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Original poster

Christian parents ....

52 replies

susanmt · 27/05/2004 15:59

I know you're out there.

There's a lot of discussion on this board about things I don't beleive in at all. But there is not much about CHristian issues. Are you all totally sorted and have nothing to worry about, or are you all too busy elsewhere? Just interested to know who is about, and where you would place yourselves.

Both dh and I are Christians and we are bringing up our 3 children to understand our faith, we hope. We're in the Scottish Episcopal Church but don't fit in too well where we go (limited choice, we live on an island) as they are pretty liberal/traditional and we are on the evangelical side of the church. There are some local interdenominational groups which are quite good though. Our plans are to work through the church in Guatemala, not as traditional 'missionaries' but putting ourselves into the culture to live and work out our faith as we do at home.

Would love to hear form anyone else out there!!

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Megali · 27/05/2004 16:05

My dh and I are Christians too - certainly not totally sorted. We got to a Presbyterian church which is evangelical and also fairly lively. Not sure what you mean by "working through the church in Guatemala" - do you plan to go there as missionaries in the future?

jodee · 27/05/2004 16:05

Hi Susan, I guess the title of this board covers a wide spectrum of ideas! Myself and DH are Christians, just moved to a new area with ds (4)and think we have found a church we can call home - it's an evangelical/community type.

As for totally sorted - are we ever?! No time to chat now, but would love to know more about your ideas about Guatemala.
Jxx

muddaofsuburbia · 27/05/2004 16:14

Hi Susan

Dh and I are both Christians. We're both from non-Christian homes so this whole bringing up a child in a Christian home malarkey is all very alien to us. As a result I think ds has the world's largest supply of books from the Xian bookshop.

We're very settled in an independent church with very very very distant bretheren roots.

Not very involved atm because of ds and no family nearby.

Why Guatemala? Do you have links there? Would this be a long term move or just a taster?

Just as an aside - have you noticed that there are a disproportionate number of cloth nappy users who are also Christians....

Hope this thread keeps going - lets give the aura cleansers some healthy competition

Original poster
susanmt · 27/05/2004 16:24

'Working through the CHurch in Guatemala' = the Guatemalan Episcopal (Anglican) church has a community development programme which basically is building health clinics for people who can't afford to go to the government clinics either on top of or beside every church! They want Christian doctors to staff them but can't afford to pay (though can provide a house) so they will pretty much have to be staffed by volunteers from abroad - dh is a GP so it is right up his street and as I am training to be a bfc and am also a teacher I am sure I can be put to good use. We're hoping to go in Feb for 3.5 months to learn Spanish and set up meetings so we know where we will be going, and then return probably summer 2006. Its a long term dream. We don't want to be traditional 'preaching' missionaries but I suppose in the end that is what we will be. We still need to find the support of a home based organisation to send us (out congregation is too small).

Hope that makes sense.

Mudda - yes to the cloth nappy thing .... its cos we are so cool really

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Zerub · 27/05/2004 18:03

I'm a Christian too. Brought up as an atheist, met Jesus while at university, going to a happy-clappy evangelical type church now.

Oh, and I use cloth nappies...

lilibet · 27/05/2004 18:15

oh yes, happy clappy low church anglican, never used a cloth nappy in my life!

bottersnike · 27/05/2004 18:27

Dh and I both Christians, him all his life (virtually), me for the last 8 years, do our best to go to a Baptist church in Hampshire when ds, 13 months, is in a sociable mood.
Great thread. Very encouraging.

Megali · 27/05/2004 23:07

Susanmt - sounds like a great project - and a great experience for your family. What age will your kids be when you go? You are very brave.

Btw, I didn't use cloth nappies either!

baldrick · 27/05/2004 23:18

dh and I both believe in God, we are both Roman Catholics, but don't follow that faith as a little strict and would class ourselves as Christians....we talk with our children about God/Jesus quite a bit....we don't go to church and have taken children to church a couple of times (they were bored, as I was as a child)....dh even entertained Jehovah's witnesses last weekend....good thread....have you been for long and how did you become Christians susanmt?

baldrick · 27/05/2004 23:38

susanmt, have just re-read this and no I haven't, but did Alpha course and the leader and his wife went to the Phillipines, helping build houses and villages for 6 months at a time, they seemed very fulfilled (they have 3 children too)....his business was doing just this...it's a fantastic thing to do....wish you well in your ventures and hope you reach a decision for you all

bloss · 28/05/2004 12:14

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Original poster
susanmt · 28/05/2004 12:15

LOL on the cloth nappies comments.

I became a Cjristian when I was 16, as did dh, in a totally other part of the country. With me it was a decision I made not long after my Grandpa died - he was a fabulous christian and a big influence on me - I remember thinking 'I know he's gone to heaven, I want to make sure I do too!!' I knew it all at that point but hadn't ever accepted it before.

When we go to Guate in Feb out kids will be just 5, just 3 and 15 months. I don't think we're being brave - worse for me would be having to stay in the UK!!

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muddaofsuburbia · 28/05/2004 17:39

Bloss - atm ds is 20 mths so our Xian upbringing amounts to a prayer at bedtime and a read of the toddler Bible which is also his very favourite book at the moment - "bible toree peeeze - on your knee... At which point dh and I gaze in adoration at this odd religious zealot sitting in totsbot

I guess as he gets older and more communicative we can take his lead as to what he's interested in. There are loads of Bible notes out there, but I'm not sure if anything starts below preschool.

Incidentally, SU Australia have some fantastic kids choruses out on CD - great action songs which I think he'll really get to like.

Susan - the Guatelmala thing sounds fantastic! Glad to hear you're taking it in stages Will have a nosey around for sending/supporting type organisations. Keep us posted on your developments.

lilibet · 28/05/2004 19:06

Sounds amamzing Susan, but the main question is, will you still be able to post??!!

Podmog · 28/05/2004 19:31

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Original poster
susanmt · 28/05/2004 22:09

Yes, there is internet access in Guatemala! I will not abandon mumsnet lol! In fact we hope to have our own website to keep people up to speed with what we are doing.
Podmog - it is definitely what we feel we should be doing, before dh and I even met we both knew we wanted to work in the developing world. In fact, staying here would be much more of a trouble for us - we really, really want to go and are getting very excited about it.

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bloss · 29/05/2004 01:39

Message withdrawn

bloss · 29/05/2004 01:52

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Original poster
susanmt · 29/05/2004 10:07

It's amazing what they think they hear too! Ds (2), singing inthe bath this morning 'Yeeeess Jeeee-ssuuus Dogggggieeeee' (Yes, Jesus Loves Me!).

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muddaofsuburbia · 29/05/2004 17:58

Susan - ds' latest this morning was "Haaweyooooaaahhhh"!!! I've created a monster -albeit a very pious one.

He heard "Holy Holy Holy" playing in my car the other day and insisted it was the Hokey cokey....

cazzybabs · 29/05/2004 18:18

I am a sort of christian - I try, but am not very good and have all kinds of unanswered questions and am quite shy of going to church by myself.

What are all your views on children being born with orginal sin? I only ask because we are friends with some very christian christians and they belive this and as result smack their baby.

I also use cloth nappies!

muggle · 30/05/2004 14:01

I might have missed the point but I always thought original sin was an invented idea to justify missionary behaviour in africa rather than as an excuse for smacking children.

If its any help (and it has been awhile since I last looked) but I think Leviticus is ambivilent towards cloth nappies. It does require you to burn your sofa if you sit on it whilst you are having a period though.

glitterfairy · 30/05/2004 14:03

rofl muggle! Whilst there is much on this board which doesn't relate to Christians I am surprised that none of you have actually said how to live a good life. Isnt this part of the chritian teaching rather than smacking kids because of some strange and out dated concept?

muggle · 30/05/2004 14:09

Are the Chritians people that worship characters in Farscape (or is SciFi references pushing the boundariesof this thread)?

I think you have a great point glitter, I judge religions by the actions of their followers and (as far as I can remember) buddhists and taoists have never started a war over religion, invaded anyone's country just to get a sacred town back or forcibly converted thousands of people at the point of a sword.

One alternative is to judge religions based on the actions of their supporters at the Glastonbury festival ... I always remember the Hare Krishnas gave free vegetarian food and water to anyone who wanted to sit in their tent

hercules · 30/05/2004 14:20

Not true there. Buddhist monks are fighting in srilanka. They have entered into politics to stop the peace process.

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