Church Fellowship: Why Something New?

I have a confession to make I haven’t gone to church in a few years. This is highly unusual for me since I attended church consistently since I was an infant. My parents always brought us to church. I always went, even throughout my teenage years. After that, I graduated from seminary and pastored several different churches. After my life fell apart, I even joined a church in Winsted, Connecticut, where I heard some of the best preachings in my life.

While the preaching was outstanding, I was in desperate need of fellowship, support, and love. I just came off of a divorce of a 32+ year marriage. My heart and life were in shambles. What made it worse is I had nobody to blame but myself. I was broken, crushed, and spent too much time wondering if the mysteries of death were preferred to the realities of life.

I went to the church in Winsted consistently. Because I pastored churches similar to the one I was attending, I was familiar with how difficult it was for “outsiders” to be welcomed into the community. I tried. I really did. I attended worship, coffeetime afterward, Sunday School, and church dinners. Far too many times, I sat at a table being friendly and asking questions, only to be ignored, left out, and reminded that I was a newcomer.

I didn’t like that the church was incorporated. Still, it is nigh impossible to attend church in the United States without attending a State registered and incorporated church. It’s just how we do things here in the good ol’ US of A.

I also attended a newer hip kinda church in Berlin, Connecticut. While one pastor was kind, the other two acted like mini-celebrates who measured me by what value I could provide, be it financial or admiration. Personally, I don’t like most pastors, and those two pastors didn’t even take the time to ask me my name.

I’ve been doing other things on Sunday morning like relaxing with my wife, going to breakfast with my daughter, even attempting home worship. In the end, I know I am doing the very thing that God said not to do, which is neglecting to meet together with other Christians. (Hebrews 10:25)

Now throw COVID-19 into the mix, and wow! As if it wasn’t hard enough. I looked into going to several churches only to be greeted on their webpages with their strict COVID-19 compliance guidelines. I would have to register, receive confirmation that I can come, wear a mask the whole time, not sing, not receive communion, not have hands laid upon me if I needed prayer, commanded not to hug, be reminded that I must stop at the many sanitation stations to and sanitize, remember to look down and follow the one direction arrows plastered on the floor, and be sure to sit more than socially distant requirements. I even heard of a pastor who insists the windows stay open in these cold winter months, superstitiously believing this will help stop the virus. 

I could just stay home and virtually attend through zoom, whatever that means. Some churches have virtual hymn sings, virtual prayer breakfasts, and virtual Bible Studies. Is that what we’ve become? The American Virtual Church? I want no part of it.

So, in two weeks from today, I am facilitating a gathering of Christians. I have no doubt they have frustrations similar to mine. I believe the Holy Spirit is leaving the American Incorporated “Church” and is gathering together the lost and wandering Sheep all throughout the World and the United States of America. 

I’m not telling you where we are meeting. To be honest, I’m suspicious of spies and snitches. We won’t be broadcasting because we don’t want hackers and strangers looking in on us for whatever reason. It will be a group of Christians prompted by the Holy Spirit to worship the one and only Trinitarian God through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

We will be gathering for the first time on February 28th at 11:00. If you want to attend, you’ll have to email me to find out where. My email address is nhpatterson1962@gmail.com.