[Faith-Talk] getting involved in church

[Ana Martinez]

thanks everyone for your suggestions😉

Sent from my iPhone

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> Today's Topics:
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>   1. getting involved in church (Sandra Streeter)
>   2. Re: getting involved in church (Ericka)
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> Message: 1
> Date: Wed, 5 Sep 2018 11:52:32 -0400
> From: Sandra Streeter <sandrastreeter381 at gmail.com>
> To: <faith-talk at nfbnet.org>
> Subject: [Faith-Talk] getting involved in church
> Message-ID: <DFFA56DF7484412CABE9E3E4324FF989 at SandraPC>
> Content-Type: text/plain;    charset="UTF-8"
> 
> Although our theologies differ markedly, the United Methodist church I currently attend has offered me many opportunities to serve: choir membership and solo singing, making presentations  (one on stewardship; and one about my mom for Mother?s Day, which I could send someone if they?re interested?write me off-list), helping set up for activities, writing several newsletter articles (including a series on blindness, and an upcoming one on autism that?s still ?in the crockpot?), and some devotional articles. I agree that many of the more Charismatic churches are bent toward diving right into healing prayer for us, though some of them are teachable (especially the Calvary Chapels); but I?m not sure I?d be comfortable in a church that didn?t side with the idea of the gifts being for today, so, I?m a very hard person to fit?too liberal for the really conservative churches, too conservative for the liberals. As my worship style and theology have become more refined, I find I?m more and more a square peg, in terms of ideology. I stay in my current church because, despite the differences and my definite disagreement with some of the ideology, we still share the cross, and, unlike most churches which either don?t see opportunities for blind people or which are already set for their needs in the areas where I could serve, it has found places where I can be part of the edification of the body instead of just taking. What saddens me is how many blind Christians tend toward passivity??No one will reach out to me,? yet, they don?t try to be a friend in return (to have a friend, you have to be a friend); you can?t just sit there blank-faced and expect everyone to reach out to you. Not directed at you, Anna, because it sounds like you are trying?but a lot don?t try.
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> 
> Sandra
> 
> "Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced."
> (James Baldwin)
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> ------------------------------
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> Message: 2
> Date: Wed, 5 Sep 2018 12:00:49 -0500
> From: Ericka <dotwriter1 at gmail.com>
> To: "Faith-talk, for the discussion of Blindness in faith and
>    religion"    <faith-talk at nfbnet.org>
> Subject: Re: [Faith-Talk] getting involved in church
> Message-ID: <09B63F61-4CDF-4CD3-8C2F-BF6897F14CD7 at gmail.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain;    charset=utf-8
> 
> Great point Sandra! Hey I still owe you a Braille letter BTW.  Life is crazy when you go to a center and I wrote one page and never got back to it. That was like last Christmas!
> 
> Guys are wonderful folks on here and I?m so glad we are supporting Anna like this. One of the cool things is that our Pastor actually asked us if we wanted to serve communion at our wedding. I?m not meaning do we want to have communion for us and our guests, but actually be up there with the cup and bread. So as an example of love and service to others and are strong believe in our faith, this will also serve as showing everyone how blind people can be integrated into society. And actually it was our pastors? idea! We are doing it by and tinction so it goes faster. Catholics and Lutherans, you know what I?m talking about. Basically the deal is this:  one of us holds the chalice with, in this case we?re going to only have grape juice because we have people who do not drink wine for faith reasons. The other will hold the bread. Attendees will dip bread or wafer in the chalice. 
> 
> Ericka Short
>> 
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> End of Faith-Talk Digest, Vol 134, Issue 2
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