Needs Advice

Because he has sideburns...? That´s kinda harsh. I wasn´t even aware that church has such policies in the States. With things like that I´d start losing faith in it too.

I´d rather stick with the those groups and friends (maybe holding small devotions and/or services together when everybody has time) until I found a church which isn´t so fulled with prejudice. I couldn´t attend to services in a church I knew corrupt. That would just feel... wrong. And since He knows _exactly_ (better than even I) why I wouldn´t be going to church I guess He would be okay with it.

Long opinion short; I think you are doing right at the moment. And as long as you do what you feel right, it can´t be too far off.

i've been through the same thing as well. My home church seems to be dying because they won't allow anything "new or contemporary", hence ages 65 and up mainly attend my church. the second time around, i got brainwashed/forced into a membership i wasn't comfortable with. the only advice i can truly give is to not give up in finding a church. Having a church family is important. God will lead you to the right place. in the meanwhile, read the Bible, pray, and do what feels right.

Thats definately a bummer about your church experiance so far. I've had almost the opposite experiance. My church is one of those "mega" churches, well atleast in this area. It's got the cafe, book store, multiple lounge/couch areas etc etc... and is basically the size of a shopping mall. This is great because its immense size means that it can offer services for everyone. I.e.: at 10:15 there is the Traditional service (hyms and organ and whatnot), Contemporary service (basically what the name says, the music is contemporary, however the message is the same as the traditional), the Twenty Somethings group, the Sr. High, the Jr. High, and then of course all the different sunday schools for the little little ones. Anyways, i've found that many of the services have become really open and, dare i say it, TOO inviting to people. HOLD UP, i'm not saying that new people shouldn't come to church or anything... But the traditional/contemporary message and even the Sr. High and Jr. High messages are starting to seem less like teachings from the bible, and more like good life lessons. And as far as the worship style is concerned in the Sr. High (i'm a Sr. High student), i've found that it has become too "hip". Its not that its corny or anything, but sometimes we'll have three electric guitars rocking out, four singers, a drummer, a set of bongos, etc... At many times this music starts to stray from focusing on worship and becomes more like just a show. Not to mention that a few of the students in the worship band dont even attend our church. But yeah, needless to say, my sister and i have both started to dislike our current church situation. And, while i still attend regularly, i am struggling to figure out what to do...

I suggest you watch the Nooma DVD, "Sunday". It's a real eye-opener. Here's the abridged version form the website, but I still highly recommend you watch it, for full effect. <http://www.nooma.com/uploaded/ProductMedia/2005/December/031aa45c-0d4c-417c-900c-ad9103ab3afd.pdf>;

Also, keep searching. God wants you to be happy, and remembering the Sabboth Day and keeping it Holy doesn't mean going to church and sitting around listening to a guy talk, no matter how moving it is. Church should first and formost be about wroshipping God, and it should be your decision on when to do it, if at all. A Church is a gathering of Christians, so if worst comes to worse, then grab a group of your Christian friends and worship with them.

I too see how corrupt the Church can be, but the truth is that these people really love their God. They may be a bunch of hypocrites, but so is everyone else. Their views can be crude and out-dated, but if it works for them, then who are we to tell them otherwise.

Again, Nooma is up, and Peace, love and Blessings!