"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.
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*** - Three asterisks means it's the most important sentence to read.
** - Means it's quite important.
* - Means it's interesting.
***1. NUMBER OF PEOPLE: 121.
2. NUMBER OF CHAIRS: 250.
*3. Type. Clean cut, good "looking", a great many blonde people (Ratio of 10 blonde to 3 other.)
4. Class. Professional and trades occupations.
5. Amount of kids. 26 1-17yo's.
6. Ages of people. 1-70yo.
7. Men 50%
8. Offering money. Not given.
***9. Arriving late. Zero. (You would have looked really out of place if you arrived even after 7.27pm as it was a very somber atmosphere. Also, the 2 top leaders walk from the back to the front at exactly 7.30pm and at the end of the service everybody stood still until the 2 leaders left the stage for the door hand shaking time.)
***10. Other info. I was driving past these many people coming out of a local school hall on Sunday the 18/2/01 and asked if it was a church. "Yes" a young man replied "We are a Christian church though we have no name, no, we are not Bretheren or Jehovah Witnesses. Would you like to come to a service?" I agreed and left. I came into the largest assembled church meeting on a Wednesday night in Toowoomba, 121 people. Everybody was quiet. As I sat a small child began to cry. "Whack! Whack!" the mother sharply and decisively hitting the child on the bottom with her hand. The child cried softly, muffled into her mother's dress. I thought "This is unusual, all the children are deathly quiet in here." The 2 "missionaries" paraded to the front. I was briefed by a leader that the church was at least 75 years old in Toowoomba alone. Then we prayed 4 minutes. Then sang a hymn. Then the first missionary preached 15 mins. We stood to sing the next hymn. The 2nd missionary preached 10 mins. At exactly 8.30pm we all filed out the door shaking the missionaries hands and chatted outside. I asked a leader about the movement. He said these things "The church is led by 2 missionaries who lead the church for a one year period until November of each year where the elder for the state decides who goes where this coming year. We all meet for this final yearly meeting at Rochedale. But we also have 4 district type meetings around Queensland including a large purpose built shed with accommodation and a big kitchen at Biddeston, a 10 minute drive west of Toowoomba. Just before you enter Biddeston, it's on the right. Jesus said we need to send preachers 2 by 2 into the world. These people are not paid a wage (stipend) but live by faith. They must have never been married and must be a pair of males or females. They live for 3 - 4 days at each of the parishioners houses if it's possible for the family. We have no name to go by and we hardly know each other if we met. There is a manner behind us and eventually we might ask if we know someone from Rochedale. There is nothing wrong with being a CPA if your an accountant or having a very nice car. They prefer you didn't work on the Lord's day but Nurses often can't help that. Our sound system is very small. I do not see that other churches are all going the wrong way but we see we are going our way and they theirs. There are about 250 people who meet on Sunday afternoon."
*11. Time I spent there and date. 7pm-9pm 21/2/01
12. Time service went till. 7.30-8.30pm.
**13. This & other service times. 7.30pm Wednesdays, Home group meetings Sunday morning (I was not allowed to attend any of these.), Rangeville School 5pm Sundays.
***14. Preachers name. Una Fletcher and Linda Calaway. They were temporarily staying at a leaders home. Listen to this incredible true story of how their ministry leaders work. I was invited for dinner after church in a leaders home on the luxurious Prince Henry Drive circuit, the best view I have ever seen from a private home. Looking down 2000 feet or 660 metres from the Toowoomba range. I only left there 11pm.
15. Feeling of building. Bit warm. This group shifts their meeting place about every 6 to 8 months, dependent on the move of the missionaries. As of May 2003 they are no longer at Rangeville School but at a public facility at Gowrie Junction a few kilometres west of Toowoomba, in the country.
***16. Estimate of style of belief. Leader told me "We do NOT speak in tongues, we believe in being born-again. We advise if you have been fully immersed in another church to be re-water baptised though you don't have to. We are strong on "Jesus only" doctrine. A member said "Yes, we call ourselves Christians and we do recognise there can be (true) Christians in other churches, we just see them as a little misguided, that's all." As I was going out the door, the 2 missionaries who shake everyone's hand on the way out said "That Amplified Bible is a good one there Tim, I use it as well." Outside we all congregated to chat. Where one leader said "Only one third of the congregation meet on this Wednesday night. Yes, members choose partners out of their own volition. Sometimes they choose worldly people, not so much other people from other churches but about 70-80% can end up being a part of the church, it's very high. It's really rare for people to divorce from here. Usually one of the party will leave the church and usually because they want to be re-married but the other party stays in church and they cannot re-marry. We believe it's unscriptural to get re-married (even after legitimate grounds of one partner being unfaithful.) If a couple is having marital difficulties we as a church will help them (somewhat). There are many young people here in the church and at the week end there are 250 people however at Biddeston meetings for the Darling Downs 400 can meet." Also on coming to the meeting I noticed something I've never seen such decadence before in any other church. One of the main leaders of the congregation owned a late model BMW. As I went in to the church I noticed all the women had long hair without a fringe as if they were not allowed to cut their hair by the front and the minimum length of hair was shoulder length and even then the sides needed to be at least tied up. All the ladies 60 plus had long hair which was either tied in a bun, pinned, coiled up or had squeeze spring combs. 8 minutes prior to the service there were 60 people present but no one said a sound. No one took their children outside if crying. Their whole lives seem to have a simplicity. There are no prams in church, no toys for children, no one brings extra "comforts" of any kind to church. 115 people were present for this Wednesday Gospel Meeting making it probably the largest Christian gathering in the city out of every church in Toowoomba.
***17. Dress code so as not to stand out: Women all have medium to long hair which is always tied in a bun or with clips so at least some of it is tied up. 90% of men wear ties. Women wear very long skirts. No makeup allowed ever. (Note: These people pronounce "Jesus" this way- "JeeZUss" rather than normal way of "Jeesis".
(Note: These people used to have a leader called "Cooney" hence the nickname "Cooneyites" which they do not like. Other nick names also include "2 by 2 Go Preachers".)
Technically, other than one Catholic church, at one stage, this was the biggest Sunday night service in Toowoomba out of every church in Toowoomba yet no one knows of them.
(At night, St Pats Cathedral had 280 people. AOG Spring had about 150 at this time, Hume St Church of Christ had 154.)
***1. NUMBER OF PEOPLE: 206.
2. NUMBER OF CHAIRS: 250.
3. Type. -.
4. Class. -.
5. Amount of kids. Many.
6. Ages of people. 1-70yo.
7. Men -%
8. Offering money. Not given.
9. Arriving late. Zero.
10. Other info.
11. Time I spent there and date. 4pm- 2/01 12. Time service went till. -.
13. This & other service times. Rangeville School 4.30pm Sundays. 7.30pm Wednesdays, Home group meetings Sunday morning.
***14. Preachers name. Una Fletcher and Linda Calaway. The preachers are called "missionaries." They NEVER marry. They DO NOT collect a salary. They do NOT DO any paid or unpaid secular work in the world/ society. They DO NOT have a home! They DO NOT own a car or transport. They live for free in each members house for a short period at a time before shifting. Hence the nick name they do not prefer "2 by 2 go preachers" nor the name "Cooneyites". (Cooney was one of their founding fathers but they deny he was important.)
15. Feeling of building. Bit warm.
16. Estimate of style of belief. -.
17. Dress code so as not to stand out: -.
18. How to get there: Travel up South St or east, turn right at High St. As of March 2003 this church does not seem to be at Rangeville school anymore as Sunday afternoons were checked twice again.
*19. ACCEPTANCE IN CHURCH AS A VISITOR: Yes, accepted.
20. People who talked to me after the service: Many.
*21. Length of time they talked: 3 mins - 2 hours.
22. How soon do visitors get talked to after service?: Very few visitors.
*23. HOW MUCH CHURCH IS OPEN TO WIDER CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY: Not at all.
24. Unusual things about worship: Nothing to catch you unaware.
25. EMPHASIS OF MINISTRY: Live a personally righteous life.
26. Famous business people: -.
27. Famous people: -.
*28. KNOWABLE SONGS: Only a piano played to the 2 slow hymns we all first sang sitting down. I have never heard of one of their songs before. The book was by some obscure "R.L. Alan Publishers.".
29. Quality of sound system/ loudness: Poor.
30. Quality of preaching generally: It was unusual, scriptural though.
31. Meaningfulness/ depth of preaching: Pretty dry but focused on doing things for God.
32. Enjoyment/ lightness of preaching: Not really light.
33. Impact/ deepness/ enjoyment of worship: Hmmm, not at all really. But OK.
*34. Amount of home groups: On Sunday mornings there are 12 home groups where there are often 25 people in each group.
***35. How to access home groups: Leader said "You are asked to not come into our private homes for church on Sunday mornings unless you become a member of our church. It requires you formally express to the missionaries that you will follow our church's teachings. As Jesus said "No man cometh unto the Father but by me." They announce this to the congregation and you might bear testimony to the church if you like."
36. Friendliness of home groups: I was barred from their home groups.
37. Intention to build: .
**38. Estimate percentage church owned / rented?: They don't believe in owning church buildings. Other than the Biddeston regional property.
39. Estimate age of building: School is about 60yo.
40. Dowdiness of building outside: OK.
41. Inside?: Not bad.
42. Have sister churches where? All through the world.
43. Sunday School availability: I don't believe there is.
44. Ages availability: -.
45. % kids attend: -.
46. Noise of kids at back: None.
47. Where is bible college? -.
48. Where do kids school? -.
49. How many missionaries do they support: -.
50. What cost? -.
51. What is average they give to missions: -.
52. What is average they give to local poor? -.
53. International poor? -.
54. Other emphasis on giving: -.
55. Per head total giving: .
56. Extent of other church programs: .
57. Pastor receive stipend? No.
*58. How much? Nothing. Perhaps pocket money. Perhaps moneys are just given in a completely informal donation way.
59. Qualifications of Pastor: -.
60. Estimated of parishioners complaints. -.
61. Estimated ability to resolve parishioners complaints: -.
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