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Does your church suffer from the "cliques" phenomenon?

  • Definitely: clique-city

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • There are a number of obvious ones

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • There are 1 or 2, but it's not bad

    Votes: 1 100.0%

  • Perhaps from time to time, but it's not noticeable

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Definitely not

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Total voters
    1
  • Poll closed .
C

Cephas_rock

New member
#1
Sep 25, 2020
25
14
3
#1
Hi everyone

I'm Peter, from New Zealand. Just joined up to see if I can't get some Christian friendship on the go. Like others here, I've struggled to get any kind of useful friendship on the go at the various churches I've attended over the last 4-odd decades. I'm not sure if there is something "wrong" with those of us born at the end of the 60's, but I notice that a number of people in my age group are either totally absent from church, or are so busy they have no time for building friendships. It doesn't help matters that I chose never to have children - one tends to end up being "isolated" and outside of most cliques (which, regrettably, churches the world-over seem very good at creating) due to not being a parent. Anyway, I'm hopeful I might finally be able to build some friendships here. We'll see. ;)

Blessings to you all.
Peter
 
TabinRivCA

TabinRivCA

Well-known member
#2
Oct 23, 2018
13,229
10,764
113
#2
Hi Peter from NZ and great to have you joining in on the forums with us:) I'm sure here there are like-minded members who do not have children and that is certainly not a problem. Join in on the forums and you will meet many nice people. God bless you!
 
C

Cephas_rock

New member
#3
Sep 25, 2020
25
14
3
#3
TabinRivCA said:
Hi Peter from NZ and great to have you joining in on the forums with us:) I'm sure here there are like-minded members who do not have children and that is certainly not a problem. Join in on the forums and you will meet many nice people. God bless you!
Click to expand...
Many thanks for the warm greets TabinRiv. I'm hopeful for some good fellowship and friendships here :)
 
tourist

tourist

Senior Member
#5
Mar 13, 2014
42,663
17,117
113
69
Tennessee
#5
Cephas_rock said:
Hi everyone

I'm Peter, from New Zealand. Just joined up to see if I can't get some Christian friendship on the go. Like others here, I've struggled to get any kind of useful friendship on the go at the various churches I've attended over the last 4-odd decades. I'm not sure if there is something "wrong" with those of us born at the end of the 60's, but I notice that a number of people in my age group are either totally absent from church, or are so busy they have no time for building friendships. It doesn't help matters that I chose never to have children - one tends to end up being "isolated" and outside of most cliques (which, regrettably, churches the world-over seem very good at creating) due to not being a parent. Anyway, I'm hopeful I might finally be able to build some friendships here. We'll see. ;)

Blessings to you all.
Peter
Click to expand...
I was born in the mid '50's and remember the turbulent '60's very well. There are many very fine Christians here to possibly make friends with. In fact, I married one these Christians. Quite a few peeps here from New Zealand so you should feel right at home. Glad to have you onboard with us. Welcome to CC.
 
C

Cephas_rock

New member
#6
Sep 25, 2020
25
14
3
#6
tourist said:
I was born in the mid '50's and remember the turbulent '60's very well. There are many very fine Christians here to possibly make friends with. In fact, I married one these Christians. Quite a few peeps here from New Zealand so you should feel right at home. Glad to have you onboard with us. Welcome to CC.
Click to expand...
Thanks very much for the welcome, tourist. I've had a bumpier intro in one of the other threads, so nice to have a more genteel, polite and warm reception here :)(y)
 
C

Cephas_rock

New member
#9
Sep 25, 2020
25
14
3
#9
Magenta said:











:)
Click to expand...
Many thanks Magenta. You clearly have a strong fondness for the colour magenta! :D;) I rather like the juxtaposition of yellow and purple, as well as yellow / purple / green, and green / yellow / blue, particularly on a lovely spring day where the sky is a lovely deep cyan, the spring growth is a verdant splash of green grass across the fields, and the sun is blazing kindly, but not hotly, of a late afternoon. :love: I hope I will indeed find kind-hearted people here. (y):)
 
C

Cephas_rock

New member
#11
Sep 25, 2020
25
14
3
#11
Speaking of my fav colours, some of them are best seen here, in recent photos around the small farm I'm living on at the moment:

Hills.jpg Panoramic.jpg
 
stepbystep

stepbystep

Well-known member
#13
Aug 31, 2020
619
496
63
#13
Welcome Peter. Why did you feel the need for the Poll? Just wondering.
 
C

Cephas_rock

New member
#15
Sep 25, 2020
25
14
3
#15
stepbystep said:
Welcome Peter. Why did you feel the need for the Poll? Just wondering.
Click to expand...
Thanks stepbystep. I love doing surveys, and although they don't pay well, I am signed up with a number of places that do surveys like Opinion World, Colmar Brunton, Perceptive Panel and such. I was speaking with my fiancee the other day, who lives in another country at the moment, and she mentioned that she was going to try a different church as she was tired of the cliques at the church she'd been going to for a while. It got me wondering just how widespread the problem is, how defensive people are about it, how willing to talk about this "elephant in the room" and so on. As someone who's always been on the outside of cliques, I regard them with the disdain they are due - they have no place in a church. But, those who are either willingly or inadvertently regular clique-members, may have quite a different view. Jesus was definitely not a clique person, and Paul gave Peter a rev up about it. Anyway, I thought it might be interesting to see what response I got from the poll. Do you feel annoyed by the poll my friend? If yes, why? :unsure: Blessings. :)
 
C

Cephas_rock

New member
#16
Sep 25, 2020
25
14
3
#16
mar09 said:
Great place.. i love the colors too!!
Click to expand...
Thanks!!! Any prayers for avoiding another drought like the one that clobbered this area for 4 months earlier this year greatly appreciated. It looks nice at the moment, but although the grass has staged a good come back (it was all dead and looking very horrid from Feb to April), the drought damaged the pastures quite a lot. As a result, the sheep and cattle are damaging it further - when they nibble and / or yank on the grass, they tend to pull it out roots and all, as the drought damaged the grass root systems and the top layer of soil. Ah, the joys of farming... ;) Not by choice, I might add :sneaky:
 
M

mar09

Senior Member
#17
Sep 17, 2014
4,927
1,259
113
#17
Is that so... i never thought they'd look any other way.

We grew up near a university, altho not an urban setting, has many people coming and going. We sometimes had opportunity to vacation w/ grandparents in the city, other relatives in a rural province, but not really with very wide, open spaces. And i often wonder abt David left w/ his sheep, even w/ time to play for the Lord. All the birds winging and joining in song, other creatures too, i believe.

Not very complicated person (i think), i am happy to date in windy, grassy places, so my hubby sometimes joked i was like the sheep and cattle:LOL:
 
oyster67

oyster67

Senior Member
#18
May 24, 2014
11,887
8,705
113
#18
Cephas_rock said:
Hi everyone

I'm Peter, from New Zealand. Just joined up to see if I can't get some Christian friendship on the go. Like others here, I've struggled to get any kind of useful friendship on the go at the various churches I've attended over the last 4-odd decades. I'm not sure if there is something "wrong" with those of us born at the end of the 60's, but I notice that a number of people in my age group are either totally absent from church, or are so busy they have no time for building friendships. It doesn't help matters that I chose never to have children - one tends to end up being "isolated" and outside of most cliques (which, regrettably, churches the world-over seem very good at creating) due to not being a parent. Anyway, I'm hopeful I might finally be able to build some friendships here. We'll see. ;)

Blessings to you all.
Peter
Click to expand...
Hi Peter!:) Your background sounds a lot like mine. I am happy to tell you that I have found a wonderful Church family right here at CC. Welcome and God bless.:)
 
oyster67

oyster67

Senior Member
#19
May 24, 2014
11,887
8,705
113
#19
Cephas_rock said:
Many thanks Magenta. You clearly have a strong fondness for the colour magenta! :D;) I rather like the juxtaposition of yellow and purple, as well as yellow / purple / green, and green / yellow / blue, particularly on a lovely spring day where the sky is a lovely deep cyan, the spring growth is a verdant splash of green grass across the fields, and the sun is blazing kindly, but not hotly, of a late afternoon. :love: I hope I will indeed find kind-hearted people here. (y):)
Click to expand...
I like the warm earthy colors like those in the fall leaves up here in Pennsylvania. :) You will find all sorts of people in here. Patience and kindness really pays off. Try to give everyone the benefit of the doubt, especially when you first meet them. God bless you.:)
 
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