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Re: Left the UPC...Now Back Again
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Originally Posted by Mirth1981
Well, I'm not sure if many of you will remember my story. I left the UPC in 2010. Married to a UPC minister (he was at the time, not now)...broke his heart when I left, etc., etc...I did a lot of research and personal Bible study around the time I left, because I'd always had a nagging suspicion that some of the UPC doctrines I'd been taught did not have a strong biblical basis, mostly those concerning "standards"....but also some of the bigger ones.
He ended up leaving eventually also, and letting his license go. I suspect in large part because of the strain on our marriage (yes, we came close to divorce), but also for other reasons as well.
Anyway, my husband and I recently moved to a different state. We both agreed before moving that we wanted a fresh start spiritually, and we both wanted to find a church that we could attend together and find some spiritual healing. We both felt (and still feel) hurt and broken...wounded, confused.
So we went "church shopping." That sounds horrible, but I guess that's what some people call it. We searched for non denom churches that allowed God's spirit to move in their services. We prayed for God to show us where he wanted us to be. Yet we never felt that nudge or confirmation in those churches, although I did enjoy some of the teaching. In the meantime, old friends of my husband's kept inviting us to their UPC church. Finally we visited...and after several visits we both agreed to stay a while.
So now here we are. Attending a UPC church again...together. I guess it's a compromise. I can't say that I've changed my mind regarding the doctrines I disagree with. That probably won't happen. The pastor seems like a balanced man, and he and his family seem like quality people. It seems like a balanced church so far.
Yet I can't help but feel like I'm taking a step backwards. I also fear that things are going to come right back around and history is going to repeat itself, and I don't want to go through that again. It was an extremely painful process. I'm not sure what the purpose of all this is.
Anybody out there that has had a similar experience or could offer any input?
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I am praying for you and your family, that you and your husband make the best decisions regarding your spiritual life.
I can't answer your question because we left many years ago and do not forsee any circumstances under which we would go back. We have family and friends who are UPC so are still pretty close the the UPC and what goes on in the org.
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"I think some people love spiritual bondage just the way some people love physical bondage. It makes them feel secure. In the end though it is not healthy for the one who is lost over it or the one who is lives under the oppression even if by their own choice"
Titus2woman on AFF
"We did not wear uniforms. The lady workers dressed in the current fashions of the day, ...silks...satins...jewels or whatever they happened to possess. They were very smartly turned out, so that they made an impressive appearance on the streets where a large part of our work was conducted in the early years.
"It was not until long after, when former Holiness preachers had become part of us, that strict plainness of dress began to be taught.
"Although Entire Sanctification was preached at the beginning of the Movement, it was from a Wesleyan viewpoint, and had in it very little of the later Holiness Movement characteristics. Nothing was ever said about apparel, for everyone was so taken up with the Lord that mode of dress seemingly never occurred to any of us."
Quote from Ethel Goss (widow of 1st UPC Gen Supt. Howard Goss) book "The Winds of God"
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