Staying.
August seems so far away. I wish massage school started sooner. I'm itching to learn.
A major factor in my decision to stay in San Francisco was Glide Memorial, the church I go to... the place I weekly go to celebrate life.
I was raised Catholic in San Francisco. I mention San Francisco because it's one of the most liberal cities in the nation, and the politics and the reality of the city cannot be ignored. They affect the brand of religion that is spouted.
I went to a parochial school taught by Jesuits. My most memorable religion class was ethics where the outline of each class was: "Here's a controversial topic. Here's the pro side, this is the viewpoint of those against it, and this is what the church says. You've been informed. Make your own decision." I think that's how it's supposed to be.
Unfortunately, the liberal open attitude I found in my education was not always duplicated in brick and mortar of church. Catholicism in reality failed me, because on every turn, my stand on the ethical questions of the day were contrary to what the o' Pope in the Vatican supported. After awhile, the hipocrasy got to me, and I stopped going to church.
Last year, I found myself at Glide Memorial. I was pretty much drawn because of the music. It's a touted as a SF tourist spot, a must-experience, so the weekend of Valentine's day weekend last year, I wandered over. It was fantastic! You could feel the love. You could feel the joy. It was that palpable. Then, the pastor gave his sermon and I was floored. Finally, I found a church whose teachings were in line with my beliefs. Unconditional love, self-healing and recovery offered to any person of any background -- socioeconomic class, creed, colour and sexual orientation. In a lot of ways, I found my home.
It's taken me awhile, but now, I'm quite "religious" about attending celebration at Glide. I want to get more involved in their community programs -- serve food to the homeless, be a mentor to a child from the inner city, join the choir. So, that's why I have decided to stay in the Bay Area. I'm not done with Glide.
A major factor in my decision to stay in San Francisco was Glide Memorial, the church I go to... the place I weekly go to celebrate life.
I was raised Catholic in San Francisco. I mention San Francisco because it's one of the most liberal cities in the nation, and the politics and the reality of the city cannot be ignored. They affect the brand of religion that is spouted.
I went to a parochial school taught by Jesuits. My most memorable religion class was ethics where the outline of each class was: "Here's a controversial topic. Here's the pro side, this is the viewpoint of those against it, and this is what the church says. You've been informed. Make your own decision." I think that's how it's supposed to be.
Unfortunately, the liberal open attitude I found in my education was not always duplicated in brick and mortar of church. Catholicism in reality failed me, because on every turn, my stand on the ethical questions of the day were contrary to what the o' Pope in the Vatican supported. After awhile, the hipocrasy got to me, and I stopped going to church.
Last year, I found myself at Glide Memorial. I was pretty much drawn because of the music. It's a touted as a SF tourist spot, a must-experience, so the weekend of Valentine's day weekend last year, I wandered over. It was fantastic! You could feel the love. You could feel the joy. It was that palpable. Then, the pastor gave his sermon and I was floored. Finally, I found a church whose teachings were in line with my beliefs. Unconditional love, self-healing and recovery offered to any person of any background -- socioeconomic class, creed, colour and sexual orientation. In a lot of ways, I found my home.
It's taken me awhile, but now, I'm quite "religious" about attending celebration at Glide. I want to get more involved in their community programs -- serve food to the homeless, be a mentor to a child from the inner city, join the choir. So, that's why I have decided to stay in the Bay Area. I'm not done with Glide.
posted by Empowered Follower at
9:06 AM
1 Comments:
Awesome. I've always wanted to check out a service at Glide, but have never gotten around to it.
By
Unknown, at 12:43 PM
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