"Our next baptism will be Sunday, July 1 at 10:30am. If you are ready to follow Jesus' example and be baptized, meet at 10:00 a.m. in the Broadbent Prayer Room that day. Bring an extra set of undergarments, and we'll provide towels, t-shirts, shorts or baptismal robes. If you have questions, look under the Spiritual Life section to learn more about baptism."
The quote above is taken from the Abba's House website.
What were some of your initial impressions of Abba's House? Did any of those impressions change as we spent more time with Mrs. Craig? What did you think about this church and how did it compare to the Church of the Firstborn? Try to go beyond the obvious.
From the outside, Abba's House simply looks like a massive brick church. As soon as I stepped inside the building, which felt like a freezer, I completely forgot it was a church. The bookstore was like a university bookstore, and the auditorium was one of the biggest things I've seen in my life. The further along we got in the tour, the more surprised I became. For example, the set for the TV show and the room with the cubicles and telephone were completely unexpected. By the end of the tour, I was nearly positive that Abba's House was a village of offices and auditoriums rather than a church. Abba's House is clearly very different from the Church of the Firstborn. Abba's House is about 4 times the size of the Church of the Firstborn. Based on what I've seen, though, the Church of the Firstborn is much more like a place of worship rather than a multi-million dollar technology infested building. One would think that the community of the Church of the Firstborn would be very close to each other while the thousands of people who attend Abba's House would not have such a close friendship with many other members of the church.
ReplyDeleteThis church was amazing there are no words to describe how beautiful and huge it was. I loved being able to go and learn and get a tour of this different interesting church. The mission of this church is three things one to experience the heart of God and worship, empower people, and to extend his love to the end of the earth. The statue outside I learned is of the father embracing the prodigal son. First getting there to meet out tour guide was really fun, she was such a sweet and energetic lady. We learned many interesting facts about the church like Abba means father and that this church was a central Baptist church. Before coming I had no idea how much this church did with the community. One of the events they do that struck out to me the most was called the project ester. I thought this was a wonderful thing to do for those who are less fortunate, and I think all churches should start doing more things to help out our community. It was really neat to hear that they have headsets for people who speak a different language so these people can still stay in the atmosphere of the service but understand it better. I think this church is doing a great thing by being on air because it lets tones of people get closer to God and get to understand the Bible better. I feel like this church is really big and has many interesting and neat things that other churches don’t have, but in the inside of their church they are one of the most giving churches I have ever met.
ReplyDeleteToday we toured Abba’s House. Abba’s House is a huge church in Chattanooga with over 5, 000 member. Their mission statement is that they will experience the heart of God in worship, empower His people, and extend his love to the ends of the earth. They have a very unique approach to this by being open to the public and embracing people in the community in various ways. I was very unsure of what Abba’s house was going to be like I thought they would be less sincere but as a Church overall they seemed to really care about their congregation. I thought they would be more into their Church’s way is the only way but surprisingly they seemed to be very open minded. I liked how they believed that the Church was built not only for their use but so others could enjoy it and see God’s light through it. As I walked through the Church it was interesting to see how they used their space and made it an easy place to be with everything they need. It was very different than The Church of the Firstborn. The Church of the Firstborn was much smaller and did not have near the same financial position as Abba’s House. Throughout this course I have seen that Church’s are very unique depending on who the people that run it are and although it may look different that are all called to show God’s light and carryout his work in different ways.
ReplyDeleteBefore taking a tour of Abba’s House earlier today with Mrs. Craig, my first impressions of Abba’s House were a) it was a really big brick charge that has expanded (I actually remember when they expanded years ago since I drive by it every day haha) b) I thought they would only be a church that is very heavy with its focuses on the Baptist denomination of Christianity and c) I thought they would only have church services in their building instead of other fun activities like she explained to us. Yes, the impression on their acceptance of all denominations of Christianity really stood out to me. I thought it was really cool how they express all of them instead of just their one listed on their sign as Baptist. Overall, I really liked what their church offers to their Parish and to the Chattanooga Community themselves, but what really stuck out to me is that they not only reach out and help others in our community, but they broadcast internationally too! Another thing that stuck out to me was all these opportunities they have and how many people enjoy volunteering and helping with their church. When comparing Abba’s House to the Church of the Firstborn, there are many differences. One of the main differences is their Christian Denomination. Another aspect that is different is Abba’s House is more of a traditional church and the Church of the Firstborn is similarly built like a school or day care. Even though both churches try to reach out to the Chattanooga community differently, they both do it in a unique way. I really enjoyed FINALLY taking a tour of the huge church I pass twice a day coming and going home from GPS.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed going to Abba's house today. The only time I had previously heard of it was at the movie theater as a preview. I believe that it is the biggest American church that I have ever seen.
ReplyDeleteI love that they are a kingdomship and except people of other denominations. I find their name to be interesting. TO me the fact that Abba's house means " the Father's House", sends the message that, like the Father, Abba's house is searching for people to teach and lead. For members, it could mean that every Sunday, they were going to visit the Father, in his house.
The most interesting ministry she talked about was project Ester. The whole idea of not only giving the homeless women a place to stay, eat, and have fun in, but also learn ways to better their situations is brilliant. I believe that teaching these women about getting a job and working is better then a meal. It allows them to move forward rather than maintain their position. I really wish I could have stayed longer and listened because I found today very fascinating.
I really enjoyed visiting Abba's House. I had never really heard much about it before, other than that it was overwhelmingly huge. I can honestly say I have never seen a church so large in my life, and probably never will see another larger. I find it fascinating that there was so much of a community feel within such a large congregation. With their statue out front being of the prodigal son, it is the church's mission to be a "home to the prodigal generation". I found the student/youth ministry side the most interesting because there is so much for any one youth to do, from birth to after college! I loved that they had the student ministry services twice a week and I loved that it was separate and more aimed directly at the students themselves. While the church would not be my first choice (it's way too big for me), it's global span reaches out into the world and so many people can be touched by the ministry at Abba's House. Overall, the tour was excellent and highly informative.
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