Our doors are open to anybody who wishes to attend.

So are ours. My home church in my native land, while many would consider it quite "conservative," and perhaps expect otherwise, is one of the most welcoming and friendly around. It doesn't matter what you wear, look like, smell like, or act like, you are welcome.

There is one small exception. We have a hard time providing proper supervision for registered sex-offenders as required by law. There are many small children in the church, and we have had a hard time keeping a lookout when a pedophile attends church. So far, I'm unaware of any time the pedophile had to be turned away, but in our small church, it may have to happen if we don't have a deacon available to watch him full time at church--for legal reasons.

Blessings,

Green Cochoa.

The protection of children, or other people, is a valid issue. So could be the protection of property. WE would not be required to allow someone to attend who attempts to set the building on fire. There clearly can be times when individuals would not be allowed on the property. Frankly, the church in Russia had a right to protect its property against the people who invaded it.

You tell us that your home church is welcoming. I accept your statement as truth. I am simply confused by your strong objection to the Bulletin statement that welcomed people to attend.

My only logical conclusion would be that your home church welcomes, but you personally do not. But, I am certain that if I were to suggest that you would tell me that I am wrong. So, I do not know what to make of your very strong statements, even citing EGW. Well, I guess I shall just remain confused.

Gregory,

Perhaps you should read again my original post in this thread. It might just be that you have been led to think the worst of me, to the point where you missed my actual position.

I will state it more clearly, however. I am against announcing this sort of thing. I am not against welcoming anyone who should choose to attend church. I think we will do better, however, to let the Holy Spirit lead the right ones into the church.

Satan has people he would like to invite to church too. He does this all of the time. While it is not our duty, necessarily, to turn them away (how can we judge their hearts?), it should not be our role to assist the devil in collecting to our fellowship such as might come for the wrong reasons.

I'll use an example to help make my point.

Many years ago, when I was about that age myself, I saw a video advertisement from one of our universities. Let's call it "Valleyville Adventist University" (VAU). I happened to see a similar advertisement from another of our universities--let's call the second one "Maple River University" (MRU). (Any resemblance to actual Adventist institutions is unintended.) The video from VAU depicted young people enjoying all kinds of fun and entertaining sorts of things, like white-water rafting, sports, etc. The young people in it looked like they were having the time of their life. The video from MRU was more down-to-earth in its style. It presented a more spiritual focus, and emphasized the caring of the faculty and the life-preparation to be gained at their university.

I became acquainted with both of these universities. The students and faculty at MRU were much more interested in spiritual things. The students at VAU often had an attitude toward religion, and favored more secular worldviews.

Now, do I think the promotional materials had anything to do with this? You can be assured that I do.

My question, then, is this: What are we promoting? Are we lifting up Christ, and His love? or are we trying to make friends with the world, regardless if they are converted in heart or not?

Put another way, "I, if I be lifted up, will draw all men to me." We have no need to focus on all of the categories of sinners and say that each one is welcome. Why shouldn't they be if they are drawn in by Christ? Where is our focus? Look to Jesus! Jesus will draw them.

We just need to present Christ. That is our duty. It is then the duty of the Holy Spirit to convict and to draw people to Christ.

Blessings,

Green Cochoa.

Here is a better statement that expresses my reservations against inviting the world into the church.



Blessings,

Green Cochoa.

Our public evangelism is based upon public announcements that seek to bring people to the meetings.

I will be the 1st to say that the Church in End Time has two (2) objectives. But one of those is what is summed by the word "evangelism." Evangelism, in the public sense (NOTE: There is more than one form of evangelism.) seeks to do exactly what that bulletin attempted to do.

As I have said: If I were to be a congregational pastor again, I would seek to have my Sabbath services of such content that members of the community would feel free to attend and those Sabbath services would be evangelistic in nature.

Green: In my opinon, your citation from EGW has nothing to do with the issue here.

Inviting people to attend SDA services, which is exactly what that bulletin announcement did, is not inviting the world into the church. It is inviting people, of any stripe to come and hear the message that God wants proclaimed in this the End Time.

Let me give you an example:

Last week a young male showed up at our SDA chruch. He was, in appearance, one whom Green might call riff-raff.

My wife and I are one of three couples who took a prepared lunch to a near-by part to eat together. We suspected that this male did not have a food to eat, so we invite him to join us which he did.

He is not SDA. He has been married to a SDA woman for the past 18 months. Reading between the lines, it is probable that she was not strongly attached to the SDA chruch at the time she married him. But she did marry him. It was through her that he became aquainted with the SDA church.

In his words, he believes that the SDA Church is teaching Biblical truth.

Six weeks ago, he moved to Colorado in search of a different future in his life. His wife remains in another State for a period of time. But, they remain in a committed marriage.

He showed up at our congregation looking for a congregation in which he can feel comfortable in worshiping--as he said as someone who dresses like he does. We made him feel comfortable.

It is clear that he is not high on the socieo-eccomnomic scale and likely neither is his wife. It is clear that we will need to establish boundaries with him and we have begun to do so. He will clearly need the services of our social-welfare agencies. He will need both guidance and directive interventions.

If he is willing to participate, we will lead him along a path to greater integration into the social society of this day and into a greater understanding of the Chrisian life.

In the mean time, we welcome him, dressed as he is and as he is. It will be his choice as to how he responds to our associaiton.

A work that cannot be done by proxy - - Green - I don't think this means to just pray that the Holy Spirit will lead people to the church. It is saying we must have an active roll. NOTE - we are to go out and COMPEL them to come in, all that riff-raff.

Green, if you will permit me to slight change what EGW said, here is something to think about: