Visiting Parents and Gospel Meeting

[tidefan83]

Went to visit my parents last weekend. We got there on Friday and that night went to the last night of their Gospel meeting (thankfully Mom told me about it before we got there.) I enjoyed the singing (the one and only thing I miss is the singing) but then there were the things that made me remember why I left. The opening prayer went on for nine minutes (DW timed it!) The preacher was ok but he went on for an eternity. At 8:00 (it started at 7) he was just getting to his conclusion. After it was over the ladies who cover their hair immediately threw them off and everyone sat around and talked (quite loudly). I had to talk to the preacher and others there and tell them, "Oh we're glad to be here,' or "It's good to be back." Finally left at 8:40 headed back to parent's home. I don't see how I made it all those years (new opion since I've been out 5 years!)

[Marcus]

My next visit to the COC will be for the singing at my MIL's funeral, which I bet will be in another 10 to 15 years. She's 83 now. I won't subject my children to the proselytizing while I'm still alive.

[Joseph the Worker]

Luckily my grandmothers Church, although institutional, doesn't believe in funderals inside the Church. They do it at the funeral home. So, while I will have to hear one more sermon, I may be lucky enough to never set foot in a CoC again.

[SirFlea]

Luckily my grandmothers Church, although institutional, doesn't believe in funderals inside the Church. They do it at the funeral home. So, while I will have to hear one more sermon, I may be lucky enough to never set foot in a CoC again.

Seriously? I've never heard of such a thing. What's their reasoning?

[prairie]

Our NI COC never had funerals at the church. I don't know if they didn't believe in it or if it was just convenient for everyone to use the funeral home. I'm pretty sure all the institutional COC members in town used the funeral home, too. I kinda doubt it would have been a problem except for those few members who objected to weddings in churches. (Sorry for the atrocious grammar.)

[Joseph the Worker]

The institutional church I grew up in thought it was unscriptural to have a funeral in the Church because no one said to do it. Weddings were ok because Christ attended one

The anti Church we attended didn't believe in either one because they felt like that was personal use of the Church and they obviously don't understand the sacrament of marriage.

[cvbreno]

I have personally seen a congregation split over a fight about weddings in the church building.

I have only seen one funeral in a CoC building, and that was because it was a young man and a very large attendance for the funeral (over 2000). There was no funeral home large enough.

[SirFlea]

Silly Antis. Don't they know it's right next to the verse that mentions church buildings?

[prairie]

Smirking at Sir Flea.

I haven't seen an all-out split over weddings in the church buildings, but I've seen some nastiness and some people "take their families elsewhere" over it.

[Matt W]

every church of christ i know of hosts funerals and weddings. are y'all sure y'all use to be in the church of christ? i hear so much awkward stuff on this forum sometimes. intriguing, nonetheless.

[Joseph the Worker]

every church of christ i know of hosts funerals and weddings. are y'all sure y'all use to be in the church of christ? i hear so much awkward stuff on this forum sometimes. intriguing, nonetheless.

Its a commentary on sola scriptura and "autonomous" congregations.

[prairie]

every church of christ i know of hosts funerals and weddings. are y'all sure y'all use to be in the church of christ? i hear so much awkward stuff on this forum sometimes. intriguing, nonetheless.

Our COC hosted weddings all through my childhood. I remember at least once hearing canned instrumental music at one, but also a group of a capella singers at another, because some objected to instrumental music in the building. About the time I went to college, they got a new preacher, who objected to weddings in the building, but agreed not to make an issue of it. Before he came the elders had agreed to let a couple get married in the church, but after he got there, he insisted they couldn't do that. They said, we've already said it can be done. After it's over, we'll be happy to study the issue, but until then you need to keep quiet. He said he would preach on it the next Sunday and they fired him immediately. A few people got mad and left over it. (There were several issues this preacher had with our congregation - I may be remembering incorrectly which it was that they ultimately fired him over, but the basic outline is what was told to me at the time.)