How to start going to church as a family

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When I was a kid and things at school got complicated in MS, as they do for many students, it was a relief to have a separate set of friends at Sunday School.

+1. This is why a strong youth group is so important

Too bad that you have to believe, or pretend you believe, in God to be a member of the youth group.

I sure wish this statement made a modicum of sense.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When I was a kid and things at school got complicated in MS, as they do for many students, it was a relief to have a separate set of friends at Sunday School.

+1. This is why a strong youth group is so important

Too bad that you have to believe, or pretend you believe, in God to be a member of the youth group.

I sure wish this statement made a modicum of sense.

What don't you understand? PP thinks that it's too bad that people have to believe in God, or pretend to believe, in order to have a separate set of friends. Maybe the kid could find a separate set of friends at the playground or somewhere where you didn't have to believe in God or pretend you believe in God, like Sunday school, which is affiliated with church.

Are you suggesting that there are Sunday schools that don't teach about God? Maybe in the unitarian church.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"We're leaving for church at 8am sunday" start there.

With kids used to sleeping in on Sundays? good luck

Lol kids don't sleep in. They are up at 630 in summer and 7 in winter no matter what.

Yes. Somewhere on God's green earth kids who sleep in must exist, but I do not know of any.

Kids who are in late adolescence sleep in. It's a good way to avoid church.

Interesting. All the ones I happen to know are up with the sun or earlier every day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When I was a kid and things at school got complicated in MS, as they do for many students, it was a relief to have a separate set of friends at Sunday School.

+1. This is why a strong youth group is so important

Too bad that you have to believe, or pretend you believe, in God to be a member of the youth group.

I sure wish this statement made a modicum of sense.

What don't you understand? PP thinks that it's too bad that people have to believe in God, or pretend to believe, in order to have a separate set of friends. Maybe the kid could find a separate set of friends at the playground or somewhere where you didn't have to believe in God or pretend you believe in God, like Sunday school, which is affiliated with church.

Are you suggesting that there are Sunday schools that don't teach about God? Maybe in the unitarian church.

No PP said that it’s too bad you have to believe in God to go to youth group. Which is oxymoronic in the highest order, given that the purpose of church youth group, by definition, is to associate with others who worship and learn about gods love.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When I was a kid and things at school got complicated in MS, as they do for many students, it was a relief to have a separate set of friends at Sunday School.

+1. This is why a strong youth group is so important

Too bad that you have to believe, or pretend you believe, in God to be a member of the youth group.

I sure wish this statement made a modicum of sense.

What don't you understand? PP thinks that it's too bad that people have to believe in God, or pretend to believe, in order to have a separate set of friends. Maybe the kid could find a separate set of friends at the playground or somewhere where you didn't have to believe in God or pretend you believe in God, like Sunday school, which is affiliated with church.

Are you suggesting that there are Sunday schools that don't teach about God? Maybe in the unitarian church.

No PP said that it’s too bad you have to believe in God to go to youth group. Which is oxymoronic in the highest order, given that the purpose of church youth group, by definition, is to associate with others who worship and learn about gods love.

PP here and what I meant was that it's too bad that "youth groups" are currently associated with churches. There should be other youth groups that are not associated with churches so it was not assumed that belonging to a youth group meant believing in God.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My husband and I come from backgrounds that believe in God but never consistently went to church. As a couple after marriage and even after kids, we haven’t gone to church. But as the kids are getting older (oldest is 7), they have been asking questions and kids at school talk about Jesus and God. We realized we want to make our faith more prominent in our family instead of being driven by busy schedules, etc.
But where do we begin? I don’t feel like we have a good compass.

Come to my church, McLean Bible Church. Families with young kids are very welcomed there! I will be happy to take you there and introduce around.

McClean is fundamentalist, isn't it? Pp did not specify any denomination, but may not want to go fundamentalist.

It's evangelical (in the old, theological sense), but not fundamentalist. There are a very scant few fundamentalist churches in the DMV.

I literally took a class breaking down these definitions - among other things - in college. Fundamentalist != evangelical.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My husband and I come from backgrounds that believe in God but never consistently went to church. As a couple after marriage and even after kids, we haven’t gone to church. But as the kids are getting older (oldest is 7), they have been asking questions and kids at school talk about Jesus and God. We realized we want to make our faith more prominent in our family instead of being driven by busy schedules, etc.
But where do we begin? I don’t feel like we have a good compass.

Come to my church, McLean Bible Church. Families with young kids are very welcomed there! I will be happy to take you there and introduce around.

McClean is fundamentalist, isn't it? Pp did not specify any denomination, but may not want to go fundamentalist.

It's evangelical (in the old, theological sense), but not fundamentalist. There are a very scant few fundamentalist churches in the DMV.

I literally took a class breaking down these definitions - among other things - in college. Fundamentalist != evangelical.

Please spell out the differences in your mind between Fundamentalist and Evangelical churches. It seems to me that some churches are both, i.e., spreading the word (evangelical) and strictly according to the Bible (fundamentalist).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My husband and I come from backgrounds that believe in God but never consistently went to church. As a couple after marriage and even after kids, we haven’t gone to church. But as the kids are getting older (oldest is 7), they have been asking questions and kids at school talk about Jesus and God. We realized we want to make our faith more prominent in our family instead of being driven by busy schedules, etc.
But where do we begin? I don’t feel like we have a good compass.

BS unless your kid is already in a religious school

Why don’t you look to all the Bible thumping shits in this country that claim to love god and Jesus but support a criminal traitor pedo?? Ask them where they go to church.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When I was a kid and things at school got complicated in MS, as they do for many students, it was a relief to have a separate set of friends at Sunday School.

+1. This is why a strong youth group is so important

Too bad that you have to believe, or pretend you believe, in God to be a member of the youth group.

I sure wish this statement made a modicum of sense.

What don't you understand? PP thinks that it's too bad that people have to believe in God, or pretend to believe, in order to have a separate set of friends. Maybe the kid could find a separate set of friends at the playground or somewhere where you didn't have to believe in God or pretend you believe in God, like Sunday school, which is affiliated with church.

Are you suggesting that there are Sunday schools that don't teach about God? Maybe in the unitarian church.

No PP said that it’s too bad you have to believe in God to go to youth group. Which is oxymoronic in the highest order, given that the purpose of church youth group, by definition, is to associate with others who worship and learn about gods love.

PP here and what I meant was that it's too bad that "youth groups" are currently associated with churches. There should be other youth groups that are not associated with churches so it was not assumed that belonging to a youth group meant believing in God.

Have you never heard of Girl Scouts or Bot Scouts?

[Anonymous]

...Boy Scouts

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When I was a kid and things at school got complicated in MS, as they do for many students, it was a relief to have a separate set of friends at Sunday School.

+1. This is why a strong youth group is so important

Too bad that you have to believe, or pretend you believe, in God to be a member of the youth group.

I sure wish this statement made a modicum of sense.

What don't you understand? PP thinks that it's too bad that people have to believe in God, or pretend to believe, in order to have a separate set of friends. Maybe the kid could find a separate set of friends at the playground or somewhere where you didn't have to believe in God or pretend you believe in God, like Sunday school, which is affiliated with church.

Are you suggesting that there are Sunday schools that don't teach about God? Maybe in the unitarian church.

No PP said that it’s too bad you have to believe in God to go to youth group. Which is oxymoronic in the highest order, given that the purpose of church youth group, by definition, is to associate with others who worship and learn about gods love.

PP here and what I meant was that it's too bad that "youth groups" are currently associated with churches. There should be other youth groups that are not associated with churches so it was not assumed that belonging to a youth group meant believing in God.

Have you never heard of Girl Scouts or Bot Scouts?

Don't they push Christianity too?

[Anonymous]

Church youth groups are indoctrination centers.
By definition they are cults.

Religion OP is just that. More religious more cult like. Why do you want your children in a cult?

[Anonymous]

i think you just pick a service and start going.

[Anonymous]

Evangelicals saying Trump was sent by god and doing gods will is the single strongest case for atheism. That I have heard in my entire life.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When I was a kid and things at school got complicated in MS, as they do for many students, it was a relief to have a separate set of friends at Sunday School.

+1. This is why a strong youth group is so important

Too bad that you have to believe, or pretend you believe, in God to be a member of the youth group.

I sure wish this statement made a modicum of sense.

What don't you understand? PP thinks that it's too bad that people have to believe in God, or pretend to believe, in order to have a separate set of friends. Maybe the kid could find a separate set of friends at the playground or somewhere where you didn't have to believe in God or pretend you believe in God, like Sunday school, which is affiliated with church.

Are you suggesting that there are Sunday schools that don't teach about God? Maybe in the unitarian church.

No PP said that it’s too bad you have to believe in God to go to youth group. Which is oxymoronic in the highest order, given that the purpose of church youth group, by definition, is to associate with others who worship and learn about gods love.

PP here and what I meant was that it's too bad that "youth groups" are currently associated with churches. There should be other youth groups that are not associated with churches so it was not assumed that belonging to a youth group meant believing in God.

Have you never heard of Girl Scouts or Bot Scouts?

Don't they push Christianity too?

Boy Scouts have traditionally been more associated with religion/Christianity than Girl Scouts. A lot of BS troops were integrated with a church, and some private religious schools practically require all students to participate in a troop after school (boys and girls).

After the BS finally broke away from their historical anti-gay stance (at least on paper) about 10 years ago, many religious supporters of BS troops backed away and switched to alternate, more religious friendly replacements for BS troops.

The GS have for decades been more LGBT friendly. While the GS Promise has the word "God", they allow girls to substitute any word, even a secular word like love. Looking back on my GS summer camp counselors 40+ years ago, it's clear many of them were lesbians. GS culture has been welcoming to LGBT for a long time. Most GS troops in my unit were not affiliated directly with churches (or more specifically, churches were not affiliated with GS). However, troop leaders and GS can steer their activities any way they wish, so I'm sure there is occasional overlap. My troop met at a church, but we never attended any church functions, and only 1 of the scouts was a member of that church.