Another Milestone - Christmas Eve Services.

AK - Jeff

Headed out the door and looking forward to it.

Jeff

BlackSwan of Memphis

Now that is something I have yet to experience and would really like to do.

When ya get back let us know how it went!

Honesty

I just got back.

It was beautiful because it was so spiritual.

mrsjones5

We went to the 4pm service at our church. It was very nice and intimate. I think we missed the crowds at the 10:45 service.

AK - Jeff

We loved it. Lots of music, the children in the congregation put on a couple of beautiful dances for us, we sang to the Lord and had candlelight service at the end.

What I enjoyed was the lack of doctrine or dogma, just Jesus at the center of it all. The pastor played the guitar and had some of the choir leading the singing. It was quite pleasant. Wifey and The Three Grand-Munchins all seemed to enjoy it too. I felt no uneasiness at all, even as we prayed to Jesus on more than one occasion. The singing was easy [though I know virtually none of the words], due to a video display of the words at the front of the church.

There was one brief 'alter call', which I astudiously avoided at this point.

Very spiritual.

This was, folks, my debut appearance inside a church for any sort of service. For forty-three years a dub, then the last three, unchurched. Ffty one years altogether without ever doing this [except in a Kingdom Hall - and no comparison there]. This was a wonderful opportunity to 'break the ice' I thought. Plus, my work schedule allowed me to attend - which regular sunday services don't.

One of the elders - I think - maybe a deacon or some other designation - happened to be a friend of mine from high school. We have seen each other once in a while in the intervening years - but not much. I greeted him and asked "Is this your church, Dennis?" He replies it was, and it could be mine too. I must say I felt right at home.

I went in blue jeans, tennis shoes and a white cotton shirt. I was actually 'dressed up' compared to many.

All in all - a great experience.

Jeff

purplesofa

sounds nice.

glad you had a nice time.

Happy Holidays.

purps

AK - Jeff

Thanx purps

I see you are back with the old avatar. Glad of that.

Happy Holidays to you.

Jeff

NowImFree

Hi Jeff,

I was raised as a JW and just disassociated about 4 years ago because I figured out they are liars. I was really nervous the first time I went to a church service and was very pleasantly surprized. It was more uplifting and spiritual than anything I had ever experienced at the KH. And the first Christmas service I went too made me very emotional, I pretty much cried throughout the whole thing. I still do. Same with the Easter celebration as it was all focused on Christ's victory and rescurrection and it was actually an amazing celebration. People were really singing and cheering, it was actually joyful. I never saw anything remotely close to a joyful celebration at the KH. All churches and church services are definitely nothing like what the Watchtower accuses them of being. It was very eye opening.

NowImFree

esw1966

Congratulations!!!

We went to our Christmas Service this year and the two that we go to were FANTASTIC!

They were a lot of fun. We did the wave at one church, a community Christian Church, and the assistant pastor read trivia questions about Christmas and threw roasted chestnuts and gift cards as rewards. This was 10 minutes before the service started. He was all dressed in a white tux. It was light hearted and humorous.

The other one had a choir, candles, 10 trees on stage lit, a linus christmas speech from peanuts, and a candle for all 1000 as we sang Silent Night.

Quite a time!

Merry Christmas Everyone!!!

Ethan

gwyneth

Last night was the first time we have ever attended Christmas Eve Services, also. We went to the Lutheran Church where my daughter goes to private school for the 7 p.m. candlelight service.

My daughter asked one thing of me: "PLEEEEEASE don't cry--it's embarrassing."

They have a church orchestra made up of members, and they started a processional song with French horns. I started crying, and my daughter rolled her eyes and made a disgusted noise. I laughed and got a Kleenex. My mom went with us, and she asked me after why I cried. I guess I was just moved; it was a spiritual experience, and something I haven't felt in a long, long time. (However, it's not a feeling that will make me inclined to start attending a church.)

The pastor wore a white robe that was reminiscent of Catholics. There was much singing and reading of bible verse, and confessions of the congregation where they read passages and said "Amen" after. Pastor (who is my daughter's religion teacher) gave two sermons: one where all the children came up and gathered around his feet as he explained the origin of the candy cane (what the shape meant, what the solid red and then the three thin red lines meant, etc.) as he handed them out to the children, and one with an analogy to sleepwalking that didn't make any sense to me. (I understood the message, just not the analogy.) At the end, "Silent Night" was sung, and candles were lit. My mother was raised Episcopalian, and she knew almost all the songs. I knew one or two. It was the first time she'd been to a Christmas service in 40 years, and she was pleasantly surprised she knew what was going on. It also moved me that my daughter sang every song. I really had no idea she had absorbed so much from the activities of this church, and I wonder what will happen next year when she enters public school and has no more spiritual direction. I wonder if she will chose to continue going to the Lutheran (or some other) church on her own.

Very interesting, and I am glad I went. I would like to attend a Catholic service sometime, too. Maybe next year.

Another Milestone - Christmas Eve Services.

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