The Church Of A Catholic Church

One of the members who assisted the church said that 20 or so members live with the pastor and his wife, and some of those members

Base of the different church structure mentioned, there’s no conclusive evident that one church model is better than the others, it’s a matter of prefer to the believers on which model they will follow. The scripture show no evident that any one model should be followed. Whatever model a believer chooses cannot prove by scripture that their model is mandated. The only visible scriptural goal for all the models would have a structure that is harmonious, has revelation of God’s plan and should be use according to His purpose. An ideal church structure is nearly impossible from what I can see. Unless we go back to Eden, where it all begin and change what Adam and Eve did in the garden, church structure will always be flawed. Free will has changed God’s plan for man, and there will always be people who will not transform by the renewing of their minds. The NT only speaks about Jesus’ church, also known as Ecclesia from two words. Ek means “out” and kaleo means “to call”, so the gathering of the called-out believers is the Church. The ideal church structure would be the believers who are called-out to represent Jesus’s church. Scripture does not mention the traditional church, organic church, hybrid church, or the attractional church (Gray, 2012). In my opinion the simple church would be more ideal for me. Thom S. Rainer and Eric Geiger confirmed through a case study on churches that the kingdom is expanding through churches with simple process and the more complex

The church building as a whole was physically large, and was divided into smaller rooms and a main chapel. A corridor with dark grey tile floor and beige walls was the first room I saw. The room had tables with flyers and handouts on top of them, which held information about the church, what it has to offer, and the agenda of the service. There were also bibles stacked on a table as a gift for the new members. More people than I anticipated were filling the front corridor and chapel.

On Sunday September 27, 2015, I attended St. Jerome Catholic Church. The address for this Catholic Church is 116 Denbigh Blvd, Newport News, VA 23608. The service started at 12pm that Sunday afternoon and Father Jong Bayta gave the reading as well as held the communion for the church. There were two other fathers there as well; Father Thomas Pasiden and Father Luke Sanchez. They didn’t say anything throughout the service but helped Father Jong when needed. I soon found out that they were in training to open up their own church soon.

The Pastor came to the congregation and began to worship the Lord as he was led, and presented words of praise. Afterward, he asked the members to turn with him to the scripture reading for the morning. Pastor Horne proceeded with the reading of scripture in the King James Version. Granted, the Pastor did not use sermon notes. However, after he finished delivering his message, he came down from the pulpit and opened the doors of the church for those who had not accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and personal savior (Horne, 1983). An offering was taken up, then the minutes was read, and lastly the benediction.

The reality of full churches and choir stalls, lively Sunday schools, and overflowing basements is dead in today's Church. The unexpected has happened. Christ's followers, gripped by fear, are now scattered, or remain silent. Parishes, at worst, carry on blindly, or at best, look for comfortable compromises and expediency. They ignore cultural diversity in general. The rhetoric of denial continues to pour out of parish bulletins, newsletters, and diocesan and national journals. It is status quo.

As I gazed around the church I was able to see love and an abundance of warmth generating from the elder parents to the young within the chapel. The service although I was unable to understand it, promoted an overwhelming feeling of acceptance and respect from those around me as we engaged in the reading of the scriptures, songs being sung and the blessings being given to all those asking. The parishioners beamed with an elation of learning the word of Christ, and did not make me feel as if I were an outcast; those seated around me apologized for their children, and guided me to receive the message from the priest. The emotional response I have for the people of the church was an elated since of hospitality and acceptance, which I thought would not be give; a preconceived idea. From the moment I arrived I was able to feel as if I belonged in the church family, the feelings of inadequacy faded. I found that being engaged within this experience has challenged me as an individual to become more open to those I am the most uncomfortable, have little knowledge, or preconceived images of, in other words judge from the inside not from the outside, take a leap and learn whole heartedly about those I know nothing about. The challenges I faced where to put aside whatever misconceptions and prejudices I have from my personal beliefs, values and experiences and be

The empty pews on regular Sundays exaggerated an ancient Jewish custom of reserving an honored place at the dinner table for potential visitors. Just as eating with gentiles once scandalized the early Jerusalem Church, St Timothy's congregation never truly welcomed newcomers as they really were. The parish rhetoric regularly proclaimed that message loud and clear: "Don't try to change us. We are happy just the way we are. If you don't like us, then why come here in the first place? Why don't you go back to where you came from or go somewhere

Once I assured her that I was not blaming her personally for the numerical decline of the parish she seemed to relax, but she still didn't seem to grasp why her office of priest had to be at once both the primary target, as well as the primary tool, of the reform process. Gradually, she agreed with me that for meaningful change to happen, individual priests needed to step into the mandate of their office and courageously apply the basic tenets of the Christian faith to the Anglican worship space in spite of whatever opposition presents

There aren’t enough seats on the bus for everyone to have their own, so I sit next to him. “I’m gonna sit with you because there’s no space…” I say cautiously.

How many churches respond to absent members as well as this Domino's Pizza responded to missing customer?

of the Deacons who then walked me to the door. Right away this gesture was ‘unusual’

Anne Henning Byfield called the three women down to the front. Individuals, and perhaps total strangers, came alongside of the women and supported them. I have been apart of several services were the preacher asks everyone to bow their heads and close their eyes. He then proceeds to ask questions, and asks the congregation to raise their hand if the question applies to them. It’s anonymous, and then prayer concludes the exercise. In this service, there was no mystery. The struggles were presented, and dealt with. They were not just swept back under the rug. There was no suppression. Church is about bring everything and trying to diminish the problem(s). Many people, and myself included, in the church have perfected a façade. To a bystander we seem fine, when in all actuality there is brokenness. No facades were present in that church service. People were genuine, and they radiated Him. People were saved during that service! One of the main takeaways for me was that church is a place for the broken; it’s not a building for “perfect

He turned forward and continued walking. He went to his room and took a seat on his bed. After spending some time organising his belonging,

However, on this day another came to mind for me, The Theology of Hospitality. These people had either not attended Weaver’s Chapel for years or possibly had never attended. The Theology of Hospitality as I understand it is through the teachings of Christine Pohl the author of Living into Community: Cultivating Practices that Sustain Us. Psychologically humans have a deep rooted need to belong, to be accepted and to be valued. Hospitality gains its root within that need. Hospitality shows where a community values others and has something valuable to share. It draws from God’s grace and also reflects His graciousness. As Methodist we value connection with others and hospitality increases and strengthens our relationships with others. Sustaining hospitality over time takes living in gratitude which in turn must be cultivated by living in response to God’s grace and love. Being welcoming to the stranger is a integral part of being hospitable. Hospitality is not cheap it is, to me, costly just as Bonhoeffer described Costly Grace. It cost us opening up, being transparent and being honest with one another. It is in this openness that we are able to welcome in others