Agnostics, atheists welcome in church's ministry
The Story seeks to attract those without a place in other flocks
By Mike TolsonJanuary 6, 2017 Updated: January 7, 2017 3:59pm
Pastor Eric Huffman starts the Christmas Eve service at The Story, a church connected with St. Luke's Methodist that reaches out to skeptics or doubters about Christianity on Saturday, Dec. 24, 2016, in Houston.
By Mike Tolson
Updated: January 7, 2017 3:59pm
On Sunday mornings at many mainline Protestant churches around Houston, there comes a moment when the pastor has to doff the robe, ditch the suit, throw on some jeans or khakis, run down the hall to a room with no pews or stained glass, and - most importantly - get his or her head into a different place.
Such is the nature of the modern church. The traditional service in the traditional sanctuary, supported by choir and organ and centuries of custom, is often no longer enough.
For many worshippers, the contemporary service is what they know and expect, conducive not only to casual attire but a more relaxed attitude, comfortable seats, and actual enjoyment. Praise Jesus? Sure, but how about a little raucous praise music to go with it? And cue the slide show while you're at it.
At first glance, the gathering overseen by Pastor Eric Huffman on the campus of St. Luke's United Methodist Church looks like any other contemporary service. But in fact there's a different story behind The Story, the name given to the church within a church that St. Luke's decided to establish just yards away from its blue-blooded main building across from the southern flank of River Oaks.
http://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Agnostics-atheists-welcome-in-church-s-ministry-10839959.php
http://thestory.church/
= new reply since forum marked as read
(FYI: the Chronicle requires a subscription...)
Thanks Rug, another good post!
