Bombshell- Considering going back to the UPC

[CC1]

Originally Posted by navygoat1998

Sometimes my wife and I have the "what if" conversation. What if the only 2 churches in town were the UPC church or the Baptist church what would we do.

I have struggled with that thought also. The only time I have ever had to test the water to see what it would be like was a year or so after my wife's back had gotten so bad she could no longer make the 45 minute drive to CC, sit for two hours, then drive back. She began going to the second morning service at a trinitarian charismatic church in our town. I continued to go to CC's early service then would race back to go to church with my wife.

I believe the people at that church were saved and sincere and I was blessed by the preaching and teaching. However I could never get over the fact they baptized in the titles only. I concluded I could not attend there.

Luckily we found another charismatic church that while not "Oneness" had a pastor who believed the correct baptism is in Jesus name so baptized people in the titles and Jesus name (both every baptism, not one or the other). He also was very familiar with Oneness doctrine and in that regard believed as I do about the amount of difference between that and trinitarianism. We attended that church about a year before our pastor released us to go help out in the new church plant our daughter and SIL were attending that had been started by the former Youth Pastor of the local UPC church where we are today.

Interestingly enough my parents, way back in the 1950's, faced this dilemma. They were UPC but moved to an isolated town where there was no Oneness church. They attended a Church of God church and my mom even taught SS. They met with the pastor and told him the situation and when my mom became a teacher she told the pastor she would not teach the trinity when those lessons came around and he was fine with that. A few years later my parents helped found the UPC church in that town that is still there today.

[navygoat1998]

Originally Posted by CC1

I have struggled with that thought also. The only time I have ever had to test the water to see what it would be like was a year or so after my wife's back had gotten so bad she could no longer make the 45 minute drive to CC, sit for two hours, then drive back. She began going to the second morning service at a trinitarian charismatic church in our town. I continued to go to CC's early service then would race back to go to church with my wife.

I believe the people at that church were saved and sincere and I was blessed by the preaching and teaching. However I could never get over the fact they baptized in the titles only. I concluded I could not attend there.

Luckily we found another charismatic church that while not "Oneness" had a pastor who believed the correct baptism is in Jesus name so baptized people in the titles and Jesus name (both every baptism, not one or the other). He also was very familiar with Oneness doctrine and in that regard believed as I do about the amount of difference between that and trinitarianism. We attended that church about a year before our pastor released us to go help out in the new church plant our daughter and SIL were attending that had been started by the former Youth Pastor of the local UPC church and that is where we are today.

Interestingly enough my parents, way back in the 1950's, faced this dilemma. They were UPC but moved to an isolated town where there was no Oneness church. They attended a Church of God church and my mom even taught SS. They met with the pastor and told him the situation and when my mom became a teacher she told the pastor she would not teach the trinity when those lessons came around and he was fine with that. A few years later my parents helped found the UPC church in that town that is still there today.

We have always been up front about where we came from. The Assemblies and UPC are related by marriage, but they never questioned my view of the Godhead, my baptism or my Salvation and they did not tell us that we must go through a special bible study about the Godhead or be baptized again.

The only one who had the issue was my old UPC pastor we talked awhile after we left and he asked me where we were going to church and we told him the Assemblies and all he could say was "why the Assemblies"

My attitude changed allot when we started in the Assemblies after we left. God would shake and bake at those churches with a thick tangible presence that was just so sweet.

I could close my eyes and I could not tell the difference between the churches except for the sweetness of the Spirit.

It started me thinking if God could move on these people who don't know the truth about the Godhead and Baptism then maybe I need to readjust my view and keep first things first. He is not a God of confusion.

So I guess I said all that to say this. I have to have a Spirit filled church where the Spirit has the permission to move. So if those were my only 2 choices I would be holding fellowship in my living room with anybody that wanted to come and worship the One true living God.

[jen4yeshua]

Originally Posted by navygoat1998

We have always been up front about where we came from. The Assemblies and UPC are related by marriage, but they never questioned my view of the Godhead, my baptism or my Salvation and they did not tell us that we must go through a special bible study about the Godhead or be baptized again.

The only one who had the issue was my old UPC pastor we talked awhile after we left and he asked me where we were going to church and we told him the Assemblies and all he could say was "why the Assemblies"

My attitude changed allot when we started in the Assemblies after we left. God would shake and bake at those churches with a thick tangible presence that was just so sweet.

I could close my eyes and I could not tell the difference between the churches except for the sweetness of the Spirit.

It started me thinking if God could move on these people who don't know the truth about the Godhead and Baptism then maybe I need to readjust my view and keep first things first. He is not a God of confusion.

So I guess I said all that to say this. I have to have a Spirit filled church where the Spirit has the permission to move. So if those were my only 2 choices I would be holding fellowship in my living room with anybody that wanted to come and worship the One true living God.

[jen4yeshua]

Originally Posted by CC1

I have struggled with that thought also. The only time I have ever had to test the water to see what it would be like was a year or so after my wife's back had gotten so bad she could no longer make the 45 minute drive to CC, sit for two hours, then drive back. She began going to the second morning service at a trinitarian charismatic church in our town. I continued to go to CC's early service then would race back to go to church with my wife.

I believe the people at that church were saved and sincere and I was blessed by the preaching and teaching. However I could never get over the fact they baptized in the titles only. I concluded I could not attend there.

Luckily we found another charismatic church that while not "Oneness" had a pastor who believed the correct baptism is in Jesus name so baptized people in the titles and Jesus name (both every baptism, not one or the other). He also was very familiar with Oneness doctrine and in that regard believed as I do about the amount of difference between that and trinitarianism. We attended that church about a year before our pastor released us to go help out in the new church plant our daughter and SIL were attending that had been started by the former Youth Pastor of the local UPC church where we are today.

Interestingly enough my parents, way back in the 1950's, faced this dilemma. They were UPC but moved to an isolated town where there was no Oneness church. They attended a Church of God church and my mom even taught SS. They met with the pastor and told him the situation and when my mom became a teacher she told the pastor she would not teach the trinity when those lessons came around and he was fine with that. A few years later my parents helped found the UPC church in that town that is still there today.

CC1, I am not a long-time regular on this forum, so I don't know the background to this comment, but I wonder what organisation / doctrinal affiliation the CC church is that you are referring to. My family have recently started attending a UPC church again after a couple of years in other churches, and whilst we don't agree with everything that the organisation teaches or expects of its members, we haven't found any other churches that are compatible with what we believe. We don't have non-UPC oneness churches here as far as I can tell, and all the ministers I know of who have left the organisation have eventually affiliated with the ACC (the Australian name for the AOG).

[navygoat1998]

Originally Posted by jen4yeshua

CC1, I am not a long-time regular on this forum, so I don't know the background to this comment, but I wonder what organisation / doctrinal affiliation the CC church is that you are referring to. My family have recently started attending a UPC church again after a couple of years in other churches, and whilst we don't agree with everything that the organisation teaches or expects of its members, we haven't found any other churches that are compatible with what we believe. We don't have non-UPC oneness churches here as far as I can tell, and all the ministers I know of who have left the organisation have eventually affiliated with the ACC (the Australian name for the AOG).

Jen that is funny I have met quite a few former UPC Pastors who are now AOG.

[jen4yeshua]

Originally Posted by navygoat1998

Jen that is funny I have met quite a few former UPC Pastors who are now AOG.

I can see why they do They get support, financial as well as mentoring, church growth leadership training and they get to be seen as regular folk instead of "those oneness people"... It's just not a right fit for us...

[navygoat1998]

Originally Posted by jen4yeshua

I can see why they do They get support, financial as well as mentoring, church growth leadership training and they get to be seen as regular folk instead of "those oneness people"... It's just not a right fit for us...

We have to get in where we fit in!

[jen4yeshua]

Originally Posted by navygoat1998

We have to get in where we fit in!

Or fit in as best as can be found Where do you go now?

[navygoat1998]

Originally Posted by jen4yeshua

Or fit in as best as can be found Where do you go now?

We are part of a new church plant with a strong Assemblies of God connection. We are part of the backbone and we are getting some really good hands on training and involvement that many don't get at more established churches.

[houston]

Originally Posted by jen4yeshua

I can see why they do They get support, financial as well as mentoring, church growth leadership training and they get to be seen as regular folk instead of "those oneness people"... It's just not a right fit for us...

They offer all that?

Think I'll stop by the district office that is down the hwy.