As a very devoted member of the LDS Church since 1987, it only took a few words said to me by an ecclesiastical leader of the ward that hurt me so deeply that I had absolutely no trouble walking away. What a person does for a living is no one's business - especially if what you are doing has had a stellar business reputation for more than 45 years and offers women . . . YES WOMEN . . . an unprecedented career opportunity. So . . . . when this man told me that what I was doing was more like a "sinking ship" and that I needed to get a REAL JOB - it was all I could do to keep from bursting in to tears but I did manage to keep myself together as I said that he'd never see me or my family again. That was almost three years ago. I had been spiritually detached from the LDS church for much longer than that one occurance so it was not hard for me to leave. I had been married to my first husband in the temple and I kept my covenants; he did not and we eventually divorced. Although my second husband conceded to join the Church, there was no way he was ever going to go to the temple. And it's not an issue anyway as by the end of the year I'll probably be divorced for a second time.
Our family officially left the LDS Church in June of 2007 and began attending an Assembly of God which was so much closer to our home. I can be at service at 9:00 a.m. or 11:00 a.m. and be there in 5 minutes compared to our 45 minute (need to pack a lunch) commute to the "Ward Bldg." for what I would call "Torture the Kids with Sacrament Mtg." meeting. At an Assembly of God, the children attend Sunday School in age appropriate groups and the adults listen to a message from our lead pastor, the adult ministries pastor, a guest speaker, or our caring ministries pastor. And GUESS W HAT????? I do not have to worry about being "called" to anything. If I want to volunteer, all I have to do is "volunteer". I don't have to worry about offending anyone because we all Love the Lord with all of our hearts and most of the women have home-based businesses, they work within the church - and they actually get paid to do so - or they are stay-at-home Moms and home school. And the most important thing: We serve C O F F E E and D O N U T S on Sunday morning which provides a nice comfortable atmosphere and invites fellowship - we don't have to pretend at our new Church. My son is actually the one who turned us on to the Assembly of God so when we sing "Amazing Grace" - I sing loud and clear and I love the part "My chains are gone, I've been set free, my God, my Savior, has ransomed me, and like a flood, His mercy reigns, unending love . . . Amazing Grace".
When we have Praise & Worship Encounters quarterly on a Friday night, the sanctuary is PACKED. We don't have to arm twist people to come - and when I mean packed, I mean packed like sardines and it's wonderful. I feel so at home here - no one could ask for a better spiritual experience. And our Praise & Worship team - their musical talent is absolutely superb. When people get baptized into our Church, they actually come back every Sunday. I am talking anywhere from 10 - 20 people at a time once a month accepting Christ as their Savior and they continue in their Christian walk.
"Open the Eyes of my Heart Lord, I want to see you. I want to see you. To see you high and lifted up . . . . . shining in the light of your glory. Pour out your power and love as we sing holy, holy, holy." Michael W. Smith
What hurt me the most when I left is that so many who claimed to be my friends do not speak to me now. How Christian is that? Did Jesus stop talking to those who mocked him? Did He not speak to the thief on the cross? Of course, He did not pass judgment but told this brother that he would see him today in Paradise.
Why do people have to pretend to be one thing when you are "IN" the Church and then have to be something or someone else when you choose to leave?
All I can say is that I love my new church, I have a deeper personal relationship with Jesus Christ and I know without a doubt that He loves me - no matter what. I don't have to be temple worthy, we take the sacrament once a month - it is very spiritual - and everyone is invited to take the sacrament. We are never preached to about tithing. I always leave church on Sunday uplifted and ready to take on the world. And our Youth . . . . . . . . . . . . oh my goodness. What a superior group of young people who continue to bring their friends who join. We just found out Sunday that we've secured a new space for our church which will give us tons more room . . . because we have so many new members we must expand. Yipppeee!!!!!
What I appreciate the most is that we don't torture our children by forcing them to sit still for 1 1/2 hours listening to someone speak who is not on their level. No one has to pack a lunch or a breakfast when you come to our church. It's relaxing - we don't expect anyone to come in 3 - piece suits, high heels, or Prada.
My Chains Are Gone - I've been set free. Thank you Jesus, Thank you Jesus, Thank you Jesus.