Religious Experience # 1

I've been debating about whether or not I should start by explaining my beliefs going into this experience or not. I think what I will do is just explain my beliefs as I go, and as they relate to each experience that I have. In other words, I'm just gonna wing it. :-) # 1 Bridgeway Christian Church This was a large non-denominational Christian church. A friend of mine invited me to attend this service with her. I really had no idea what kind of church it was when I accepted the invitation, so I didn't really know if I should be scared or not. Ha! On the way, she explained to me that it was a very large church, and a little about how the service was structured. I will interject here to say that big churches scare me. I grew up in a very small church, and I just feel a little overwhelmed in large churches. I also grew up in a very structured, old fashioned church, so I am also a little uncomfortable in contemporary services, but hey! That's what this whole process is about, right? I'm learning new things and stepping out of my comfort zone. So, we arrive and go into a reception area. They have coffee and other drinks available. (extra points for the coffee bar) We made our way into the sanctuary. It felt kind of like a concert venue. It was a large open room with a stage in front. There were musical instruments, microphones, stage lights, etc. I'm just guessing, but I would say there were probably 1000 seats. (the average attendance at my church growing up, was about 80) The service started with music. There was a band, which was fantastic! I'll admit, I was skeptical. I am not a big fan of contemporary Christian music, and I have been to contemporary services before where the music was not good. I was impressed! The musicians were great, and the singers were too. (more points for good music) After the music, they had some church announcements. During this segment, they announced a plan for a new, larger church location to accommodate everyone. I will interject here to say that the moment churches start talking money, I get nervous. I understand that churches need money to operate, it just makes me uncomfortable. Long story short, The church needs to raise 25 million dollars in the next three years. Pardon the expression, but Holy Shit! That's a lot of money! It took me a few minutes to stop reeling from that one. Ha! Anyway, on to the actual lesson, which was from the book of Isaiah. I'm not sure why, but I was surprised that the lesson was from the old testament. hmmmm What I really liked about the way the lesson was taught, was that the pastor read the scripture, and then broke it down into sections and explained it in layman's terms. The preaching was a little more "firey" than I am accustomed to, and I did tell my friend afterword, that I was a little scared because my beliefs sounded similar to the way he described the "evil, pagan, Assyirians." lol Overall, I enjoyed the service. It was quite a bit outside of my comfort zone, but the experience was nice. I was also relieved that I didn't have to sign anything, or get asked to stand up and be recognized. I don't think anybody followed me home. ;-) Thank you Erin, for letting me tag along today. Who knows, maybe I'll go back with you sometime?