I live in a fabulous Southern town. There are at least 12 MEGA churches within 10 miles of my home. For those of you not in the know- Mega churches have thousands of members. I don't mean 1000; I mean 3-10,000 members. We are called the Bible Belt for a reason. I attend a Mega Church. I love that there are so many activities for the kids, so many choices for Sunday school, multiple service times and 1000's of people. It is easy to blend if you like or stand out if you choose. I was raised in a small (re. couple hundred members) church and EVERYONE knew your business. All the kids at my church went to the same High School and 2 of us went somewhere else. For Youth group I went where my friends from school went, but Sunday morning my butt was sitting next to Mom. I like going to a big church.
I do not enjoy the multitude of letters that I have started receiving to date. I call them the "Mission Letters". These letters are coming from friends/clients all over town. They are mass mailing that come from a teenager or family asking me to pay for them to go on an exotic Mission trip. I am all for Missions. DO NOT GET ME WRONG. I just have an issue when a family with small children, that lives in a $500,000+ home, with a stay at home mom; wants me to send them money to take their kids to Belize! I will not send money to send you to Paris to witness on the street corners. I will not send you money to swim with dolphins in Australia. I will not support your Vacation fund. I am all for you going, I know that we need to reach out to people all over the world. I would like for you to pay your own way.
I am the first to donate when a Youth group asks for a silent auction item. I will buy your BBQ. I will pay you to wash my car. I will buy raffle tickets for whatever. I would like to see you "working" for it. The work shows me that you really want to go and serve. The effort in year long, group wide, fund raising shows commitment. A mass mailing shows that me that you want an easy way out.
I believe that children should be doing mission work. My boys have cleaned yards, made sack lunches and played with children while their father and I served. It is all done locally. There are a million opportunities around every corner to show your small children how to give back. You do not need to take them around the world to do it. Especially not on my dime.
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6 comments:
Rock on girl. That was BEEE-utiful and I wholeheartedly agree with you.
Amen! I'm a youth leader at our church and always encourage our youth to work for their trips. Somewhere, sometime, when they are older, they will realize that it was character building for them to actually have to work rather than have Mommy & Daddy pay for everything. Right???
On that subject ... I have decided to mail out my own letter ... what do you think?
30 something east snob county mom
1 week vacation in Sunny Seaside
5000+ square foot home
nanny for the kids
Will need money for she-she house, high priced nanny, galloons of vodka, new designer suits, posh designer flip flops and tons of shopping at the outlets
Kay?
Can I send out mass letters to cover IVF? I mean God commands us to go forth and multiply, right? Hehehe...
I hear ya. I'm a mega church attender too. I hate that term though.
Our kids have to do mission work locally before they can go on the "mission trip". We have Faith in Action once a month where they show up at church on Saturday morning and then go do some work somewhere. They have to work at Lil Lambs, host a spaghetti supper and youth auction. J3 is scheduled to do yard work for the person who "bought" him and his buddy. J2 learned how to put shingles on a roof last summer in S. Georgia. That trip cost $75 for gas money.
Our youth group is smaller than the "popular" youth group (even though we have over 4,000 members) and the kids from our church who go to that one instead of ours are just in it for who's there. But that is also one of the churches sending their kids on fabulous mission trips to the Czech Republic, Costa Rica, etc. and I've had people send me those letters, too.
I just think....are you crazy? I have twice as many kids as you do, two are in college...and you want me to help send your kid to Prague.
Dream on sister. There are old people right here in May-retta who need help.
Can I hear an AMEN!
AMEN sista!!!! That is so true. Keep the faith friend! Or how bout you witness on the street corner wich yo' lemonade stand???
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