Churches
Not being near a Mennonite church, I embarked on a church finding quest when I moved here for residency. It was an eye opening experience. Baptists are the dominant force here in the South. I attended several Baptist churches, but never really bonded with any of them. The services were like a weird combination of a Broadway show and a political rally. Very polished Broadway style music, interspersed with pleas for cash seemed to be the emphasis.
For a time, I attended a Christian Missionary Alliance church. I liked the emphasis on ministry and the de-emphasis on doctrines such as eternal security and the admiration of military service that other area denominations had. However, the emphasis on outreach seemed to come somewhat at the expense of the life of the local church and was almost legalistic. I admire their vision and drive, but it wasn't what I needed at this point in my life.
I had visited a Church of Christ earlier on, but was very mortified by the singing. It was Acapella, but would have been much better had there been a few loud instruments to drown out everyone's voices. However, I decided to try another Church of Christ in the area, and have been quite pleased with it ever since. I appreciate their emphasis on holy living. While they have a focus on missions, it is not at the expense of the life of the local body. If you were to close your eyes, and just listen to the music, you could imagine that you were in a Mennonite church.
What I enjoy most there are the new hymns. When I was a child, the more musically inclined song leaders would occasionally attempt to teach us a new song. The music would sort of limp along, but the song would never have any volume, and never reached the majestic concoction of noises its composers intended it to have. At this church, the hymnal is from a different tradition than my own, and contains a number of hymns that I don't know. Its fun to be able to learn them with a group who already knows them well.
For a time, I attended a Christian Missionary Alliance church. I liked the emphasis on ministry and the de-emphasis on doctrines such as eternal security and the admiration of military service that other area denominations had. However, the emphasis on outreach seemed to come somewhat at the expense of the life of the local church and was almost legalistic. I admire their vision and drive, but it wasn't what I needed at this point in my life.
I had visited a Church of Christ earlier on, but was very mortified by the singing. It was Acapella, but would have been much better had there been a few loud instruments to drown out everyone's voices. However, I decided to try another Church of Christ in the area, and have been quite pleased with it ever since. I appreciate their emphasis on holy living. While they have a focus on missions, it is not at the expense of the life of the local body. If you were to close your eyes, and just listen to the music, you could imagine that you were in a Mennonite church.
What I enjoy most there are the new hymns. When I was a child, the more musically inclined song leaders would occasionally attempt to teach us a new song. The music would sort of limp along, but the song would never have any volume, and never reached the majestic concoction of noises its composers intended it to have. At this church, the hymnal is from a different tradition than my own, and contains a number of hymns that I don't know. Its fun to be able to learn them with a group who already knows them well.
posted by The Mad Hatter at 6:20 PM
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