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"Divided" free movie viewing
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Great points Jo!
We left a church because of what the youth was doing. We have been looking and doing church at home. We visited a church today. It is very small, almost all kids are homeschooled! And all were very friendly and loving. There are also young couples there too as well as some elders. They also do not have SS or youth groups per se. But encourage missions and other like activities. And they also eat afterward on Sunday. The service lasts up to 2 hrs. We are encouraged and want to go back next Sunday. It seemed though they encourage family time. Which is what we were looking for!!
Will watch this movie soon! Thanks
pollysoup
we must have been writing at the same time.
i am so sorry that you have had such experiences. we have tried a couple of fic churches that we did not attend again…and we have read some websites that gave off alarm bells…unfortuneately that has been true with many of the churches (reg.) we have tried in our moves. We were even told once that we needed to leave the sanctuary and the children had acted like ANGELS that day…the baby had gave a small mew upon waking and i was descended on by the deacons…we have a nursery…etc. another church we attended for a while had some women (young mothers) wearing what could almost be considered lingerie it was cut so low and went so high…without reproof and often…and the youth did it too–while the youth group hung out on the church fence necking on wed night before/after “service”…while they taught almost every sunday that if you were not heavily involved in their different ministries then you should question your salvation…cause you probably weren’t saved. that was a reg church.
people are people and people are sinners…we must be very discerning–and prayerful.
not all fic churches are good churches
and not all reg churches are good churches and by good…i mean Biblical, growing, loving God and each other, etc.
fic is not the fix all.
responsibility and accountability must be included.
sound doctrine.
love…all things in love.
discrimination to wife and children b/c dad is having a prob…is crazy and unloving–
later
jo
What does a family Sunday school class look like? We’ve chosen to keep our children in the worship service with us (many families do this at our church), but we have age-divided Sunday school.
What does a family Sunday school class look like?
It really depends on the individual church, what they consider as their responsibility towards the children, and what the parents’ expectations are. Some create a mini-service for the children (a.k.a. Children’s Church). Some have a rather formulaic class that includes prayer time, snack time, Bible story time, crafty-thingy time, potty time, game time…..stop me if you’ve heard of this before! Some attempt to take the children deeper into teachings such as intercessory prayer, worship, evangelism, spiritual gifts, etc.
I’m sure there are more variations than this, but I have found that the children’s Sunday School classes that are considered “successful” by their church’s leadership are not necessarily producing the strongest young believers. And in some cases, the parents are expecting the church to do their job of teaching their faith to the children–all in the course of an hour once a week. If you only ate once a week, you would not be very healthy. Likewise, it’s probably the kids who are being fed the Word of God and taught His ways regularly at home that will be lifted up and encouraged in their walk with the Lord during Sunday School class…..or, if the subject matter is dumbed down, they’ll be rather bored.
Just my take on this.
Hi ladies, I am so thankful that this had such a good response here. Whether for or against what is shown in the movie, you all are wise enough to take or leave whatever may or may not be edifying.
I posted this link on a facebook group (I joined facebook solely to be a member of a homeschool co-op) and I didn’t realize there was someone in that group who goes to my church. Had I known, I would have found another way to get the movie link to those in the group who were interested. I just about got my head ripped off, in essence she was yelling at me in front of the group, caps and exclamation points and all. I am so beaten down and upset over this. This was the last straw for me. I was told that I needed to go to the “board of elders ASAP” and present my “evidence” that what I thought was going on in my church was unscriptural. I had expressed to my husband yesterday afternoon – he had to work yesterday and didn’t make it to church with us – that I was feeling disconnected and expressed to him the lack of like-mindedness there (as Joanna so eloquently put it in a previous post) and while I was at church, all I could think of doing was leaving. From the time I walk in the door, it is a battle for me each Sunday. I’ve never been a fan of “youth group”, but just this year have I been having issues with Sunday School as well. There is so much more than that though…A couple of months ago, a homeschool mom and I were having a polite conversation with one of our elder’s wives and it turned nasty really fast (on her end). She asked if we watched the Duggars and I told her not really, but I had seen it a couple of times. She told us how mad the Duggars made her because they are training their daughters to be “wives and mothers…when there is so much more out there”…I walked away from the conversation as not to say anything disrespectful. All of the “Titus 2” ministries are led by career women and though it’s only come up a couple of times verbally that it’s okay if you want to share your views about adamant public schooling…but if you feel strongly about homeschooling you’d better keep that to yourself.
Up until a few years ago, the big youth emphasis was going to a home for orphans and working for a week in the summertime…last year, the youth minister sheduled a beach trip during the same week the orphan trip was scheduled and only one teen went to the orphan home. This summer there was only a beach trip and they didn’t go to the orphan home at all. The person who scolded me on facebook told me that this issue had been visited in our church before, but the board of elders determined that the current trend is the way the church leadership wants it to go. This dashes all my hopes of staying (even though I am miserable) to incorporate some sort of change. It is a losing battle.
After I was blasted on facebook I was really upset last night and told my husband that I was ready to leave whenever he was. That’s all I am going to say to him. If it were just me, I’d never go back as that was the last nail in the coffin, but I have to wait on him and he doesn’t like change, although he knows this is not a good situation. He’s going to have to be 100% convinced it is what we need to do and only the Lord can do that. Can I ask you to pray for this situation?
Sorry for the long post, but thanks anyway for listening – or reading as it may be!
Heather
Heather, I am so sorry for your experience. Yes, it seems that a lot of youth groups are doing the fun thing and opting out of ministry or even digging into the Bible! Although, the church we had attended had a well meaning youth pastor, very nice and preached it in the pulpit, on Wed night they had Fun in the group. I am not against fun!! I think that the youth should have fun w/ each other. form friendships, and encourage one anohter. There is a time and place for that. But when most of that hr is not learning hardly anything about the Bible. What are they there for? To Socialize?? But, I am sure there are youth groups out there who are learning God’s word.
I am not against youth groups. It just seems that in today’s world that they are getting away from what needs to be taught and focused on. Following God and serving others. Getting up in front of the congregation and jamming out! Acting cool. And wearing what they want to. Even if someone is not churched, you can politely ask them to wear pants or skirt instead of daisy duke shorts. We saw a lot of that around! Why are they not teaching about modesty?
I have more to say but got to run! Thinking of you!!
Ah, yes 2flowerboys…the daisy dukes. That’s another thing. At VBS this summer, I was one of the snack ladies and when the kids in the oldest VBS group (younger youth maybe 7-8th grade) came down to snack, our lead pastor sat at their table and had a discussion about modesty… a much needed discussion, one of the girls had a belt on that was almost wider than her shorts literally…he finished the talk and wrapped it up when the youth pastor’s wife came in the room wearing her own daisy dukes and skin tight top and high heels to gather them back to class. It was almost laughable, but not really.
Heather,
That daisy duke story is humorous but sad. That’s the positive side to an Independent Fundamentalist Baptist church, at least ours specifically, but they have a “dress code” for church functions which is skirts/dresses only for the women/girls and pants (not shorts) for men/boys.
I’m so sorry what happened via FB. I posted the video as well on FB and got a positive response online and at church. I only had ONE woman say “well, I’ll look at the video but there is NO WAY all sunday schools and youth groups are not biblical.” I haven’t heard yet what she thought of it (She is involved in college and career age right now).
I believe our youth are better off in a mixed environment of adults and various ages of children so the older can mentor the younger. I don’t think horsing around at church is productive at all. It becomes a social club, not worship and discipling. I think that video was RIGHT ON and was glad my dh agreed.
Now on to find a biblical family integrated church. So far not happening. I have a feeling we’ll be home churched until we find something…
Tara
My dh and I have known that we are not going to send our kids to youth group for some time now. We also pulled out of Sunday school a couple years ago. I think our pastor is a great teacher. I think I’d miss hearing his sermons, but we, too, have discussed finding something else. It just concerns me who my children will have when they’re older. They don’t have many friends as it is, and the ones they do have I know will most certainly be very involved in youth culture as they get older. I do know of one family integrated church, but I know we have doctrinal differences. So I think we’re sunk.
Well, I’m being summoned. I had more to talk about but I never have the time to actually sit here and type! Ack!
Interesting discussion. And for the o.p. who got slammed for posting this on facebook, I’m really sorry that happened to you. They are just being defensive and therefore turning on you. Not many are ready to be told they may be doing something more negative for their kids than they ever could have imagined. And most are not ready to get out of their comfort zone and change their way of thinking, whether it’s true or not. It sounds like a lot of us on this board have decisions to make. Would God care if our kids attend youth group? I don’t know. Does it produce fruit in our children? Look at the statistics. People may make a fuss that you posted this, but the fact is that the statistics and the way country’s youth are going speak loud and clear.
When you say you posted this link on Facebook, did you mean the link to the movie or a link to this discussion thread? Just curious….
spoke with my friend last night who still attends my old fic.
made me homesick…but that is beside the point.
ok she reminded me that these churches are being started like every other church out there…by men, sinful fallen men. some of which do have odd agendas, or get power hungry etc. however, at my old fic…there are single moms, singles, people w/unsaved or fallen away spouse , etc. who have been “integrated” right into the body…as it should be. whether the dh is no longer in the pic or is in the pic but not saved, or whatever, these women and children are loved and accepted and mentored and supported, etc.
i had to follow up with that after some of the previous posts.
nothing is perfect.
for those of you who can’t find churches in your area, maybe you could find like-minded families…that is how my old one got started 7 families came together…if you go to the ncfic website i posted earlier–click on your area and then look to the right and click on find families…you might be surprised. unfortuneately the nearest church is 4 hours away from us as are the nearest families to us…but hey…we are posted and we are beginning to PRAY.
God Bless you in your endeavors to follow HIM and rear godly seed.
jo
oh one more thing
Family Sunday School…was just bit more informal than service…after lunch we sang some younger songs with moves too…head shoulders knees and toes…deep and wide, etc. got the blood pumping…and then Pastor Jason would speak to the “sons” (and daughters) and the “fathers” (and mothers)…about whatever he was teaching on, applying scripture and helping us all see that Scripture is to ALL of Life. That is the church saying: All of Scripture to All of life.
I was just wondering. Not that my comments aren’t fine for public reading, but the question crossed my mind after I heard a report that a teacher in Florida was suspended and is under investigation because he posted some comments on his own Facebook page that spoke out against the same-sex marriage law recently enacted in New York. His FB comments about calling such unions marriages being an insult to a man’s and woman’s marriage were labelled “code ethics violations” by school officials.
It’s a wonder that your personal comments made on your own time can get you into so much trouble these days. The ironic thing is that this man was voted “Teacher of the Year” last year.
Sue, I would never post a link to a discussion here, elsewhere, without permission from the posters. Once in cyberspace always in cyberspace!
Sue, I would never post a link to a discussion here, elsewhere, without permission from the posters. Once in cyberspace always in cyberspace!
Please keep in mind that everything posted here is already in cyberspace. This is a public form that anyone can read without being logged in. You only need to log in to post. Google and the other search sites regularly pick up the conversations from here and make them available in search.
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