmaker and similar places, and I am very happy for that, even if it's only online I feel like it is fellowship and a place in which I feel blessed. :girlheart:

Finding other people and the right church seemed complicated for me, but I came across Tentmaker resources or L Ray Smith's Bible Truths almost by accident, or maybe it wasn't so? I don't believe there's a Christian Universalist church or simple gathering anywhere near me, but I'd be more than happy to communicate with other Christian Universalists about the best ways to spread the true Good News.

When I'll get married I'll try to be sure that everything is clear about religion and that there won't be conflicts, which unfortunately happen sometimes here with different denominations.

[Dandelion]

I am a recent 'convert' to Christian UR.

I always went to church regularly, and I still do. Actually, I have a 'home' church, but I attend many different churches, frequently.

I go for many reasons.  I like to go to church. I love the music; I love to hear the Word of God read and spoken about; I believe that communion and baptism are important parts of our Christian walk, and for me, it is part of the fellowship and community that I believe Jesus wanted us to have.  I very much march to my own drummer, so, though I am very friendly and helpful to everyone, I often don't fit in as well as many others seem to. It doesn't bother me. Are there some politics in churches that I don't like? Absolutely. Do I always feel that Jesus is the heart of what happens there? No, not always.......sometimes it seems so many worldly issues come before the worship, praise, Word, and sharing of our understanding of God. But, we live in a fallen world, and I try to navigate all that, as best as I can. Churches can be very cold, unwelcoming places.

As for mentioning UR, officially, I haven't yet. I do know a Pastor, who is a friend of mine, who does believe in UR, but cannot speak of it, as it is against the denomination's beliefs, where he is a Pastor. I would guess there are many out there, like him. I go to his church twice a month.

I am about to move in a few days, and have a church picked out, close to where I will be living, that I intend to try out as my 'home' church. It is of the denomination which I belong to now, and have belonged to for the past 13 years. 

I do intend to talk to the Pastor about my beliefs, eventually. It will almost certainly be the proverbial 'cherry on the cake' of my being branded as a rebel. It is ironic, because for most of my life I was looked upon as an extremely conforming member of whatever church I was attending. It is all well with my soul. God will sort it all out. My role is to 'seek His face' and to look for the truth, for when I find the truth, then I will come closer to understanding Him. I am a commissioned Deacon and a certified teacher for my denomination, and, in earthly terms, will lose those titles, almost certainly, if I say I believe in UR. I will not hold this against my denomination, though, as I believe all of us have beliefs that are not in line with God. It is the human condition. But, again, I will need to leave those things in God's hands.

I will just take one step at a time. I have no idea where all this will lead, ultimately, and I don't have to.

I pray that the Holy Spirit will guide me, in all things, and I will have the grace to do what I should do.       

Philippians 3:12-14

12Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. 13Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, 14I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus....

D.             :2c: