Originally Posted by He's My Friend
I am fourth generation Apostolic/Pentecostal, and Lord knows we have experienced some very bad things.
Some of the things we went through (when I was younger) I will not discuss, because I just do not wish to "go there" in my mind.
Events (less painful, yet still not right) came to mind as I read this thread.
I recall going to a church with my mom, sister, and my toddler son.
The pastor was well educated, worked in the corporate world, but something was not right.
When we started attending the church, attendance ran around 10 members.
The pastor shared with us, that in about a 2-3 yr period they had about 300-400 people come through the doors, and he had baptized most of them.
We attended the church for sometime, and even took part in the singing and playing the piano, and I was a SS teacher.
The pastor, his mom, and sister talked to us about a few of the members, and referred to them as the, "Village Idiots".
Then attitudes began to show from the platform, little snide remarks were being uttered...etc.
We still hung in there, and kept attending. (although we were troubled)
The pastors mom, began getting up, and yelling things over the microphone that were not appropriate, (ex: the N word)
We still hung in there, and kept attending.
Then they started acting funny toward us.
They had a friend that did not attend their church, (actually she did not attend any church) and she called people up and would speak in tongues, and interpret, (I know because I was one of the people she called)...
....well anyway one Sunday morning we were running late for church, and we walked in about 15 min's late, and the sister friend of theirs was there.
Due to being late, my family and I "slid" into our pew, and sang along with everyone.
I taught my SS class as usual, and after SS their sister friend left.
(Due to arriving late, we did not shake hands with folks before service began).
During the Sunday night service, we could tell something was going on.
The pastors mom got up and was stomping and yelling.....then when he got up to preach, his message was..............
"Some of you need to hit the altar."
"Today we had a dear sister here, and you did not shake her hand, and if you don't come up here and repent and pray, don't bother to come back to this church."
Well....we had nothing to repent over, so we did not go up front to pray.
(Although we were crying out for help from God inwardly).
His sermon continued, "I said pray up here, NOW, or leave".
We very quietly got up and exited the building, and never returned.
Months later, one of the folks he referred to as the "Village Idiot" (one of my cousins that was one of his first converts from the time the doors opened), told me they finally had to leave.
She always made the comment, "I will not leave unless he tells me too."
The time finally came...she said that during another service, he was preaching, and appeared to be angry.
He thought she had been talking about him, and saying that he was dating a sinner girl, and she said he told her and her family, "I want you to leave, get out of here, never come back, and those kids of yours might as well commit suicide, cause they will never be anything."
She had taken her son and nephew to church that night, and the boys were so upset, that she said she drove them around after church, praying with them, for God to give them peace, (due to what he said to them).
After running everyone off, they closed the door, sold the beautiful buiilding ,along with the contents...yet many folks (around 400) came through the doors and were affected in some way.
|
Wouldn't this be more applicable if someone said something bad about GWB?
Hybrid Mode
