Did I visit your church? 

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Fifty churches, over twenty-five denominations, spanning sixteen months with one main question in mind: "I was a stranger; did you welcome me?" Based on a verse from Matthew 25, I set out to discover what it's like to experience various worship styles and practices. Included are visits to Catholic, Baptist, Presbyterian, Methodist, Lutheran, Episcopal, independent, Jehovah Witness, Latter Day Saints, Evangelicals, Pentecostals, Quakers and many more. What I found will surprise, delight and challenge the reader.

 

With chapters titled: "Uncle Joe's kissing has to stop," "Active shooter drill," and "A late star and a terrible finish," you'll get the unvarnished experience in each setting. During the primary election season and through the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, this book highlights my experience in each church. These anecdotal visits will appeal to church and non-church goers alike. Faith seekers, agnostics, unbelievers and devout believers will learn about the basic faith practices of other Christian denominations. Those in church leadership, and those who plan or participate in worship, will learn what works, and what doesn’t, with first-time visitors. 

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I'd like to take credit for writing this book, but I really just commented on and published my dad's poems and other musings. It's a great little book of wisdom and wit from the man who shaped my life. He died in 1998 and we never seem to get used to his absence. His presence, however, made an indelible mark on all of the Ives children and his spirit lives on in our hearts and minds. 

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