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Post by Jolly on May 28, 2024 9:50:49 GMT
If not already torn down, demolition should be underway...
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Post by Jolly on May 28, 2024 10:01:30 GMT
Did some more digging...As of the end of April, it's a pile of rubble.
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Post by sunny225 on May 28, 2024 17:51:05 GMT
I am in the process of watching this. The guys doing the videoing seem to be young. And the off-hand, maybe derogatory, remark about the Lamb of God hit me wrong. Still watching...
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Post by sunny225 on May 28, 2024 18:13:13 GMT
Just an indication of cities losing a large part of their population. I wonder what happened to all the people. Where did they go? It was a beautiful place for sure.
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Post by David! on May 28, 2024 19:09:51 GMT
I wonder how much of this can be attributed to shifts in society and the mega churches loosing popularity. I personally usually think of them as just cash generating businesses. For myself I would much rather be in missionary Baptist church in the woods with 100 members. These strike as me as impersonal.
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Post by farmgirl on May 28, 2024 20:02:12 GMT
I wonder how much of this can be attributed to shifts in society and the mega churches loosing popularity. I personally usually think of them as just cash generating businesses. For myself I would much rather be in missionary Baptist church in the woods with 100 members. These strike as me as impersonal. I prefer small, country churches.
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Post by Jolly on May 28, 2024 20:31:58 GMT
I wonder how much of this can be attributed to shifts in society and the mega churches loosing popularity. I personally usually think of them as just cash generating businesses. For myself I would much rather be in missionary Baptist church in the woods with 100 members. These strike as me as impersonal. Probably has a lot to do with the founder of the church dying and the closing of the Goodyear plant.
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Post by laurazone5 on May 28, 2024 22:51:00 GMT
David!, too many churches go to the wayside because a congregation follows a pastor / man, not The Word OR they get a new pastor and they are not preaching The Word. Mega churches are entertaining. You can sip your Starbucks and nibble doughnuts in the main area, rub elbows with who's who in the area, BE SEEN, etc. It's too much like a country club with a rock show, than a house of Worship.
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Post by Ozarks Tom on May 29, 2024 0:11:19 GMT
I remember, on the invitation of friends, attending a night service at the First Baptist Church in Dallas, one of the first mega-churches to my knowledge. Big building, cordial folks, but all the talk was about who was there, and who was the most rich. The sermon, as I remember it, was nothing out of the ordinary, and when the usual call to the altar was done less than a dozen out of thousands had taken their oath to Christ. After the service the talk was still about who was there, how much money they had, and generally less than nothing about the meaning of the sermon.
That's the same church that held a service shortly thereafter called an "emergency calling" to replenish its funds for evangelism in Africa. It brought in an estimated $4 million on that one Sunday. Somehow the major donors names were "leaked" out.
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Post by farmrbrown on May 29, 2024 0:38:39 GMT
I wonder how much of this can be attributed to shifts in society and the mega churches loosing popularity. I personally usually think of them as just cash generating businesses. For myself I would much rather be in missionary Baptist church in the woods with 100 members. These strike as me as impersonal. Probably has a lot to do with the founder of the church dying and the closing of the Goodyear plant. That may be part of it, but I think the real reason has been implied above. Frankly, God is bigger than any corporation and any man on earth, so if He was there, wanted to stay there and keep the doors open, it would be so. I know that sounds harsh but I've been to many different churches and not all of them had His Spirit present. You can tell the difference when He's there and when He isn't if you're looking for Him.
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Post by sunny225 on May 29, 2024 17:58:25 GMT
And just because it's a little country church doesn't mean that God is there either.
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Post by Jolly on May 29, 2024 21:03:07 GMT
And just because it's a little country church doesn't mean that God is there either. Amen.
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Post by Tricky Grama on Jun 6, 2024 11:40:05 GMT
I wonder how much of this can be attributed to shifts in society and the mega churches loosing popularity. I personally usually think of them as just cash generating businesses. For myself I would much rather be in missionary Baptist church in the woods with 100 members. These strike as me as impersonal. Where-ever 2 or more are gathered together...
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Post by woolybear on Jun 6, 2024 12:18:30 GMT
I wonder how much of this can be attributed to shifts in society and the mega churches loosing popularity. I personally usually think of them as just cash generating businesses. For myself I would much rather be in missionary Baptist church in the woods with 100 members. These strike as me as impersonal. Where-ever 2 or more are gathered together... I've always wondered about that statement...where ever 2 or more are gathered. If I'm understanding my Bible the holy spirit was left for us so that we would not be alone. So if I'm alone but the holy spirit is with me does that count as the 2 or more? The reason for my asking is..does this negate the need for an actual church building and all of the political and corruptness that goes with the religious "corporation". I understand the desire to worship with others, but I've also seen the pettiness, spitefulness, and the deliberate need to hurt other people. One prime example is the United Methodist Church demanding a ransom for a congregation to be able to break away and keep their building. The ransom deal has really turned me off to organized religion, add in the pandering to the alphabet groups and I'm about done with it all. Also holy communion, where in the bible does it say "only a religious leader may bless the bread and wine"? I thought at the Last Supper that Jesus told his disciples (and I guess anyone else) to take the bread and wine in remembrance of Him. Oops sorry about going off on a tangent. But there are times that supposed high up religious leaders really burn my biscuits. When my church finally closes up (and it's getting close) I will visit other churches, may find one that I like but I don't think I will ever join another church and do my worshipping at home.
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Post by wildhorseluvr on Jun 6, 2024 12:54:54 GMT
woolybear, I’m no Bible scholar but here’s my take on it. WE are the church, not the building, not the 501(c)(3) organization. There are good reasons for Christians to assemble together, accountability for one and mutual support for another. The Bible also says the worker is worthy of his wages…which to me means certain people such as pastors, elders, deacons, even musicians…should be supported to some extent, particularly if working full time. Church does not necessarily have to take place in a church building, nor do pastors need to become multi millionaires. Persecuted Christians assemble together in homes, basements, fields and woods and they are absolutely as much a church as those worshipping in fancy buildings….probably much more so. As for hypocrisy in the church, Christians are not and never will be perfect while on this earth. We are sinners like everyone else, only difference being we are forgiven. We should behave differently, especially considering we have the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit, but it’s a maturing process. Further, there are people masquerading as Christians who are not, and those who sincerely believe they’re Christians and are not. Judas was considered by the other disciples to be one of them, yet he betrayed Christ. So you’re always going to see some bad behavior in the church, by Christians and those posing as Christians.
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