New to this community

[Fleurjoy]

Hello all.
I have been on and off this website, so I am not a consistent user. I unexpectedly discovered this Christian community. I hope I can join in, interact, communicate, and build connections with others here. Thanks.x

Hello!
Glad to welcome you here..Just jump in!

Welcome!

Welcome! 😊

Welcome @Fleurjoy good to have you here!

Hello and welcome!

Hello all. Happy to be here. 😊Hope to grow in the Lord and learn from others here. Thanks.

Hello, I’m on here quite bit but name change and forget to be consistent.
peace be with you

Welcome @OwlsR

Lovely to have you here with us. Peace of Christ be with you.

Love and peace to you all. xx

Hello and welcome. I hope you find this a good place to be! Sometimes it can feel a bit like The Cave of Adullam! Enjoy! ☺️

@LeaningOnTheEverlastingArms Thanks, sorry for the late reply.

I hope I won't be too much trouble here while learning and growing from others. Love to seek and ask questions. x

You won’t be any trouble at all! Grand to have you with us. And ask away…- we’ve all got lots of learn ☺️

Great! Should I create a new post, or should I stay on this one?
Question: Do people here attend non-denominational churches or denominational churches? Is there a preference? I have been to both and am still searching.🤔 Thanks.

I go to two C of E churches. One is large, noisy, lively and on the evangelical side, the other is much smaller, quieter and more personal.
Both fulfil a need.

Thanks @FuzzyPuffling.

I think preference is personal. For instance I could say Marmite is delicious, but another person would think differently. The Lord has led me to various expressions of church for a season, as he knew my ‘need’ at the time. So I have done lively and loud and I have done bells and smells high Anglican, and most flavours in between. Currently a non-denominational Home Church model is working for me.

I grew up in a Methodist church with my Grandma but I didn't really have my own faith. Then I became a Christian as a teenager and went to a strict baptist type church with them because the youth group was so good. As a student I went to a charismatic evangelical church and that's where I feel most at home. I had a number of years in home churches which I absolutely loved. I'm back in a charismatic evangelical church now - New Frontiers. I love it, not so much because it's NF but because the people are so lovely and I feel like iron really does sharpen iron. There's a lot of grace.

@Fleurjoy

I’ve been part of denominational churches and non-denominational ones at various times on my journey with God.

The first one the Lord led me to was an Irish Baptist church about a year after I became a Christian and was a direct answer to prayer as I was seeking baptism and had no clue where to go.

Then several years later He took me to a non-denominational church that was ‘friends’ with the first one. I’ve been in a few different ones (both types) since then, including home church, which is my preferred style of church as I believe it offers the best opportunity to practice church in a 1 Corinthians 14 v 26 model.

I’m currently part of a non-denominational contemplative church (which also practices the 1 Corinthians 14 v 26 model) which the Lord led me to through a dream.

Hi.
My initial experience of connecting with God and the church occurred during a brief visit to London and my friend invited me to her Catholic church. When I returned home, someone reached out to me and shared a lot about God and the meaning of the Bible. I then became a member of the International Church of Christ (ICOC) and stayed for 7-8 years, during which I had both good and bad experiences. A few years later, I began exploring other denominations, such as the Mormons, Baptist, Methodist and local community churches.
I had some breaks due to family and health issues, as well as moving to different towns, which made it difficult to commit.
I always wonder where the right church, God's church, is, along with its teachings and intentions. If I don't attend, can I still call myself a Christian?

On some Sundays and other days, I watch live or recorded sermons from a Methodist church online.
Thank you for reading.

Hi @Fleurjoy I have not heard of ICOC and will look them up. My initial reaction on reading your post was a big red flag regarding Mormon - this is not a denomination of Christianity. It is a pseudo-Christian sect. I am not going into the why's and wherefores other than to say ALWAYS check any teaching with the Bible.

If you have given your life to Christ Jesus; love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind, and follow the Lord's guide book for life, we call the Bible, then you can claim to be a disciple of Jesus: a Christian. Attending a church can happen in different ways and what a blessing that we can do this by 'modern' means, ie on-line, if not able to visit in person.

@Thegreatestoftheseislove I agree about the Mormon sect.
Oh, I was in my late 20s when I attended the Mormon sect. I'm in my 50s now. It seems like a long, rocky journey for me, going in and out of different churches and not settling down.

I do like your encouraging and comfortable words. Thank you and thanks for sharing.

There was a documentary about ICOC in the late 1990s, and there is more info on YouTube about the church or cult. I am still in touch with a few former members from ICOC, but they don’t believe in God now.
I think some of us were naive and they took advantage of us.

I wish we had the internet back then to search for churches and have a clear picture of their beliefs, practices, and how they approach Christianity.

I nearly forgot; thank you both
@ChristmasStars @LeaningOnTheEverlastingArms

Hi Fleurjoy
You have had a long journey with your faith. I have had my faith since a child and I am in my early 50s today. Sometimes due to health had some years away from attending in church but having the love of Christ In my heart.

I was baptised at 8 and attended a catholic school to 19. I carved out more of my faith since 16 for myself. I have been to different church's. I still can attend my childhood catholic school sometimes and now I attend an Anglican church two minutes from home as a non demontional christian. It is great in the winter lol. I also attended another evangelical church locally in 2018/2019 which was great but too long for me...I have also done thanksgiving when I left hospital in 2018 in City Gates church and then after covid ended back at my Anglican church after 2020 and have been going regularly since 2021. Started back in 2014 there under different leaders but went into hospital 2015 and came out 2018. I have been to like a Kensighton Temple and well it is was not for me...I also went to a rare find charismatic church at 17 it was a beauty in 1990 and don't know if you will find this today.

I like getting at my church the Eucharist and blood of Christ every Sunday. I know people may bless their bless at home...but I like to get mine done in church being able to get there and just two minutes from me. I also love drinking holy water. My church bless it for me sometimes. They bless the bread and I like that. I do not if all church's do. I am not looking for a lively church myself and my service is at 8am with no music in a quiet chapel . I attend on Sunday and used to be Wednesday and . I also get Holy Oil anointed once a month and a laying of touch in a healing and wholeness service which is literally seems like getting the Holy spirit again. If I want to listen to music I will listen to my own playlist on Youtube.

For me getting a personal relationship with God/Christ is really imoprtant and the Holy Spirit. Can I ask you something, are you baptised. I think is important in the Christian journey and can explain if you have not. I am now too in my early 50s and welcome you and I am not that sociable and thought had covered you-but wanted to ask the question .
Don't worry that you attended other places before and they were not. With church's they often on how you may worship and the Holy Spirit is available in all church's that worship appropriately.

Hi @Justmerach Thank you for taking your time for sharing your Christian journey.
I am sorry if my previous post was brief. I didn’t know whether this forum allowed me to go into details or write long posts. I’m unfamiliar with social sites, and I have found that some terminology and lingo are hard to grasp. Still learning.

Sorry to read about your time in hospital.
I have a complex health journey, which is a long story. Maybe I will confidently share it one day.

I was baptised at 19 when I was in the ICOC, but I'm not sure if I should be baptised again, as I'm questioning whether that was a baptism. I hope you understand what I mean.
I have read baptism should be for adults rather than for young children, as they do not yet understand the difference between right and wrong. Also being baptised does not automatically make you a Christian.
It's very confusing for me, especially now that it's so easy to access the internet and read about conflicting views.

I'm not keen on lively church. I was quite shocked when I attended a local community church a few months ago. They had loudspeakers blasting music, which took up a significant portion of the service. The service hardly emphasises biblical teachings, and the speaker spent a considerable amount of time talking about himself. I do like singing, but the music and songs make me feel uncomfortable. I have only been there once and it has put me off.

I hope to grow in faith and have a better connection with God. I still have a mediocre relationship with God.

I'm glad I can be open here and don't feel awkward. I have had social anxiety in the past.

Good question about baptism @Fleurjoy I would say that you've been baptised in good faith and taken that step of obedience so I don't think you need to be baptised again.

Good to have you here.