Some of you know I have been dealing with wanting to leave my church and go elsewhere. I was in charge of VBS the last two years but this year was not even asked to help with anything. This is after a couple years ago when I was basically pushed out of a position in the children's ministry by personal attacks on me and my children. So I just checked the church's website to find out vbs info even though Grace will not be attending just to see what is what this year. What do you think about this - your child can only go if you register online. You have two forms to fill out one of which is a medical form the other is the registration form. There are no walk ins welcome. You MUST register ONLINE and you have a certain time in which to do so. The cost is $10 per child which includes a t-shirt but if you didn't register before the 5th of this month the price is now $15 per child and you don't even get a shirt. Personally I am embarassed to call this my church home. It hurts my heart. This is what vbs has come to? What about neighbor kids coming? They wouldn't know to register online a darn month in advance! What happened to bringing friends? What about outreach? I am so mad and hurt about this that I don't even want to step foot in that building again. Am I wrong to feel this way? Is this the norm now?
Take a deep breath. Yes, they are out of line, but there's nothing you can do about it. You weren't asked, because they KNEW you wouldn't (couldn't!) be on board with the way they were doing it. Stop getting mad, because it's doing NO good to you or anyone else. You need to step back, realize you've done all you possibly can to correct the situation, and get past it. It is no longer your responsibility.
I do not agree with the way your church has handled vbs this year. vbs should be a way to minister to childern in the neighborhood who would not normaly come to church. IT IS A MINISTRY!!!!!!!! I can undrerstand that you are hurt and upset by all of this. I don't like people using excusses to church hop as i calll it but you will have to pray about the things that are bothering you and ask the Lord to show you what to do. by the way in the ministry position i am in i get mad when i see chruches doing "ministries" but want the parents to pay a fee or make the church members feel they are unwelcomed. only you can come up with the answers that you need. i am praying for you.
I don't even want to be apart of it and yes they know and have known for a while I don't agree. But I just want to know what you think about it. Do you think the way it is run is the right way to run a VBS?
Hi Tiffany - First of all let me say that I am praying that the Lord would give you wisdom on how He wants you to handle the situation. This is NOT how VBS should be handled. It sound like your church is trying to "weed out" people that they don't want to attend VBS. How sad. VBS is outreach. If it were me, I would NEVER return to that "church" again. But, that's just me Blessings - Carla
I understand, Tiffany. But you already know that most of us agree with you. I'm not getting on you or anything, but you're just getting yourself all worked up about something you cannot change. What we think about it really won't matter, other than validating your feelings of "They're WRONG!!!" And right now, I think you need to learn how to get over your frustrations and move on. No, I don't think you need to step in with them when you feel so strongly that they are wrong, but getting yourself all worked up again over something you can't change isn't doing YOU any good either. :love:
well, if my dh was on board, i would start searching for a church family that i might be able to do more of God's work in, bc obviously it doesnt sound like that church is letting you be involved in any of the ministrys anymore, so if dh was on board, i would start Sunday, but jmo.
Shelby I have always thought VBS was supposed to be a ministry outreach too! Carla I am just north of Houston. Jackie I really am past all the hurt I felt before. I'm not worked up about any of it. I am very much past that part of it. I am upset inside that the church we thought was great is doing things like this. I don't really want validation that they are wrong - this isn't about me. I simply posted this here to get the opinions of others or even to see if this truly is the way that VBS is run normally. I very may well be out of the loop so to speak and just wanted to find out. Mammof3peas we already have another church we are strongly desiring to attend. We went two weeks ago and LOVED the sermon and music very much. My dh is really coming around and starting to see what I have been seeing about our church for so long. We are praying about it. We actually plan to attend our current church this week and the other church again next week. My dd13 already atttends youth group there and it is awesome! I never knew a VBS to be run this way. I remember when I was young doing crafts, singing songs, learning Bible stories and bringing friends. Maybe I am old fashioned but this just really bothers me that a church, any church, would run a ministry outreach this way. It obviously isn't a ministry outreach any longer.
I think your church has lost it vision on what the church is there for, TO WIN LOST SOULS FOR THE KINGDOM OF CHRIST visit the others church and pray that the Lord show you what to do. said to say, many of the churches have somewhat lost there vision.
our vbs is nothing like that either! that is great that you are giving your dh time to mull it over. i think if they feel pressured into it, it doesnt work, but if it ends up being "his" decision, it will turn out the way it should!
I'm amazed! I've never heard of such a thing. Is this a church, a theater, or a production unit? The early church met in homes, and anyone was allowed to attend. Can you imagine what those early believers would have thought of putting up financial and technological barriers to invite children to hear the gospel message? Personally, I have a hard time with music in most churches. I know a large part of this is that I'm not as young as I once was (!), but I will never feel comfortable with the congregation applauding after a song. I hear the song leader shout "Let's give the Lord a hand of praise" or some such thing, but I think we forget that we are bowing to a king, not slapping a 'buddy' on the back. It's respectful worship, not entertainment. More controversial, maybe, but I also feel it's wrong to put up any kind of barrier to someone attending a church. We've probably all heard about the prostitute who was suicidal. When asked why she had not thought to visit a church, she responded "A church? That's the last place I'd want to go. They'd all look down on me and criticize me and want me to leave." Instead, we should simply lift up the light of the gospel message and invite everyone to hear. Which is why I find your church's approach so strange. Why charge a child to hear the gospel message? Why exclude poor families without a computer? Indeed, why put any barriers in place at all?
My older children could not attend VBS when they were of that age because we could not afford it. It should have been a red flag, but I stuck it out. Now we have left the church..after about 14 yrs, after realizing how materialistic, jerk, rude, unChristlike it really was.
Leaving this church isn't something that all of a sudden I thought of and decided we should do. You all have to know that we LOVED this church initially. We have been members for years! Then things began to happen that didn't sit well with me. Also please note that i am not one of those people who think everything needs to be my way. I (in real life) am very go with the flow, easy going, laid back and easy to get along with. BUT there are some things that I can't just get over. The Lord's word is one of those things. VBS isn't the only thing that ticks me off but it is important. I have prayed and prayed and prayed over the issue of changing churches. We can never be called church hoppers because this is the only church we have ever gone to as a married couple and dh never went to church before. At this church pastor uses different books for his sermon. At the church I want to attend they use the Bible and only the Bible. I think if you are going to preach God's word you ought to use God's word to preach from. Call me crazy. Just for clarification - the church we go to is methodist. The church we want to attend is assemby of God. I feel a pull - yes from GOD! - to leave! It is strong! I said first and foremost that my husband has to make this decision for our family. Period. I have prayed and prayed and now my husband is seeing it too! I do NOT pressure him ever. I believe that the husband is the head of the house and he always has the final decision. I just truly hurt inside because a church is running a VBS this way. Maybe I hurt because I think God HIMSELF would be dissapointed with it.God said let the children come to HIM! How can they when it is run this way?
Many churches charge now. A church Jeannie goes to for vbs sent cards out asking for donations, but they really do come up with extra nice crafts, decent snacks, everyone gets a cd, and you can even get a dvd of the week if you want it. This church needs to advertise in the paper so peoplke know what to do. They're just trying to keep costs in line, which is okay if they are letting people know in advance. This is not at all about keeping people out- it's about watching the budget.
If you don't have a computer, call the church. You don't have a phone- walk in during business hours. I'd also bet that if a family said it couldn't pay, the fee would be dropped. Woe on a church that didn't!
tiffany, it sounds like you are trully following God's will for your life. it also sounds like the Holy Spirit has a definite voice in your family, and i say just keep doing what you are doing. you know and i know there will never be a perfect church, but there are definate doctrinal issues i believe are black and white. the fact that they have restricted bible school like that sounds like they are not in tune with the Holy Spirit. can you imagine God leading a church to do such things? i think not! becky, its one thing if you know this is the policy, but what about the walkins like tiffany said, who just see the sign, and decide to bring their child one night. how would that portray Jesus, "sorry, you didnt register, so cant come?". i understand if a church was literally hurting for money maybe, but even then, they can scale back, ask for donations from the congregation, etc. i used to go to a very small baptist church in the country, we had maybe 30 people sunday mornings, but we had almost 100 kids for vbs. we made do, we scrimped and saved all year all of us, to have the bible school for those kids. that is what a church should be doing. making the kids and the gospel number one. it sounds to me like they might want to have such a fun entertaining bible school to compete with other vbs, but dont want to fork out the $$ to do it. jmo
we love the church we just joined, since moving here a year ago, but at vbs a couple people said numbers were down due to another church in the area having it the same week. they were kiind of bummed, but i felt like , super! at least they are going somewhere, as long as they get the message, that is what counts, not numbers!
A real church will not turn anyone away! If Tiffany hears someone got turned away, that would be different.
I think you will be welcomed in the Assembly of God church. by the way, my husband and I pastor an Assembly of God church in south texas and if you and your family lived close to us we would welcome you with our arms wide open. I did not get the feeling that you are anything but a loveing, humble woman who wants to please the Lord with all your might. Do as the Lord is wills and pray that your "former" church open there eyes before it is too late.
