Do you attend church? Temple? I was raised going to church almost every Sunday and for the last 40 years Terry and I have continued that practice. I love worshipping with other believers, preferably in a beautiful place. These are other elements I love:
- An order of service
- Organ music
- Stained glass
- Candles
- Hymns
- Prayer
- Bible reading
- Applicable sermon
- Pews
- About one hour in length
Am I asking too much? I was beginning to think so. Many churches have begun to look and sound more like a night club than a church. It’s necessary to attract younger people. Or to attract non-church goers. Not a bad thing at all. Except for me.
I attended a classical music concert at a nearby Presbyterian Church last winter. Not only was the music lovely with the addition of the church’s organ, but the visual appeal was evident. Midcentury architecture with a colored glass ceiling overhead and stained glass windows lining the sides of the large room. Plenty of wood and there were pews. I was delighted when I found that this congregation still had traditional services with all those things that I listed above.
Having attended this Presbyterian church a few Sundays here and there since April, I am swooning over the experience. As I left last Sunday’s service, I stopped and told the minister that it was like an oasis in the desert.
I believe we should all have a place to worship that makes us comfortable. After all these decades of attending a Baptist church that I have loved, now I am pondering if I should make a change.
Dkzody's Weblog 
Absolutely make a change if you’re not happy with your current worship service. Just make sure whatever church you choose, you can agree with and adhere to its beliefs. Always know what you’re getting into. I stopped going to church for almost 15 years because I’d had enough of the people in the church and the particular belief system that I couldn’t agree with. When I finally felt called to give church another try, I did a lot of research before I found my home church and it has turned out to be a huge blessing for me. By all means, consider other churches, visit them and find one that gives you a sense of happiness and peace when you are there.
I’m not planning to move my membership. Of course, our new pastor no longer calls us members but rather, partners. It’s sort of like the wild, wild west in our church right now, and ‘pardner’ seems to be fitting. I still like the ministry we do and I like the friends I’ve made in the almost 40 years of membership there. It’s just the Sunday morning worship service that jangles my nerves to the point I’m not a happy ‘pardner’ on Sunday mornings. The service is broadcast on television, and I’ve always been a big promoter of the ministry, but not any more. I’ve tuned in a few times and it looks like an infomercial instead of a church service.
Make the change. Life is too short to wish we had done it earlier. 🙂
I’m definitely going to keep attending the Presbyterian Sunday morning services. As I said, oasis in the desert. I can sing all the songs, and I leave feeling so good.