Finally going to church!

[granolaturtle]

I've been looking forward to this, now that I've moved somewhere else, I'll finally have an opportunity to start going again. The only thing I'm nervous about is that the churches here are big - I would want to be part of a community.

I'm a little more partial to more traditional services, and generally if they're bigger, they'll have alt christian rock playing and overhead smartboards. :c

But what's more important is that I have a chance to reconnect with my faith. Church just provides the right environment for that.

On an added note, how would I know if a church is gay friendly or not?

 

[Vinca]

Glad to hear you have the opportunity to start going to church again

I don't have a definative answer about how to know if a church is gay friendly or not, but if they have a website, it be worth having a look at that or to try asking the main Pastor/Preacher about what their views are, would be another way.

 

[wyverary]

You haven't mentioned your denomination, so as to whether or not they are friendly to those on the LGBTQ spectrum, you won't know until you go. Many denominations are...United Methodist Church and the Episcopal Church spring immediately to mind, and most Catholics are open to it as well. Other than that, yes, it is hard to know. If you feel up to it, you could ask the other congregants, maybe even the parson, what they think...though that would certainly prove daunting, especially in a large church! Wishing you the best of luck.

wyv

 

[granolaturtle]

You haven't mentioned your denomination, so as to whether or not they are friendly to those on the LGBTQ spectrum, you won't know until you go. Many denominations are...United Methodist Church and the Episcopal Church spring immediately to mind, and most Catholics are open to it as well. Other than that, yes, it is hard to know. If you feel up to it, you could ask the other congregants, maybe even the parson, what they think...though that would certainly prove daunting, especially in a large church! Wishing you the best of luck.

wyv

I'm a Methodist. Being a mainstream church, it doesn't usually get caught up in politics (although theyre involved with a women's program that supports social justice causes, which is great)

But yeah, sometimes you don't know what to expect. The pastor had a pretty good sermon about the dangers of alarmist, apocalyptic thinking (using some passages from Mark). They seem pretty relaxed, at least.

 

[Warmheart]

Cool that you'll be going to church again. How about trying a smaller, more sensory-friendly church that's gay-friendly? The Unitarian Universalist churches are usually quite gay-friendly. You can find a UU church near you on the UU website.
http://www.uua.org/

Why not check out the websites of any and all churches in your area, and looking for the words "A Welcoming Congregation." This means that many flavors of people are welcome, regardless of lifestyle or faith.