"DISCOVER CHURCH" - A 100,000 word web site.
AN INTERESTING WORLD RESEARCH STUDY OF EVERY CHURCH IN ONE SAMPLE CITY, FOR ANYONE WHO WANTS TO SEE INFORMATION ABOUT CHURCH.
BrG
*** - Three asterisks means it's the most important sentence
to read.
** - Means it's quite important.
* - Means it's interesting
BRETHREN CHURCH NUMBER THREE.
1. NUMBER OF PEOPLE: 57 people.
2. NUMBER OF CHAIRS: 200 seats.
3. Type of person: Stayed, well afforded, bible only types. Teachers, blue collar business types.
*4. Socio- Economic Status: As always with committed Christians they are professionals or in management but have a definite blue collar streak and a business vein.
5. Amount of kids: A mix of all ages.
6. Ages of people: 20 men, 20 kids, 27 women.
7. How many men? 20.
8. Weekly offering published: No n/letter.
9. Lateness of people getting to church: -.
*10. Any other interesting information: In this church, one wouldn't get tossed out for adultery, one woman wasn't wearing a hat, they follow the "logus" of scripture, do not understand all general intangible concepts or aspects of Christianity like "grace" nor "feelings" nor "God privately speaking to people" nor "speaking in tongues". I would conclude that there is very clear anecdotal evidence that they and the Baptists do more for missions than any other church. Very friendly & loving group to also strangers. There are basically two main types of Brethren churches. Exclusive and Open. This is Open. The church hall on North St near Hume St is an extension church to this one. They have dinners and outreach to neighbours and Sunday School at term times.
11. TIME THERE AND DATE OF VISIT: 11.55am-1pm 16/7/00 (8 times)
12. Length of service: 12.35pm.
13. This and other service times. 11am & 6.30pm & Wedn 7.30pm.
**14. Preacher: All Brethren churches have unpaid Elders only. Alan Skinner, a primary school teacher does most of sermons. No Brethren church has paid religious leaders. Alan Skinner’s brother had A MISSIONARY BROTHER in BOLIVIA, South America for about 14 years but IN 2008 HAS PARKINSON’S DISEASE and is in Australia. **Women wear coverings as a sign that they are to submit to their husband or dad. Men can't have long hair. Most Christians believe these bible teachings as being culturally based, in other words, women wearing hats were customs pertaining to that period only. They all have no paid ministers, only Elders teach & all men only are expected to contribute.
15. Feeling of building: Good, new brick building.
***16. Estimate style of belief: A lot of people ask me personally about the Brethren. Quite simply they are alive, born-again, bible believing Christians who are not Charismatic, they do support other Christians. They do NOT believe other Christians are going to hell. All the churches are independently owned and operated but Brethren assemblies can mix together but usually not with other Christian churches. Many people have tried to tell me this church IS the closed Brethren. This simply is not true. 17. Dress code so as not to stand out: Dress to not stand out. Well dressed, ties. Hat's for the ladies or a scarf would be OK.
BRETHREN CHURCH NUMBER FOUR.
1. Number of people: 36.
2. Number of chairs: 96.
3. Type of person: Very high percentage of blue collar businessmen. (Please note, the Brethren owner of BMS sold his business mid 2001.) 4. Socio-Economic Status: Medium.
5. Amount of kids: 20 aged 6 to 12yo. These children come from the Sunday School which is run in the mornings as an outreach activity from Mackenzie St Brethren. There is no normal church morning or evening service at Mt Lofty.
6. Ages of people: Remainder 30-60yo.
7. 50% are men.
8. Weekly offering published: -.
9. Lateness of people getting to church: -.
*10. Any other interesting information: I visited 7 times and each time it was closed. I saw workmen there 18/8/01 and asked if they indeed had church there. They did. This was one of the toughest services I had to find as it took a year to find when the service was on and why sometimes they were not on.
11. Time there AND date of visit: 2/9/01 5.20am.
12. Length of service: 1 hour 30mins till 7pm.
13. This and other service times: 5.30pm 1st Sunday of month. -CONFIRMED Feb 2006) 9.00am Sunday School for children. The 5.30pm dinner is USUALLY but NOT ALWAYS the first Sunday of the month (meaning probably not school holiday time) Please note, despite what the church sign says, there is NO Adult Sunday School (church) on at 9.00am, as well, there is NO Sunday school during school term breaks. So why all of these haphazard times of services? This church is used by MacKenzie St Brethren as an OUTREACH, to try and obtain the unsaved.
14. Preacher: All Brethren churches have unpaid Elders only.
15. Feeling of building: ok.
16. Estimate style of belief: Open Brethren beliefs.
*17. Dress code so as not to stand out: Casual to smart. All women wore hats. Men have no ties with a woolen pull over. (Notice how every individual Brethren church has a distinctive style of dress.)
18. How to get there: Travel north along Hume St turn right at North St.
BRETHREN
1. Number of people: Three.
2. Number of chairs: 100.
*3. Type of person: Almost every Brethren person in fellowship has a blue
collar self employed job! Particularly as you go toward the more fundamentalist
side.
4. Socio-Economic Status: Medium.
5. Amount of kids: 0.
6. Ages of people: Acting elder is 84yo. The rest- 74-88yo.
7. 50% are men.
8. Weekly offering published: -.
9. Lateness of people getting to church: -.
*10. Any other interesting information: The church is for sale for a cheap
price. A Christian church is sought. (Maybe as little as $85,000) I came into
a communion service. Sometimes a sister Brisbane church comes up. Acting elder
sometimes goes to Mt Lofty Brethren meetings. The reason there were only 3 people
there was because "others had been transferred or past away."
11. Time there AND date of visit: 16/9/01 11.30am-11.45am.
12. Length of service: -.
13. This and other service times: 11.15am, 2pm.
**14. Preacher: All Brethren churches never have one main Pastor. Also,
no leadership are ever paid any money. Typically there are 2 or 3 "Elders"
which run the church. The "acting Elder" is Gordon McMurray. He's
a 74yo ex farmer. Amazingly, he does Religious Instruction teaching of 5 classes,
2 at East. He also does direct evangelical track giving. (A "track"
is any small piece of Bible based literature.) (By "Pocket Testament League.")
15. Feeling of building: ok. Building was made in 1975.
***16. Estimate style of belief: Please note CALVANISM
effects ALL churches. This church believes in Calvanism but not extreme Calvanism.
An extreme Calvanist will say that "a person is predestined to be saved
or lost." A Calvanist will say "Once saved always saved" which
the elder said all Brethren churches believe in. They explained they were "somewhere
between closed and open Brethren." Having no elders. The main difference
is this. With Harristown Assembley (Brethren) there was a case where a family
got "dis-fellowshipped" from the church. That family up and left for
Warwick Brethren. With this church, they would not be allowed to merely change
churches hence the name "Guarded Fellowship." In this church situation,
when I came into their church the acting Elder said all these things "I'm
sorry but I think you are in the wrong building, perhaps you need to go to some
other church." (My advice to the reader of this web site, do not be intimidated
by churches saying such things.) I said "This is like a.. Brethren church
isn't it? I was told by the Mt Lofty church from Mackenzie St about it. Do you
know Ron or Allan or John?" He replied "Oh, OK, no that's all right,
just weren't sure if you were in the right place." And then he said "This
is a communion service and we can't let you partake but you can stay for the
teaching." I agreed.
***Please note, this is how I get into
all of these especially stricter churches. I name drop. When I can't name drop,
I name drop similar churches which they are in "ca-hoots" with. When
I can't do that I merely say how I heard about the church. For example, I have
said all these things before "I saw all these people coming out of the
school and I realised there was probably a church here, is this a church?"
I have also said "I was driving past and saw the church." Have said
"I was web surfing and I really did see your church there, it was under
your head office listing." How should you, the reader of this web site,
tell Pastors how you came into their church? Tell them truthfully. You saw it
in this web site. Or that you saw their church on the internet. (They give a
wry smile.)
***(This directory is NOT to be confused with and has nothing to do with the
Youth for Christ "Toowoomba Christian Directory" with David Stanfield
and Alan Maxwell. Alan did Mower and machinery repair training for disadvantaged
youth.)
17. Dress code so as not to stand out: Men wear business attire.
Women MUST wear a head covering like a scarf or hat, no trousers.
18. How to get there: Travel east along Long St.
1. Number of people: Three.
2. Number of chairs: 100.
3. Type of person: Blue collar self employed.
4. Socio-Economic Status: -.
5. Amount of kids: 0.
6. Ages of people: Acting elder is 84yo. 50-88yo.
7. 50% are men.
8. Weekly offering published: -.
9. Lateness of people getting to church: -.
*10. Any other interesting information: There is a lunch between the "11.15am
Communion Service" and the "2pm Teaching Service" When I got
there at the church notice board time I was told the sign was wrong as it said
2.15pm. They said "We started early but if you rang to let us know you
were coming, we would have made provision." Up until 1985 the whole church
was very active, full and alive.
11. Time there AND date of visit: 23/9/01 2pm-3.45pm. (No one was there 2pm
30 May 04 so service may have closed.)
12. Length of service: -.
13. This and other service times: 2pm; 11.15am.
14. Preacher: The "acting Elder" is Gordon McMurray.
15. Feeling of building: ok. Building was made in 1975.
16. Estimate style of belief: -.
*17. Dress code so as not to stand out: Men wear business attire. Women must
wear a head covering like a scarf or hat, no trousers. 18. How to get there:
Travel east along Long St.
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