What I’d Like to Tell The Pastor About Living with Illness

tell-pastor-about-illness

If you had the opportunity to sit down and really share about your pain, what would you tell the pastor of your church about your chronic illness and daily pain? Lisa Copen Living with chronic illness is lonely. Everyone around us seems to be enjoying health, happiness, and the ability to at least pursue their dreams. But many of us feel lonely, scared, and disappointed. We are faced with so many insecurities and we are living with an illness that we have not been able to pray away, cry away, or confess away. So we turn to our church for guidance, for acceptance, for unconditional support during the most difficult time in our life. But churches are made up of people—all of us imperfect. And our church does not always give us … [Read more...]

Does the Internet Help or Hinder a Church?

A report done in 2000, Congregations Say the Internet Helps their Spiritual & Community Life by Pew Internet & American Life Project says: At a time when some worry that the Internet is isolating users & replacing traditional communities with virtual ones, a new survey by the Pew Internet & American Life Project suggests that many churches & synagogues have found new energy & purpose through use of the Internet. Most of the 1,309 responding congregations say their Web sites & email use have helped the spiritual life of their faith communities & bound members closer together. 83% of those respondents say that their church's use of the Internet has helped congregational life 25% say it has helped a great deal 81% say the use … [Read more...]