There was a time when a "church" was a sanctuary for worship (surrounded by the faithful dead), no church office, no "fellowship hall," and no paint ball guns.
Posted on 11/08/2009 8:30:57 AM PST by hiho hiho
Westside Baptist Church senior pastor Greg Kaminski wants to know if anyone has a few dozen Spyder Xtra paintball guns for sale.
His query doesn’t stem from any particular personal interest in the game. The real reason why he’s looking for that specific brand of gun is because nearly 40 of them were stolen late Wednesday or early Thursday from a locked storage shed behind the church.
“It’s just disappointing to us,” Kaminski said. “I can’t tell you how disheartening it is.”
Kaminski and his wife founded the Bethel neighborhood church in 1979. He said that during his first 29 years at the job, thieves targeted the church only once.
But since last December, burglars have swiped more than $20,000 worth of items from church property in three separate incidents.
The problems started nearly a year ago when someone broke into a storage shed and made away with various items worth about $10,000 that included 40 paintball guns used by youths attending the church’s annual summer youth camps.
“The kids take them out in the woods during afternoon activities — they just love ’em,” Kaminski said of the guns.
The church’s insurance company reimbursed it for the loss. Kaminski figured that extra safety measures taken afterward would prevent another break-in.
So imagine his surprise Thursday morning, when he found that someone got into the shed after using tools to slice and bend a steel box, then cut a heavy padlock underneath it. The burglars proceeded to steal the paintball guns the church purchased earlier this year to replace those taken last December.
Kaminski’s not so sure that the insurance company will be willing to cover a second claim for pilfered paintball guns.
(Excerpt) Read more at registerguard.com ...
There was a time when a "church" was a sanctuary for worship (surrounded by the faithful dead), no church office, no "fellowship hall," and no paint ball guns.
While it IS wrong someone stole from a church, I also agree that paintball guns have no place in a Church of God.
Lots of churches provide fun, safe activities for kids.
I think it is to show kids they can have fun and stil honor God. It gives them an alternative to drugs, stealing, etc.
Lots of churches provide fun, safe activities for kids.
I think it is to show kids they can have fun and stil honor God. It gives them an alternative to drugs, stealing, etc.
Lots of churches provide fun, safe activities for kids.
I think it is to show kids they can have fun and stil honor God. It gives them an alternative to drugs, stealing, etc.
Gun control extremists at work?
Right, an hour on Sunday and then they need to let those kids out into the popculture of sex and drugs the rest of the week?
The church is offering alternatives that are badly needed.
Some pissed off conservative is going to zero in on their congressional reps with paintball guns, just to let them know how vulnerable they really are. Wouldn’t that be a hoot, Nancy’s red dress splattered with yellow paint......can you just see her face?
Perfect for drive by baptisms.
LOL.
“The church is offering alternatives that are badly needed.”
Sorry, I don’t see how this is an alternative. An alternative would be something different from pop culture.
Can the church be its own “culture” without trying to compete (usually poorly) with pop culture?
“The church is offering alternatives that are badly needed.”
Sorry, I don’t see how this is an alternative. An alternative would be something different from pop culture.
Can the church be its own “culture” without trying to compete (usually poorly) with pop culture?
"To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also. And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either. 30Give to everyone who asks of you. And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back."
They do have to compete, like it or not. Your not going to win souls to Jesus by just being there with an open door on Sunday morning.
Sorry but I disagree completely with the concept that “Your not going to win souls to Jesus...” I presume that we have to give the Holy Spirit some help? Flashing lights, rock bands, paint guns. Is he so incapable of reaching kids that he needs our help with the lighting and drums? And at what point do we as a church introduce the innocent to the “secular culture” that they may have naturally avoided?
You see, as a teenager I was ridiculed by a pastor because I did not want to participate in “sanitized” pop culture.
I am also disturbed by comments implying that the present pop culture is any more difficult to overcome than past temptations. I might start believing this when our roads are lined with crucified Christians.
I think this all started with singing in church, such a pagan concept. Maybe the bringing in of electric lights did a real disservice too. Some churches even have the horribly materialist padded seating.
It was all downhill from hymnals.
Of course their are boundaries. A church that is large enough and has the ability can open a school, a day care and other things that provide wholesome alternatives to the pagan culture.
Isn’t that kind of what the Boy Scouts are too? Nothing wrong with churches joining Upper Basketball or setting up clubs and activities for kids. Lots of churches offer alternatives to Halloween these days too, nothing wrong with that.
The boundary is to make sure these things are wholesome and are real alternatives.
And a church that is large enough can offer many alternatives—
Traditional Church
Country Western Church
Soul Church
U2 Church
Rap Church
Praise Church
All of these will have their supporters and detractors, one group will NOT worship with the other. Great now we have again fractured the Church of Jesus Christ into smaller pieces to the point we can't worship together.
The problems started nearly a year ago when someone broke into a storage shed and made away with various items worth about $10,000 that included 40 paintball guns used by youths attending the church’s annual summer youth camps.
“ There was a time when a "church" was a sanctuary for worship (surrounded by the faithful dead), no church office, no "fellowship hall," and no paint ball guns.” [excerpt, —hiho hiho]
“While it IS wrong someone stole from a church, I also agree that paintball guns have no place in a Church of God.” [—I Hate Obama]So a storage shed is a 'fellowship hall' and/or 'Church of God'?
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