Unbeliever # 4

http://rachelbarnhart.blogspot.com/
Unbeliever #4

This guy's interview made me smile because this is where I use to be a few months ago. I was very bitter towards God and the people who tried to push Him on me. Yes, I went through this stage when I was in Master's...talk about a trajedy! So I hear where he's coming from. Here are the results! Enjoy!!!!! I did!
What do you think is the greatest need in your area? The greatest need in my area is a reality check in general. I think Marlton, NJ has got to be one of the most backwards suburban towns in the U.S., where everyone's focused on materialistic fulfillment. It
would be nice if people around here could just live and greatfully take whatever comes their way, without turning it into some competition for attention or into some gay new trend everyone else must subscribe to.
Are you currently attending a church?
Absolutely not
Why do you think most people don't attend church?
I think most people choose not to attend church because they believe
saying they're a christian works just fine. "Yea, I'm a christian
brah," he says and then snorts a line. For me, there is a multitude of
reasons behind it, but the main reason is I do not believe in God or
that Jesus was his son, so there really isn't too much a reason for me
to go. Other than that, after spending nearly a decade of my life
growing up in church, I have found so many other reasons not to go
including: drama in the youth group, drama in the adult congregation,
blatant and abundant hypocrisy, the bottomless offering-baskets,
ideals that are Right- no matter WHAT! It says it right there in the
bible!, and plenty more. Basically, I find church to be a mess of
issues that can be easily avoided by...Just not going.
If you were looking for a church to attend, what kind of things would you look for?
I would look for a church that encourages questioning and skepticism
of their beliefs. And one that had a leader that could at least
attempt to prove his bleiefs rather than throwing down the "It's A
Religion: Don't Go There" card. (But, who am I kidding?) I mean, these
guys majored in this crap but they can't back it up with anything else
but the fact that questioning religion's taboo? Come on.
What advice can you give pastors who really want to be helpful to people?
I would give the pastor this advice: step down off the pulpit and
talk to your congregation like people, because even though they don't
realize their being jaded into everything you're saying, you should as
a pastor. Get to know them, try and answer their questions, debate
with them, hear what they're saying. I think doing that will teach
people how to think for themsleves again, at least in church, and
maybe eventually that will spread into the community and so on. What
I'm saying is, I'd tell the pastor to challenge his religion, and to
encourage his flock to do the same, because the ones that know how to
think for themselves are already gone, and he shouldn't want to lose
anymore. I think getting people to think for themselves again is the
most helpful thing anyone could do.

I know this is a really long blog, but I thought you would appreciate his remarks and I didn't want you to miss out on any! These are the teens I love to interact and connect with. Those who have been hurt and are quite bitter. I love challenges and they bring me such joy!

New Believer #4

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New Believer #4

As it turned out, this was the most interesting interview yet. This man has been shot, stabbed, hit by cars, and in a terrible accident. He knew after still living through it all that God has a purpose for him. While in jail, he knew there had to be more for him. He was interested in finding out. He went to Freedom House and when asked what the best part of coming to Christ, his reply was freedom of what he's going to do tomorrow. He doesn't have to worry anymore. There is a peace for him. His hardest challenge is listening to someone who is younger than him. In the House, he has to follow a 21 year old and he doesn't always agree with him. The guys in the House and Freedom Valley has helped him. When he saw that he wasn't being judged for the things he had done and people actually went out of their way to build a relationship with him, he was touched. He noticed that people led by example here and didn't just give orders. This spoke volumes to him. He has never seen this shown before. He is a nice guy and I have watched him take action and fight for his freedom. One thing I wish I saw more from him is a smile. He has so much for him and I wish he could see it.

New Believer #3

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New Believer #3


I chose to interview another girl from youth group. She has been coming to Freedom Valley for a year and a half, but she wanted nothing to do with the church or Jesus until 3 months ago. I asked her, "What changed your mind? What caused you to stop and reconsider?" She said that as she regularly came to church, she would watch people and wonder, What would it be like to feel and witness God's love? What is it like to put my arms in the air and dance for him? One day she got to the point where she didn't want to question anymore, but actually experience it. She wept and asked Jesus to come into her heart. "It was the best feeling in the world," she says. "I don't have to wonder anymore!" She says she can see huge differences in the way she acts and treats people, especially in her public school. "Everything I do is for him. I try to help people. I pray and read the Bible now and learning more about God. He has made my life complete!" She mentioned that it is really hard going to school and being Christ-like. Everyone knew her before she made the commitment and so it's hard to go to a place everyday where people expect you to act a certain way. She told me, "It's like they are just waiting for me to fall and mess up. Showing that I changed is so difficult. There were many times I came home and cried because I felt like I let God down. It's very hard for me, but I won't give up on God. I have faith in myself now. I know I can do this...I can conquer this mountain!"
I have watched this girl blossom. I was there when she decided to make the decision to really go after God. I was there at her baptismal and I couldn't help but cry when I got her responses for the interview questions. She has been such a joy to disciple! I absolutely love her.

Town Hall For Hope

http://rachelbarnhart.blogspot.com/
Guest Speaker: Dave Ramsey himself....clap, clap, clap! Whooooo!



I don't know much about financial stuff. To be honest, math was my weakest subject and so what Dave Ramsey spoke about was a little over my head. I did grasp some things though; I'm not totally stupid with money. What Dave is doing is nothing short of amazing. He is definitely instilling hope to America and igniting fire in us to fight for ourselves. We don't have to live in debt. We can live debt free. It is possible. It is very easy to lose hope right now because of the economy and it only seems like it's getting worse...but you know what...we can live in peace. We don't have to constantly be worrying and fretting. I love the fact that Dave Ramsey unashamedly speaks of God in his sessions. I believe this is what America needs. To know that we can be in control of our money and that God is the ultimate answer in becoming rich.

Church rater # 3

The Church What Church did you visit? New Life Assembly of God What city or town is this Church located? Grantville What date and service did you attend? 4-12-09; morning (10:30 service)

Evaluating How would you rate this church? Please provide ratings based on your own experience. Yes, I realize this is subjective and your '1′ might be someone else's '5′. That's ok. It's your rating and I really want your opinion. Rate the following from 1 to 5. 1 is not effective, 5 is very effective! Overall: 3 Friendliness 5 Singing 2 Preaching 3 First Impressions Outside: Was the building easy to find? Kind of; it was on a hill on a main road Was it difficult to find parking? No, not at all How about the interior or exterior signage- what would you do differently? It was on the side of the road; very noticeable. It was boring though. I would create a way to make it eye appealing and catching What did the appearance, style, or construction of the building communicate to you? It looked nice; they were adding an addition so obviously there is growth and expansion taking place Before the service: Did anyone approach you and speak to you before the service got underway? yes If someone did speak to you, how did you feel about that? They were very friendly; I loved it; made me feel welcomed and care about Can you share their names? Linda, Ruth, Cathy General observations: As you observed the people "doing their church thing", what went through your mind? Seriously....I thought “Oh man do I miss Freedom Valley.” But on the other hand, you didn't get lost. It was a small church and so you really felt like family. They were very loving and kind-hearted. Were you able to understand why they do what they do? Yeah, they truly love the Lord Do they seem sincere? yes What do you think about the overall presentation of the service? (the liturgy, program or flow of the service) it ran smoothly Bulletin and communications: Is there anything in the church bulletin that you find confusing or offensive? It's really cluttered and no color. I honestly didn't want to look at it. It made my eyes go crazy If this were your "business", how would you improve the communication part of it- the bulletin especially? Make it look eye appealing, organize it better Were announcements clear, and interesting (did you want to sign up for anything)? nope Children's Ministry Does this church appear kid-friendly? Not at all Did you bring any children with you to the service? No, I don't have children If so, ask them about their experience. What did they tell you? Music and Prayer How would you describe the music? Dull and boring, they really couldn't sing or keep rhythm at all Did you enjoy any of it? no Did you feel like you connected with God during any part of it? no How was it different from what you are used to? Freedom Valley: free, spirited, into God, joy of the Lord, feel the love of God New Life: felt like I was in a funeral service, “Did someone just die?” Would you enjoy worshiping like that often? no What did you think of the prayers that were offered in the service? I actually just asked myself, “Was there prayer?...oh yeah.” So I don't remember As you listened to the prayers, what did you learn about how that church might think of people, or of God? It was the normal older AG feeling. Not too passionate The Speaker's Presentation

Did the Pastor or speaker seem likable?

Ummm...sorta...I guess

Is he/she a person you might enjoy having coffee with? Why?

Probably not; he seemed intimidating and stuck in his own ways; not someone I could carry a good conversation with

Did he/she seem engaged/sincere/condescending?

Yeah, but also seemed really busy and so you felt like you were absorbing his precious time

Were you motivated to do or think anything differently because of the talk?

Not really

What could they have done to make it more enjoyable or useful?

Don't be so monotonous.

Please erase any of the following descriptors that did not apply to the talk: Boring, Relevant, Gloomy, Slow

The Message

What was the main idea of the message?

Joseph...I think...

What action did the speaker want you to take or consider taking?

I don't remember an action

Did the talk itself (the subject matter) hold your attention?

No, I wanted to sleep or draw on paper to keep me awake

Did any part of the talk stand out to you in a positive or negative way?

I just really like the story of Joseph

What is the one thing the speaker could do that would improve his/her presentation?

Base it on our generation, add some humor

Do you think that you particularly will remember anything that was taught?

Considering that the only thing I can really remember is Joseph...I guess not

Do you understand God or people better because of it?

no

Did it make you feel like you wanted to preach someday yourself ?

Yes, I want to do a better job than that

P.S. This is my church back home. So I have a few years of bitterness stored up because of it.

Unbeliever # 3

http://rachelbarnhart.blogspot.com/
Unbeliever #3


Heather, Rae Rae, and I decided that we wanted to interview some people right off the street in order to see what people who we have no connections with responded. We went to the Gettysburg outlets in search of a victim (giggle). We approached a group of teens, 3 to be exact, and asked them our questions....here is the results.
When asked what the greatest need in there area was, tourists and maintenance improvement (like the roads, sidewalks, etc). Two did not currently attend church, but the other one did. That was exciting to hear. The reason for the two not attending church is because it's too early in the morning or because they are lazy. You could tell that the one teen has been hurt in the past or has been preached at. You could sense a bitterness when asked the question "if you could attend a church what would it be?" His answer: Not as much "God's watching and throwing lightning bolts at you whenever you mess up" kinda thing. He believes that the Bible should be taught as how to live a moral life and not how to get to heaven. The girl said she wanted a church that is upbeat. One that reminds her of her childhood years when she did attend. She wants one that has exciting worship and not boring hymnals. All of them agreed that pastors should put their life experience into their sermons and not be monotonous. It was a good experience all around. They were a good group and seemed pretty interested in our questions. We had fun with them.

David Kennard

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Guest Speaker: David Kennard

David Kennard surprised me on how he pastors his church. I never ever considered pastoring a church without preaching. It just seemed unbiblical and unrealistic. It's pretty much unheard of. It definitely opened my mind to it. In addition to that, I love the fact that he has a church in a mall. What a great outreaching tool. I think it breaks down some expectations of church that people put on it. Shoppers can walk right in and not feel too terribly uncomfortable or like an outcast. It meets the people where they are and that is important and rare. One thing that you hit on in discussion and worries me is that they are not growing as much as they should be. That creates questions and concerns, but other than that I think David has done an amazing job. He wears a lot of hats and has it all pretty much organized. He makes it a priority to connect with his congregation and it thrills me to hear that they joke around with him when he has to preach. It sounds like he has some fun relationships with them and I love to hear that!