On September 10th, a friend from high school and I attended a church service at Sevier Heights Baptist Church, which is about a ten-minute drive south from campus along Alcoa highway. She and I had been active church participants back home in Nashville, and we were looking to find a church that we both felt comfortable attending while we are at college. Leading up to that Sunday, She and I had been communicating back and forth trying to schedule a time when we could get together and visit because she competes for the Swim Team and our schedules rarely ever coincide. We tried many on separate occasions during that week, but some event or obligation always seemed to get in the way. We finally settled on the idea of going to church. I had heard …show more content…
Initially, we were very surprised at the size of the church. Everything on the campus seemed to be large like the parking lot, the sanctuary, and most evidently, the size of the congregation. There was a diverse range of ages represented at the Church, which was reassuring since we did not want to be the only young people in attendance. We eventually found some seats where we could get a good view of the pulpit, and shortly afterwards, the service began. We sang about three or four songs, some contemporary and some traditional hymns. Then they showed an announcement video followed by the offering where we had the possibility to donate the Hurricane Harvey relief fund that church was sponsoring. Next, the pastor began the sermon. That day he spoke on the importance of being dedicated to God and the teachings of the Bible in accordance with his holy plan. In doing so, he referenced the story of Daniel and the lion's den and Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. His main point was that these men stayed committed to God even if meant defying societal standards and eventual death. He used these examples to show us the power of God and His deep desire for a relationship with us and how he loves us and cares for us no matter what situation we
This experience was really out of my comfort zone. It was hard to be an outsider and not prepared for what was to come and not speaking one of the languages used to understand the entire service. This service learning project gave me the opportunity to try a new church and gain a deeper respect for a different religion. Everyone at the service was very educated on speaking the sacred texts and participating in the rituals practiced. I hope to have gained a better understanding for those who are new to religions and are nervous to come to a worship service. I will make more of an effort to be welcoming and accommodating to those who are new to our church.
... showed all this and rewarded us so that one day we would be notice his kindness. The Christian is made alive in God and does good works for him. He does this to show his everlasting grace to everyone.
In my paper I will talk about my visit to The Community Church at Murphy's Landing (CCML). I have chosen this particular Church because it is a family church type and my neighbor goes there and she encouraged me to go with her. I went there with my neighbor on April 6, 2014.This church is an appropriate for this assignment because the people there are welcoming me with an open heart and they are willing to help and provide me with information. When I visit the Church’s site I read these words “We know visiting a new church can be intimidating. But, we want to help you to be as comfortable as possible when and if you join us”. The people gather in the church weekly to glorify God in joyful worship. The expressions of worship on CCML take many forms a prayer, a hymn of reverent awe, a guitar ringing with a chorus of praise, or a warm handshake and a welcoming smile. Their weekly services begin at 9:30 each Sunday at church. Also, they have weekly podcast if anyone wants to listen online. They have many types of services for parents, kids and students. People at CCML were so friendly; they gather around me and start welcoming me, one by one. People there introducing themselves to me, one after another and provide me with their contact information and help. Then we start talking about the church services and Christianity in particular. The mission of CCML was knowing, growing and loving. They seek to live out our mission by worshipping together as a local community of believers, growing in spiritual maturity through discipleship, education, and small groups, caring for one another within the context of the larger church body and small groups, and Communicating the love of Christ to our world, both through local outreach and global mis...
Venturing inside, we all noticed two things very quickly: we were at once wearing entirely too much clothing to be comfortable in the sweltering heat, and entirely too little to fit in with the rest of the congregants assembled. And yet we were welcomed with open arms. We had arrived, the Reverend Rogers L. Pruitt emphasized as we filed into the sanctuary, on a very special day. As he distributed bulletins and hearty handshakes to the rest of the group, I noticed that the front of mine read "Fragment Day." As I looked around the modest sanctuary, I wondered what the service had in store for us.
In order to resist the ever-present lure of our sin nature, we would need examples or "models" of Godly behavior. Why did God have the lives of Noah, Abraham, Joseph, Moses, Sarah, David, and many others? Out of each of these lives, modern Christians can learn valuable lessons on how to seek after God.
He uses those distinct words to show the audience how weak they are and how powerful God is. He wants them to realize that they are in God’s hands. His wrath could destroy them at any second, but His mercy would save them if they repent. True, he does also talk about “the mere pleasure of God” repeatedly.
My initial thought was that the church was going to be packed however, around 2/3’s of it was filled. I initially was drawn to the interior design. All the windows were stained-glass, painted with multiple colors and each window contained a different Catholic Saint. The ceiling had a painting of god surrounded by angels in the sky, it’s not clear whether god was reaching his hands out to a dove or freeing it. The words “Praise the lord, all the nations, glorify him, all you people!” surrounded behind the painting. The remainder of the time was spent listening, chitchatting with my mom whom I brought
The service was very formal. Time did not seem to be kept for each part. The service started with gospel music. I believe that the Gospel music was the center point of the worship. It took up the longest portion and everyone was involved.
My first observation was when attended church services and I observed the pastor did not use any props. The pastor was speaking on the power of prayer. The presentation was very informative and useful. I observe a couple of verbal and non-verbal communication during the presentation; he maintained great eye contact with the audience and had great body language.
It was magnificent. The first thing to catch my eye was a monstrous chandelier that hung from the 50 foot ceiling. It was awe inspiring. As my eyes surveyed the room, it was hard to miss the antique maple pews that provided seats for approximately 300 people. Plush emerald green carpet was the grounding to the room. It's path led directly up to the stage which was home to a variety of items. The band, pulpit, arid baptismal were the most obvious. Above the stage was a huge dome, it was colored in shades of blue, mauve, white, and several other soft accents. A bright light was right in the center of its point. Our gazing was soon interrupted when the official greeter returned. This time she was quick and to the point. She collected our cards and informed us that service was about to begin. Within a matter of minutes, a middle-aged man stepped up to the pulpit and asked us to stand.
Hi there! I’m a newbie to this stuff and I would like to create my first blog regarding the “nine-day preparation” prior to the birth of our Savior. I regularly set my phone alarm every five o’clock in the afternoon to prepare for church inasmuch as the mass (simbang gabi 2016) starts at six o’clock in the evening. The following are my own lines with additional explanation based on how I perceive the message of the gospel and the homily shared by the priest in a particular day.
...ollowing in my sister's footsteps, I began learning from her experiences. We tread lightly around the subject of the religion these days. Thankfully, there are no wild debates at the dinner table on holidays. We respect one another's beliefs and agree to disagree about them. She often tells me, "You should come to my church!" when I call her seeking sisterly advice or needing a sympathetic ear. I have attended her church and admire how she's strengthened her parish and community. That's more inspirational to me than any Sunday sermon - as she is one who sincerely lives in the word, even when it's difficult for her.
A. “Jeff Simms Sermon on Daniel: A Man of Prayer.” N.p., n.d. Web. The Web. The Web. 04 May 2014.
The people there were all extremely nice and would try to help me understand. They understood and accepted the fact that I wasn’t religious, but was showing interest in their faith. There were not as much people there as I had expected, but that might have been because it was a smaller church. It also wasn’t as racially diverse as I had expected. I thought that because it is the world’s biggest religion, that it
As a young child, I spent Sundays in the pews of various churches. My extended family had a wide variety of different denominations of Christianity. Some churches had loud music with singing and dancing, others lots of sitting and standing. But the