I Must Be A Masochist

I debated whether or not I should write about this church, but after today, I feel that I am safe in doing so.

Celebration Fellowship

1140 Morrison Drive

Fort Worth, TX 76120-3426

(817) 451-5513

www.celebrationnet.com

I went to this church for ten weeks earlier this year. I had intended to start this project earlier, but I was hoping that things would work out with this church, so I delayed. CF was recommended to me by a friend from the previous church I attended. He is on a similar quest to mine, save he is married.

CF has a strong speaker for a pastor. His message is clear, concise and understandable. It is not a sermon so much as a lesson. It is not an evangelical message, and the church does not seem set up to reach out to those who are unsaved. Rather it seems that the target audience for this church is those Christians who need further instruction.

Instruction is nice, but I went looking for a singles group. I found one, but it did not fit me. The people in there were ex-military, single parents, and one or two older types. I was by far the youngest person in the room, and I didn't really feel like hanging out with single parents, etc.

Things deteriorated over the ten weeks I stayed, and culminated in me leaving a bad review on the book written by the senior minister of the church. Heated emails were exchanged, and I left with bad feelings on both sides. I had intended that to be my last experience with the church, but I had borrowed a DVD from them, and I wanted to return it.

Granted I could have returned the DVD by mail, but I wanted to see how they would respond to me in person, so I returned it in person this afternoon. Over the course of the event, more heated words were exchanged, most of them directed at me, but after some real discussion, there seemed to be a realization that yes, I was right in my assertions, and yes, I was more or less thrown under a bus due to circumstances. I think we left on better terms than when I arrived, but I think there is still a gulf between me and CF.

Can I overcome that gulf? I don't know. Do I want to overcome that gulf? That's a question I don't have an answer to. I am in search of a compatible singles group, and today even the minister who runs their singles group came right out and said that I had nailed the group in my assessment, and chances are I wouldn't want to hang out with them. So for now, I think my search will not include CF. Will I return in the future? Only if God wills it.