I used to love telling my friends about the church. In Oregon when my kids were small, we mostly had just non-member friends. People we met from the homeschool or home birth community.
Really fun, interesting people.
I used to love inviting people to church!
I was on fire about the gospel and I wanted to share it.
Once I had a Jewish midwife come to church for my daughter’s baby blessing (who was aghast when I told her what that piece of bread meant that she had just eaten). I also had a Messianic Christian friend come (who was shocked that there was no childcare during the main meeting).
Maybe I should have prepared my guests better🤣
Anyway. Something changed around the time we came to Utah.
I began to feel embarrassed.
How could I invite anyone to this? It was slow. It was boring. It wasn’t particularly religious or inspiring. Lay clergy and randomly assigned speakers — it’s just not the best system.
(Side note: I took a Speech class in college in Las Vegas, and my professor said she could tell who all the Mormons were. They’ve been doing this since they were kids in primary! So I will give some credit for that.)
But it’s really a mixed bag.
You never know what you’re gonna get when you come to sacrament meeting.
My husband and I would make jokes sometimes, like “Whoa, it’s a good thing we don’t have any investigators with us today,” or “Wow, an actual talk about Christ! That would be good to share.”
But really, it’s a risk bringing someone to church.
I’m sorry it has to be that way. We all know it’s true. But that’s just how it is.
But now I’ve come alive again!
I’ve brought a total of 7 guests to The Well and a handful more are interested. It’s such an amazing church to attend! Whether you join the community or believe all the doctrines or not, it’s just such a wonderful space to feel close to God.
And in such a different way than the Mormon temple.
Both have been places for me to find God.
Both have been good for me in my life.
It’s just amazing that I’m realizing how present God can be in a loud environment. It’s something the Mormons are really against. But it’s made me wonder if the temple was nice because it was holy, or was it nice because it was quiet?
(And surrounded with fine furnishings)
Let’s face it. When home is a ruckus, any quiet place is heaven.
The library is heaven.
But I digress.
I’ve come around to the idea that you can worship God loudly. Reverence doesn’t mean to be a statue. It means to worship. And God wants us to praise Him and shout for joy! And clap our hands to show our celebration and connection.
It’s so beautiful to do!
If my King was coming down the street, a King I absolutely adored, I would not be sitting quietly. Not at all.
I’d probably run to meet Him.
I’d tell all my friends to come!
We would shout, clap and sing!
Anyhow, here’s a text conversation of my inviting an acquaintance to church. It’s someone who has had such a hard life the last few years, and I really hope she finds Jesus. Please pray for her with me.
“Some have departed from these and have turned to meaningless talk. They want to be teachers of the law, but they do not know what they are talking about or what they so confidently affirm.” (1 Timothy 1:6-7) Sounds like a lay clergy problem to me😂
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And if you’re not loving the church you go to —
If Sundays aren’t your favorite day of the week —
Please don’t be afraid of trying something new. ❤️
Here’s our conversation comparing LDS church services to our non denominational church:
All I Possess 