Hello My Name Is Church Visitor
Posted by Melissa Carter at 9/8/2008 8:46 AM 
Categories: uncategorized
Tags: gay Atlanta Christian Melissa Bert Show Katie Jo church Bert Show Q100 lesbian
Categories: uncategorized
Tags: gay Atlanta Christian Melissa Bert Show Katie Jo church Bert Show Q100 lesbian
My girlfriend, Katie, and I are doing something very adult...church shopping. Many religious individuals or couples spend some time in their life trying to find the "right" church for them. But what exactly does that mean? We're trying to figure that out for ourselves.
I was raised as a Disciple of Christ, and Katie is a Southern Baptist. The music in my denomination is a little dry for her, and her sermons are too conservative for my taste. So, that is why we are shopping around.
So as any responsible shopper, you must gather your needs on a single list before heading to any store, or in this case, house of worship. Included on Katie's and my list are:
- Must be a Christian church, but no denomination requirements
- Must be a place that would acknowledge us as a couple and welcome a picture of Katie and I in the Church Directory
- Must have great music
- Would preferably be in North Atlanta
With this shopping list in hand, off we go last weekend in our Sunday best and head to a local Presbyterian church. This congregation reminded me of my hometown church with robes, organs, tithes, and grape juice. But it was the staunchly traditional "Holy Holy Holy" music that made Katie want to continue the search.
Of course in a time when Governor Palin's church is in the news for conducting a "pray away the gay" seminar to apparently fix gay people, I think the hardest part of our search will be the 2nd item on our list. Since religion is usually the biggest weapon used against the gay community, there is some reluctance and anxiousness when even thinking about entering a new church. But both Katie and I were raised in the church and see no reason why we can't continue that in our adult lives. Yes, there are many Christian gays, Jewish gays, Hindu gays, Buddhist gay, Muslim gays, and many others across the religious board. I won't be bullied by the churches who contradict their own messages by harshly judging love, and want to reward the churches that practice what they preach. If I'm out in every other part of my life, I'm certainly not going to be in hiding in church.
So this Sunday we will continue our trek across religious Atlanta, hand in hand.
I hope you find a church that suits your needs! i would tell you to come to my church, rather small with contemporary music and an awesome pastor. he is not judgemental and we have several gay couples who attend. However we are in marietta ga. let me know if you are interested, we would love to have you visit and if it wasn't geographically undesirable you would love it! Good luck!
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Hi Melissa -
I attend Pilgrimage United Church of Christ, an open and affirming congregation. I love the UCC. Not only are they not judgemental, they are actually very welcoming and supportive of civil equality. They were the first denomination to ordain minorities, and two years ago became one of the first mainstream denominations to affirm marriage equality. I discovered them about 3 years ago when I moved to Georgia and started looking for a church home. I encourage you to check into the history of UCC, and to attend their services. My congregation is located in Marietta, but I'm fairly certain there is an open and affirming UCC in Atlanta.
http://www.ucc.org/
http://www.pilgrimageucc.org/
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There is a great church in between The Varsity and The Fox Theatre. I used to go there until I moved but it's definitely a church I would check out. It openly accepts homosexuals and the music is very beautiful and can even be fun sometimes.
http://www.allsaintsatlanta.org/home/default.asp
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Melissa,
My husband and I grew up both Southern Baptist. We went to several churches before we found St. James Episcopal of Marietta. It is just off the Marietta Square. We have several different services each week. Wednesday night is healing night. Saturday is a band and more relaxed service. Sunday 7:30am more strictly traditional with words like thee and thou. We attend the 9:30am service very relaxed buy has mostly holy music. The 11am service is much like the 9:30 except with more people. We are very friendly church for multiracial people and couples and we are very gay friendly. The controversy in the Episcopal church about gays and women our church supports. I don't know if this is too far north for you but it is a very friendly and accepting church. We have been going their for over 3 years and were confirmed last year. Needless to say my father-in-law who is soooo Southern Baptist now refers to us as the Episcopalians like we have some disease now. If you are willing to go that far north then I would suggest the Saturday night service because of the band. Here is our website address if you want to check it out www.stjamesmarietta.com.
I love listening to the Bert Show.
Be strong finding the right church is hard and can take some time.
Tracy
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Melissa. Love the show, I listen all the time. I know that the first thing on your list is that it must be a Christian church. I think you should give consideration to the Unitarian Universtalist church. I've never been a church goer, because I don't really like the thought of someone telling me what I should think...rather, I would like to be given information and then make my own opinions about things. The UU church allows for this. Another thing I love, is that at the services, you see people of all shapes, sizes, ages, and families. The church allows for free-thinking and is open to the gay/lesbian/bi community. The church not only uses Christian values or takes from the Bible, but also looks at lots of other religious scriptures. Its a great place. My friend and I both attend regularly. You would love it, if you give it a chance!
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Hi Melissa
I second Ann's comments. We attended a UU church in Roswell for several years, and have recently been visiting Unitarian Universalist Church of Atlanta - UUCA (just off North Druid Hills) and it's very nice. In fact, our first visit was during Pride weekend, and their assistant minister is a lesbian. They are broader than Christian, but lots of Christian's attend. The Roswell church actually has better music (really amazing music!!) but it's probably too far for you.
Good luck!
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Hey Melissa!
I find it incredibly awesome and encouraging that you are seeking out a church. God bless in your search. Just remember that no church is perfect... hehehe... makes sense since its made up of very imperfect people. Whatever church you do end up picking I hope that they really embrace you and really shower God's love upon the both of you.
I do want to say though as a Christian... it angers me to no end people who claim to love God but openly and aggressively seek out ways to bash and condemn gay people. I don't believe that is how Jesus would desire the church to be representing him.
We are all imperfect... for all have fallen short of the glory of God...
Sorry not to get so preachy but I get really fired up...
Many blessing girl!!
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to plee:
Your comments are interesting. I wonder what you actually mean by "bash" gay people? While you are right in that Jesus taught us to love one another and be kind to one another and to love your neighbor, Jesus also never hesitated to point out the sin in people. He never excused it, and He never tolerated it. He lovingly preached repentance unto salvation. Are we not to follow in Jesus' example? Instead of saying we don't believe Jesus would want us to behave this way or that way, shouldn't we look at exactly how He tells us to behave and how to handle situations? Look to 1 Corinthians 6 and Romans 1 to see what God thinks. After reading that, are you still of the same opinion? We should never compromise our witness for a socially acceptable opinion that is void of Godliness. Jesus didn't. We shouldn't.
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The church I would recommend is the Unity Church in Marietta. The church believes there is no one path to God. I enjoy the music and the friendly atmosphere. They are involved with the community and are open minded.
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If there is no one path to God, how can anybody be assured that ANY path leads to God?
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Hi Melissa, I would really like for you and Katie Joe to be a guest with me at Northpoint Community Church. It is a big church - however - has something for everyone. For example, I am currently going through a divorce recovery program that the church offers (13 weeks - no charge) that is incredible. The music and dress are contemporary - which is much different than how I was raised in church....but the message is ALWAYS meaningful. Please join me...Thanks! and Take Care!
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Melissa:
A lot of people have made a lot of solid recommendations on churches for you to consider in the Atlanta area. I certainly hope you are able to find one to attend. You gave several requirements on your list. The one thing you didn't mention, though, is what you and Katie are looking to get out of the church service. Are you looking for a church that provides the best music and singing? Are you looking for a church that provides the best social networking opportunities? Are you looking for a church that has any particular type teaching and preaching about God? Those things would probably help you narrow your search and lead you to the kind of church you are looking for.
Good luck!
Paul
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My girlfriend and I are also on the same mission. I'm a christian who also happens to be gay and I refuse to believe God is 'off limits to me' just because I don't sleep with men. Unfortunately, we have been searching for a year with little luck.I was raised in the church, she was not so it's hard to find a church that meets all our requirements (very similar to yours) and also be 'comfortable' for both of us (she's not into the running in the aisles and fainting thing). We've found several "gay confirming" churches but most of them seem 'fake' or money-hungry or just seem to be lacking something else on our list. I don't think we're being picky, we just want to find somewhere that expresses the true teachings of Jesus. It shouldn't be this hard.
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hi, melissa,
be sure to follow up with this and let everyone know if you find a church you like. i've been wanting to find a church too, but being single, i'm a little less motivated to try a bunch of places on my own. i've researched a few "gay" churches, and they all seem to be pentecostal in nature. (i'm not a speaking-in-tongues kind of girl, and i don't believe that's a requirement for salvation.) i'll have to keep reading the suggestions here too and see what i can find... i commend you on your search and i hope you can find a place that fits you both perfectly!
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Sarah I'm with you. Melissa please keep us posted on which churches you have tried and if/when you find one that is right for you and your gf. Hopefully the rest of us can find the 'one' as well. Sarah good luck to you, it must be hard being single and trying to experience new churches alone. I agree with your comment about the gay churches in ATL being mostly pentecostal. I'm not sure why that is.My gf is the same way you are, not really into the speaking in tongues thing, so she was turned off by most of them. I didn't mind so much that ..it was the other stuff they lacked that bothered me. Being a black couple, racial diversity is also on our list as a requirement for a church so a few of the ones people suggested here didn't qualify unfortunately. Here are some we've tried and a brief review:
MCC was great just proved too far for us to travel every sunday.But by far one of our favorites because it was a good compromise for us both.The teaching style she likes, diverse, good music..yet I wish there was a younger crowd since we're young women.
New Covenant Church- was nice but for some reason we received a bit of a weird vibe when we tried to attend a social event of theirs and have never gone back.
Tabernacle Church- Awesome choir. Seemed a little too obsessed with 'tithes' and donations for my taste. Also verrrrrry pentecostal.
The Vision Church was extremely loud with too much shouting and falling in the aisles for my gf but very diverse which I liked.
So far none of those seem quite right but I'm keeping my fingers crossed. This weekend we want to try First Iconium Baptist Church. If anyone has heard of it or has tried it please let me know what you think. And please I'm so open to hearing about more churches. I'm so desperate to start attending regularly again. Someone mentioned NorthPoint Church, I checked it out and saw nothing that suggested it was gay-affirming or even gay-friendly. Is it?
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To Melissa and everyone else:
Not a single person on here is addressing the absolutely most crucial characteristic of a true church: The solid, in-depth, convicting preaching of the Word of God. Why go to church if all you are looking for is good music and friendly people who accept you for "who you are?" If that is what you are looking for, then go check out some concerts at Chastain. Churches are not mere social hangouts where people get together for an hour to mingle, hear and sing energizing music, and feel good about themselves. We should go to church to hear the Word of God preached, to worship God as He has told us to worship Him, and to draw closer to God by seeing the dreadfulness of our own sinful nature and falling face-down at His feet. He will then lift us up by His mercy and love, and forgive us our sins. We then leave the worship service basking in God's enduring love, and it is a feeling that doesn't just last an hour or two, but the rest of our lives. A church is where we worship God for who He is, as He has revealed Himself to us in His Word, not how we want Him to be. For when we do that, when we create God in our own image, we worship nothing more than ourselves.
To all who read this, PLEASE seek a place of worship that preaches the full Word of God, where you will be convicted of your sins and will be moved to repentance, where you will grow in knowledge of God, where your faith will be strengthened and your spirit uplifted, and you can enjoy the fellowship of the saints. Otherwise, you are wasting your time just as if you were sitting outside a Starbucks on a Sunday morning, sipping your latte while reading the latest edition of Creative Loafing.
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Kasey, not everyone is looking for what you are looking for in a church. I'm not. And I certainly am not "wasting" my time on Sunday mornings because I spend it at a church that doesn't fit your definition. It meets my needs and I find great fulfillment from it. Would you advocate the same thing to people of Jewish, Muslim or Buddhist faiths? Please try to respect that finding a church home is very individual (as evidenced by the comments above) and there are many paths one can take to God.
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Beth:
I'm only trying to encourage people to seek God as God has told us to seek Him, because only God determines how we worship Him. Too many people look to themselves and what makes them "feel good" when "seeking" God, and God cannot be found that way. God chastised the Israelites because they were holding festivals and celebrations in "worship" of Him, but that was not how God had told them to worship Him. They were going above and beyond what God had told them to do, thinking they were being "ultra-holy" and praising God. But they were really only exciting themselves, feeling good about their efforts to worship God, getting great "fulfillment" from their "worship." Therefore, He chastised them and told them that what they were doing was not pleasing to Him. God has not changed, so the principle remains.
We cannot "worship" God in whatever way seems right in our own eyes. Your church might fit your needs, but what are your needs? How do you identify and define your needs? A person could go to a church that not once mentions God's name, and not once opens the Bible, but has 20 minutes of exhilirating music and some kind of motivational speaking, and that person could walk away feeling good about themselves, feeling "fulfilled." But was God worshipped? No. So what are your needs? To have an emotional experience and walk away feeling good about your life? Or to worship the living God in spirit and truth? If you are looking for a strictly emotional experience and some kind of inner "fulfillment", you will never find God.
And yes, I would say the same things to people of Jewish, Muslim or Buddhist faiths. Because according to Jesus, there is only "one" path: "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes unto the Father but by Me." Outside of Christ, there is no salvation and no eternity with the Father. There is no other path to God.
So yes, go out and find a church home, please. Different churches offer different ministries and ways to serve God. But I continue to encourage everyone to put first and foremost the in-depth preaching and teaching of the Word of God.
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"So what are your needs? To have an emotional experience and walk away feeling good about your life?"
Yep, that's pretty much what I need. But you can pray for my damned soul if you want to.
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Well, if that is all you need, I'm sure you can find plenty of places to fill your needs. And you don't even have to wait for Sunday to go to them. Just look in the Yellow Pages under "Psychiatrist" and you will find dozens of places more than ready to help you have an emotional experience and feel good about your life. Admitting that all you need in life is to feel good about yourself is pretty significant.
Jesus Himself said: "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.' "
I'm sure those people had plenty of emotional experiences, and I'm sure they felt pretty good about their lives. They really felt like they were Christians. I mean, look at all they were doing! Surely they earned their way into heaven. But they found out quickly exactly what all of their emotional experiences and feeling good about themselves earned them.
The good news is that everybody who reads this knows they have a choice to make, and that choice will determine the eternal state of their soul. As long as we draw breath, we have the opportunity to make the choice that leads to salvation. What is your choice, Beth?
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lol. Yes, Kasey's church. That's one to avoid at all costs. Kasey's American-centric brainwashed rhetoric is pretty typical of what's wrong with churches.
Please Beth, stop back from the Kasey. Save yourself!
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To Mary:
For my education, would you please elaborate on what American-centric brainwashed rhetoric is?
So you believe that the problem with churches is that they teach and preach the Word of God? That they actually tell us that we are all sinners and in need of a Savior? That they tell us that being a "good person" doesn't warrant a thing when it comes to our salvation? That the only way to heaven is through acknowledging Jesus as your Lord and Savior? Wow, yeah, all that sounds pretty wrong. Churches should limit themselves to rock bands and "You are good enough, you are smart enough, and doggonit, people like you" motivational messages. Churches shouldn't even mention the Name of Jesus because that might make someone feel, I don't know, GUILTY for being a sinner? That would be bad. We can't have churches telling people that they are sinners and are in need of a Savior.
So, does true worship of the Living God have any place in your kind of church, or is your church only about great music and making you walk away feeling great about yourself? I'd say the answer is pretty obvious.
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American-centric brainwashed rhetoric is exactly what it says.
1) You've been brainwashed into believing your church and your beliefs are the only true way to your image of heaven.
2) American-centric means you can't see past your own self and your own doings. You can't even seem to acknowledge a variety of cultures and religions exist in the world, except to reflect on their sinful ways.
3) Rhetoric is everything you spout.
Here's another definition for you.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/rhetoric
And, more specifically -
Language that is elaborate, pretentious, insincere, or intellectually vacuous: His offers of compromise were mere rhetoric.
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You're right Mary, but it's so much fun! I find such fervent dogma really amusing. They get so worked up!
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My choice is to let you feel superior to me and to stop responding to you.
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Ah, the response of a guilty conscience. It's a wonderful thing. The guilty conscience turns first to a personal attack, then retreats from the discussion. Perhaps your guilty conscience is the Holy Spirit convicting you of something, and your response is to run away from it? Or are you without sin, Beth, and have no need for repentance and salvation?
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Hi Melissa -
You should check out St Mark United Methodist Church in Midtown (P'tree and 5th). I did a lot of soul searching before landing there. It is a gay-affirming congregation, but they are also involved in many social issues in our communities (i.e. it's not "just" a gay church). Lots of the people there are from different denominational backgrounds, so the church incorporates several traditions into the services. The sermons are smart, but fun and friendly. The Methodist services are structured enough to appeal to your Disciple of Christ background, and the music is great! Sometimes we have traditional hymns, sometimes it's southern gospel, sometimes it's more contemporary. (I've even seen show tunes in the church!) Most importantly, the people there are loving and accepting. They're fine with us gays, but they also see far beyond that. (And, bonus, they were the FIRST church to hand out water to the Pride parade. Before they had a large percentage of gay members!) I hope you two find the perfect place for you.
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"...welcome a picture of Katie and ME..."
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No, Melissa is right, it's "Katie and I". Grammar police should.....know grammar.
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It's "me." The phrase is an object of the preposition "of," making it objective (me) not subjective (I).
It doesn't really matter and there's no need to correct her...but ya. lol.
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North Point Community Church.
9 services across 3 campuses.
Live music & band.
Great sermons by Andy Stanley & guests.
Church motto: "Everybody's Invited."
http://northpoint.org/
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Definitely try the UU congregations around Atlanta. Oddly enough, I'm doing the same search right now for me and my son. I was raised Southern Baptist in Atlanta. It turned me off from organized services altogether and my son (15yo) has never attended church. When searching for possible churches, even though I'm not gay, I use gay acceptance to determine their overall open-minded-ness. Good luck in your search.
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Mary:
What precisely does "open-mindedness" mean? I've always been curious as to what people mean by "open-minded" and since that's a requirement for a church to have in your search, you must have a pretty solid definition. I seriously want to know what it means.
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Really? You don't know what open-minded means? REALLY?!
Here's the dictionary definition from
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/open%20minded
1. having or showing a mind receptive to new ideas or arguments.
2. unprejudiced; unbigoted; impartial.
o·pen-mind·ed·ly, adverb
o·pen-mind·ed·ness, noun
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Somebody please pray for Kasey. This person has issues. Kasey has nothing better to do than to question other people's religious beliefs. Kasey needs to spend less time with her religious agenda and more time shutting up. Im sure she'll ask me to clarify 'religious agenda'...hahahahahha, but I got better things to do.
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Oh yea, the other item in my quick 1-2 checklist for potential churches - how do they treat females? Separate services for young girls is a turnoff. It's one thing to have Sunday Services and a weekly girl's club type meeting. But, it's an entirely different thing (and goal) to have separate services for girls all the time. It's the mark of a sexist church, denomination, and leadership. No more Southern Baptist classes on how to be a good doormat, please. No more. Ordained females are obvious win-wins, but you have to look past that to the larger populace.
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Not sure if yall are still looking for a church, but have you tried north point community church in Alpharetta? Its my church, and I love it!
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Hi, Melissa! I also attend Pilgrimage UCC in Marietta and think it might be the combo you're looking for. The pastor is a woman who grew up Southern Baptist, and the music ranges from classical to bluegrass to contemporary to jazz. It's a pretty informal congregation, but full of spirit and spunk. I think you spoke there for PFLAG once, so you've been there. Feel free to join us for church sometime. My partner and I love it.
Good luck with the hunt. It's always a challenge but there are great options out there!
www.pilgrimageucc.org
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Melissa,
Not sure where you and Katie are with your "church search", but another suggestion (although not in North Atlanta) is St. Mark United Methodist at Peachtree and 5th Street downtown. Not sure if you have ever heard of it, but they have a large GLBT community as well as people of various races, single folks, married folks, old folks, folks with kids, etc. There are also several gay couples who have children together. They would be very open and accepting to you and Katie.
The service is traditional, but definitely not boring. The choir is amazing...really, really good singers and the pastoral staff is terrific. I know it is not in the part of town that you prefer, but I think you should definitely check it out.
Good luck and keep us posted!
Katherine
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Hi Melissa,
Check out Church of the Epiphany in Atlanta. It is awesome. The church members march in the pride parade with signs that say "you are welcome here". And, when we had our new born twins baptised there, the church changed their baptismal forms to list "parent and parent" rather than "mother and father". Episcopalians rock.
Trudy
-go vols.
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Melissa,
Just wanted to tell you about my church. We are a mostly gay church and Christian. I am sure you have seen us advertised. We are called New Covenant Church of Atlanta. We are very contemporary and I think that you should come check us out. We are located off of Shallowford Rd close to Norcross. You can check out the website at savedandgay.com. By the way, I listen to the Bert Show every morning and I love it. Thanks for being a positive influence in the gay community!
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Melissa-
As a Christian who works as a nanny for a two-dad family I have been so saddened, to the point of tears by the reaction of many of my friends when they learn that I work for a gay couple. I do not, do not, do not understand where these judgements come from or why it has been ok to openly judge/hate gays within the Christian community. We are called to love. Called to accept. Called to take care of one another. I've yet to read in the Bible any verse that says any different.
I love Jesus and am proud to be His, and as a Christian, I'd like to offer you an apology. I'm sorry for the hurtful comments, actions, looks, or whispers that you've inevitably encountered throughout your journey. I'm sorry that we as Christians have done you a terrible injustice by loving you any less than any other person we encounter. He loves you, and Katie, the wonderful couple I work for, and every other gay person, no more, and certainly no less, then any one else. I am sorry for our judgements, and sorry that we have disregarded the truth that we claim and thrown stones. I'm not innocent of the charge of witholding love from another when it has so graciously and unconditionally been offered to me, and for that I am sorry.
Good luck with you search for a church! I'm praying that you find a church family that loves you and Katie enough to accept you exactly as you are.
--Bethany
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Consider Oakhurst Baptist. Yes, I know it sounds scary. It did to me too and while it's not perfect it is certainly open. We just took our directory picture last week. My partner and our 2 kids were all there!! It's in Decatur so it may not qualify for your North Atlanta criteria but it may be worth the drive. (i can say that it wouldn't be for us because we can barely get there as it is
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I know this is a really late suggestion from when you posted your question, but 12Stone in Buford is AWESOME! Very laid back and contemporary....plus the band is great! It feels like going to a concert instead of church!
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best wishes in the look for a church. i've seen several people recommend northpoint community church, and that is the church that my partner and i attend. absolutely love the services/message delivered, the music is great-more rock style. i've always felt accepted walking into the doors every sunday, but when you dig a little deeper it is not affirming at all to GLBT on some levels. homosexuals are not allowed to volunteer in the children's sunday classes, and when it comes to actual membership in the church it gets a little sticky too. the fact that they are accepting to gay people from my impression is that they really just try not to specifically address the issue. all of this sounds fairly negative in my opinion of the church, but honestly in this church i have never felt more connected with the word of God and the Bible. the church's motto that i've heard at every service is that the church wants to lead people into a growing relationship with Christ. there are three primary locations in atlanta-alpharetta, browns bridge, and buckhead. one in athens as well. most often the messages are delivered in a series mode(several weeks for one broader topic) in a very contemporary way. the church uses the new international version of the Bible which is enormously easier to follow than King James.
this past sunday my partner and i attended oakhurst baptist church in decatur. they are completely affirming to gays & lesbians, as it is actually written into their church doctrine. with my limited exposure it does seem more old school in delivery (hymns, sermons). congregation of all ages, with many "family" members in regular attendance.
by the way, at northpoint there is not one single cross in the whole building...intriguing i thought.
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There's a church my friend Barb goes to, Holy Redeemer I think it's called, on Peachtree Dunwoody, and it's very progressive. I go there with Barbara sometimes for Christmas and Easter; it's welcoming and has many artistic types. Check it out.
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Please come join us at New covenant church of Atlanta. www.savedandgay.com It was the best thing me and my partner ever did.
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Hey Melissa,
Check out Church In the Now it's located in Conyers. If you and Katie Jo don't feel like making the drive you can stream a service online at www.churchinthenow.org. Sundays @ 10am & Wednesdays @ 7pm.
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Melissa-
I don't know if you are still looking but you might want to check out JAYA. I searched for a long time until I finally found my church home. We meet on Sunday evening at 6pm in St. John's Lutheran Church. We are not Lutheran. We rent space from them. We are small but we are mighty. The music is a mixture of a bit of everything. We are non-denominational but firmly Christian. We believe that Christ died for our sins. Nobody has ever spoken in tongues and if they did I would probably run screaming from the room. Most of us are people who have felt abandoned or shunned by organized religion. We consider ourselves "Jesus for people who don't like church." We have a coffee house worship style that is relaxed but still reverent. We would love to see you and Katie or anyone else there anytime. We are a mostly gay congregation but we welcome anybody who is looking for relationship with Jesus Christ. Our website is www.justasyouare.org Check us out.
Thanks
Mary
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