Sunday, April 08, 2007

Easter Sunday

Every year that I attended Living Faith, I dreaded one thing: door to door advertizing for the Easter play. Now it’s not that I’m a shy person, it’s just that I’ve never been fond of people knocking on my door unless they were invited. I don’t care if they are selling encyclopedias, campaigning for office, or just trying to get me into heaven. I appreciate the effort but really, don’t need encyclopedias, I have an internet connection, I will be voting your stance on the issues at hand, and I am not interested in scientology, the Jehovah’s whiteness, or any other solicitation of any kind. And I know that this feeling runs though out. The moment the do-not-call list came out; it was set out in church, and passed in home groups and other meetings.

So regardless of how others felt, we went out into the streets and knocked on people’s doors. Without hesitation we explained that we had the best show in town, like some crooked Broadway producers, and then finished up with an always strong “we’ll have donuts.” And like that the door was shut and we would move happily to the next house as invite after invite was thrown right into the trash.

For this act of self indulgence we spared no expense, printing thousands of half page color leaflets, and used them to proclaim to the city:

“We don’t care to know you during the year! Even though you’re my neighbor, I’ve been to busy to make you cookies because I’ve been serving at church. I really don’t care to know you, unless you come to my church, so if you would like to know me, this card says where I can be found.”

And year after year we engaged in this act of self promotion, wasting thousands of dollars and man hours trying to boost the attendance number for one day so we could feel better about our efforts that we put into our amateur production of a classic story. And after it was all over we would spend a week or two, congratulating ourselves on a job well done. Referring to the one uneducated person who had “never seen a betters show in there life” and who had obviously never seen another show before now. Telling ourselves that we were almost as good as broad way, whilst the audience sat in the dark for 2:49 as a props crew of 23 or so bumbled along in the dark.

I hear they no longer have to go door to door, but I went to the play today and it’s the same old. Not an improvement since I left. The leper gets healed, then Jesus dies, the leper is sad, then Jesus rises, then the choir sings everyone out on stage, you know, the usual.

After I went, I was just thinking how happy I was that I didn’t have to be involved and flunk my mid-terms so people would like me.

It’s a good feeling to be free.


18 comments:

Anonymous said...

Just think if we would have spent those countless thousands of hours volunteering in the community. I'd venture to bet that would have been more effective than their futile attempts to boost membership. Then again it is all about image and an extravagant production makes sense. For now, I'm content at my new church. Close to a hundred members of my church served at the local shelter this morning, it sure beat handing out donuts to obese pastors.

Anonymous said...

to the poster: I don't understand why you went to the service if you feel that way about the church. I don't go to LFF any longer, and I can't imagine going to one of their big productions. I would, however, love to be invisible and watch one of their regular services.

Anonymous said...

can't speak for the author, but I have family that still attend and sometimes when I am in town I go with them. it's not ideal but we make sacrifices for the people we still love despite the fact that they are in an abusive and manipulative relationship.

Anonymous said...

Mu husband and I went to a Reformed church today. It was a big building...I've been afraid of big churches for a long time. But today was different. We walked in the door, we were greeted with "happy easter" just as everyone was greeted. We were able to quietly take our seats and didn't feel hundreds of eyes on us. We didn't feel like we stuck out as newbie (maybe due to the holiday).

Worship started and I felt my gut get tense as a herd of people filled the state (the choir) but then as I gazed around the sanctuary, there were no banners waving, no streamers, no jumping up and down, no rushing to the altar. Just God's people praising him and him alone. Not worshiping to be noticed by anyone by Him.

Then the message started, there weren't any notes or slides (other than the scripture) and the message was of hope not of condemnation. And it was short and to the point.

I felt so refreshed. It's been a long time since we've felt good and safe within the walls of a church. It felt right to be there and I'm pretty sure next Sunday we'll go back...one week at a time, one step at a time is how we get through.

Anonymous said...

yea I know I made typos, oh well.

Anonymous said...

my family still goes there and I will never go with them. not a chance. i would love to go to church with my family again, but i will never go back there. it would be spiritual suicide.

Anonymous said...

I can no longer commit spiritual suicide. that part of me is already dead . . . And I LIKE it that way

Anonymous said...

to the author:
I thought I saw you at church this morning. It was good to see you. Hope you enjoyed the donuts. :-) Happy Easter!

Anonymous said...

Gospel=Good. Gospel help people to be whole. Trust Gospel, be whole.

Anonymous said...

oh the donuts...and cookies too. I remember my mom spending hours trying to come up with yet another unique and acceptable form of decoration for them every year from the colors to the amount of sprinkles each one should have.

I don't know how she managed to end up with that job but it reminded me of the gazillion hoops you had to jump through to get anything approved around there. FOR GOD'S SAKE!!! THEY ARE JUST COOKIES!! Did any of you really care what they looked like...especially after the 6th year in a row we had to eat them?

I wasn't there this year although my parents still go there and I have to say sometimes going back is hard on me emotionally/spiritually but then again you make sacrifices for your family because all in all, they are more important than any church.

It's actually really sad because recently I was there and witnessed a "praise report" about the highschool kids having gone to a conference and how they were learning how to discern what music was appropriate and truly christian. I almost wanted to cry because it was like nothing had changed....the oversight people were gushing about how the kids were able to discern how one band at the conference didn't have a heart of worship and therefore was really secular and not okay to listen too. I wanted to stand up and scream "WELL NEITHER DO YOU!!! IT'S ALL A FREAKING SHOW!" And I swear the kids were standing there nodding their heads in that spiritual way that made them look like they had reached some elite level of spirituality.

I thought maybe there might be a change and externally there has been some changes, but really they are preaching the same old controlling BS that hurt all of us.

Anonymous said...

Who do they think they are to discern what is right and wrong? I mean HELLO!! That 'power'' makes people so judgemental. When that power is given to humans that is when bad things happen. That is when people begin to think they are up there with God. Like Pastor Sherri. THere she was weeka fter week telling us about her wonderful relationship with JEsus and how her life was an example and all the while her marriage was a sham. So if the music lets one person touch the heart of God who are they to say it's too secualr. Rember how Pastor Sherri loved country music and used it sometimes? That would mess some people uo. That is another one of those things that should be between you and God. IT is not the job of the PAstors (or your peers) to tell you what you should listen to!!!!! That was one of my first revelations when I left.

Anonymous said...

Regarding the music... Just listen to popular christian radio some day and you'll hear secular music being covered by christian bands. Is is suddenly okay to listen to a song if a christian band sings it? Yes, I guess but only if they have the right "heart" while they sing it... Give me a break! Just be happy your kids aren't listening to Marilyn Manson or likewise and let them enjoy their youth a little!

Anonymous said...

I never understood what was wrong with music of any kind to begin with. Sure if you're weak-minded and easily wavier in your faith just by hearing a song then maybe you shouldn't listen to anything. But come on people God created us with brains USE them.

Who cares if the artist is Christian or not. You can't catch someone's sins by listening to them or being in the same room as them.

Judge not lest ye be judged

Anonymous said...

What a hilarious comment about the cookies! and how sad about the high school kids feeling so holy and superior to others. Sure doesn't sound like there have been many changes inwardly from when we were there.

Anonymous said...

Don't you guys get it? NOTHING has changed. They are trying to excuse past church manipulations and control tactics with a senior pastor change that happened several years ago. However, the same problems exist and the spirit of the leadership remains the same. Kari Vance = Karl Barden.

People who still go there: Don't lie to yourself. Don't listen to their statements that a new (5 years ago) pastor change brought new life and freedom to the church. The systems of control, elitist attitude and personal insecurity of the leadership (especially in the case of the senior pastor's wife) still remain.

blog admin-- dpr, innocence destroyed, whoever you are, could we dedicate a whole post to the fact that the leadership control tactics at the church still have not changed? people need to know that the outward changes are a lie that mask what is truly going on inside.

Anonymous said...

It will be such a waste of time to think that it will change unless the barden's . . . er . . . I mean the vance's step down. kari has only know one style of leadership. she has been immersed in that since she was still in high school and she is incapable of seeing a bigger picture.

Anonymous said...

I would still go to church there if the Vances and their agent Joe Fitzgerald would step down.

Anonymous said...

I'd have to agree. My eyes were opened to the control the church exerted when PK left. I decided to stay because the problem had been identified and the church was under new leadership. Sadly, two years later I realized my family was still under the same grip as before. Honestly, I think PKV is work than PK. I pray for LFF every day, its so sad to see friends that have a false sense of freedom because of the propaganda they are now being told. To all those LFFers that comments on this blog and tell us to be free. We are free and it is the best feeling in the world. I am serving my Lord without being told when, where and how. It really is amazing to have a PERSONAL relationship with Jesus.