Church visits

Searching: I’ve been looking for a church that projects relevance to my stage of Christian development. In this quest I have visited and worshiped with many streams of religious persuasion. Assuming this may be an issue for many in the Anchorage area, I offer in this blog brief accounts of my visits. The criteria I use in evaluating my visits are:
• Did the church project friendliness and warmth?
• Did I truly feel welcomed?
• Did I relate to the main teaching and was it delivered effectively?
• Did music merely entertain or did it deepen the worship experience?

Map to churches I have visited.
My email: churchvisits@gmail.com


Contributors

Chris Thompson

Chris Thompson

Chris Thompson, an amateur biblical scholar and student of religions, is a member of the American Academy of Religion (AAR) and Society for Biblical Literature (SBL). He enjoys AAR/SBL where he studies, first hand, with worldwide religious scholars. A management consultant, skilled in all aspects of 360-degree feedback programs and human resource management systems, he practices these skills as Workforce Consulting. He lives in Anchorage.

ON THE WEB

Google map with visited churches

As I visit churches, I'll post their locations on this map.

Archive

Shocking Beliefs of the Unchurched - 11/30/2008 12:01 pm

Great Land Christian Church - What a Great Experience! - 11/20/2008 10:00 pm

Crosspoint: Room for Improvement - 11/16/2008 4:17 pm

A Church Visit Reader Shares Their "Looking for A Church" Story - 11/10/2008 10:02 pm

St. John Orthodox - A Spiritual Treat - 10/31/2008 3:54 pm

Guest Blog - Chris Walker's "10 Tips for Greeters" - 10/23/2008 12:57 pm

Christian Courage, It's Still Alive! - 10/12/2008 2:58 pm

More Changes Coming to ChangePoint - 10/3/2008 7:06 am

Guest Blog -Top 10 Church Website Design Mistakes of 2007 - 9/28/2008 6:01 pm

Muldoon Assembly: Friendly, Programmed - 9/19/2008 11:12 pm

Why I've Run From Churches - Guest Blog - 9/16/2008 6:58 pm

Christian Church of Anchorage...An Invitation, Refusal, and Later Visit - 9/3/2008 1:38 pm

Podcasts/Godcasts...The Darker Side Pt. 2 - 8/30/2008 12:33 pm

Christ Community Church…A Somewhat Closed Experience - 8/21/2008 9:55 am

Can a Podcast be a Godcast? Part 1 - 8/16/2008 7:47 pm

Youth Lead Sunday Evening Service…A Pleasant First! - 8/12/2008 4:09 pm

Anchorage City Church…Charismatically Quiet - 8/4/2008 11:02 pm

But what about theology? - 7/30/2008 1:42 pm

Holy Family Cathedral: Warm, Friendly and Catholic - 7/26/2008 9:50 pm

Foreign missionaries to the U.S. or even Alaska, can it be true? - 7/22/2008 2:46 pm

First church I've visited not using musical instruments, but they can sing! - 7/16/2008 10:39 am

Protestantism Declining, Catholicism Steady, and No Religious Affiliation Rising According to Pew Forum Report - 7/10/2008 4:33 pm

full archive »

Youth Lead Sunday Evening Service…A Pleasant First!

Posted by Chris Thompson

Posted: August 12, 2008 - 4:09 pm

Recently I blogged my visit to Church of Christ South Anchorage. Despite favorable or unfavorable visit experiences, it's unusual to be invited back by a visited church. Despite that norm, I did receive an invitation for a return visit, for a Sunday evening service, from Willard Holliday, pastor. I took him up on it.

Not Your Ordinary Presenters
What was so unusual about my return visit was the service was entirely led by youth of this remarkable church. Ranging in age from 11 to 18, they shared in the responsibilities of leading an inspiring service. I counted nine (9) participants leading music, praying, reading scripture, and officiating over the Lord’s Supper.

Strong in Faith
Other churches may use their youth in a similar fashion, but I’ve not seen it. It’s common to criticize the direction the youth of today sometimes take. However involving them responsibly in spiritual matters is certainly a huge step in the right direction. In my previous visit blog about this church, I wrote I was pleased the scripture reading was given with diction and feeling by one of the youth, something I’ve also not seen in other church visits.

The boy who delivered the lesson this evening was 13. He was a little nervous but did well drawing his lesson from Ephesians 4. This was a well-attended, warm and sincere service. This church is to be commended for giving their youth an opportunity to put their budding talents to good use. Thanks to this church for asking me back this time. And my best wishes to Joseph, Lee, Patrick, Michael, Aaron, Daniel, Norris, Anthony, and Shaun as you continue to grow in your Christian experience.


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