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


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.

Chris' Ten New Year's Wishes for Area Churches - 1/2/2009 3:14 pm

First Christian...Warm & Welcoming - 12/30/2008 4:18 pm

Trio of Advent Treats Served at St. John UMC - 12/23/2008 11:44 pm

Cool Advent Reception at First Baptist - 12/21/2008 2:40 pm

St Mark Lutheran...A Cold Day's Visit - 12/13/2008 11:44 pm

Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Church...Unusual Service...Not Welcoming - 12/7/2008 11:14 pm

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

Christian Courage, It's Still Alive!

Comments (0) |

Recently, I was teaching in a senior high school classroom. At the end of the day, after the students had turned in their papers, stacked their chairs, and exited the classroom, I noticed one young girl still working at her desk. I told her it was time to go. Thinking she hadn’t heard me I prepared to mention it again as I wanted to leave. Finally, I saw her getting up and coming toward me. Giving me her paper, she also gave me a little tract, mumbling something like “this is for you.” It was one of those little tracts from a local church entitled, Heaven/Hell – The Choice is Yours. I put it in my backpack, forgetting about it until the other day.

While I don’t particularly agree with the blunt confrontational tone of the tract, I applaud the girl for her courage in sharing it with me. And thank God I live in a country where we can share our beliefs without fear. I don’t know if she was breaking some school rule for doing what she did and don’t care. It took guts for her to hand it to someone she’d never met before that day. Right now there are Christians in India who are being murdered for their faith. Daily, the news sources bring stories of persecution, murder, torture, and church burnings from Nigeria, Iran, Pakistan, Indonesia, Laos and many other countries. Click here for more.

Next time someone gives you one of these tracts, or rings your doorbell some night to give you one, be kind. And send thanks to God for living in a land where freedom of religion is a right.


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