Hey all! It's been far too long since I've stepped "foot" in here, even though it's one of my fav. forums ever. Hope y'all have been well.

Anywho, as some of you know we've been searching for a local church to call home. It's been harder than we thought. Probably because we're more picky about THAT than our cars...and that's sayin' something.

Here's what we're looking for:

* We live in West Dallas and many of the local churches seem to be more for the hispanic community. We're willing to branch out a bit (Irving, Grand Prairie, Grapevine, etc.) but don't want to get too far north or end up in Ft. Worth either.

* Young..young..young. We want a young pastor, an average congregation of people 20-40's, only contemporary music (i.e. Christian Rock), and one heckuva good youth group. (Hailey's 10)

Are we asking too much maybe?? We like large churches but wouldn't mind finding the above in a small setting too. Does this sound familiar at your church?? Thanks in advance. Be safe, Nic

Hey, sounds like you are asking about Fellowship in Grapevine. It is an awesome church with an awesome youth group(I volunteer). Ed Young is about 40, but is totally awesome also. pm if you have any questions. I would be more than happy to point you in the right direction. Rick

Are you looking for entertainment or somewhere to worship???

Older people have alot to offer in spritual guidence!!!

Thanks Rick! That's so cool that you mention Fellowship because I specifically asked about this church in the past but we didn't meet anyone who attended. Oddly I've heard nothing but good things about the place...yet no one seems to go there. haha! That's awesome that you work w/the y.g.! What age group?

I guess I'll see if there's a website available. We'd like to visit right away. Thanks so much and maybe I'll see you there!

Yeah Nic, I have heard good things about Fellowship. I would go but it is to far of a drive from Murphy.

shrp88lx's: You almost sound alittle upset. Do you think it is wrong for a young couple to want to fellowship with others their own age? I am not saying that older people dont or cant have a good time in church but young people can and often do get more out of a message from someone in their own age group and are more likely to return if they find others their age that they can fellowship with. I am 40 and although I do have friends that are 55+ I have more in common with those who are closer to my age and that is one of the things that keeps my going to my church.

Nicole, we have a young marrieds group that meets up at church and sometimes joins in different activities on the weekends( we would love to have you come hang out once with us if ya want, hehe... We try to be a pretty fun group ). Our chuch has contempary music and I couldnt ask for better pastors. You ought to maybe give it a try.
Here is the website if you want to check it out,
http://www.princeofpeace.org
We are located close to Midway/Park (Hebron)

Nope not upset, dont think its wrong to try and fellowship with people your own age, being we are the same age, I just think too many churches have become entertainment centers rather than focusing on worship, fellowship in my opinion is to be done at other times, plenty of churches have groups that have get togethers for entertainment.

Sharp88lx, I think it is very important to be around people you want to be with when worshiping. Being comfortable in your surroundings can help make for a more focused devotional time between you and Him. We shouldn't try to knock other people's worship habits, even if it does seem like entertainment, because we really don't know what's going on in their hearts... and it's not our business. That's why it's called a personal relationship with God. Remember, the Lord works in mysterious ways, (it could include entertainment).

It is hard to open yourself up on such a personal level if you're in an uncomfortable environment. Don't think of it as finding your "click" to get in, rather finding the right congregation as a tool for you to worship the way you feel you need to. Nic and her family are far from being stuck-up, I mean look, they've welcomed me into their house even though my existance there would decrease their property value So I really don't think it's a matter of who they don't want to be around, it's more of a finding comfort situation.

I'm glad to see you guys are still looking for a church Nic. (By that I mean that you have not gotten discouraged in your looking) This Fellowship place sounds good, let us know what you think of it when you check it out. I don't have any recommendations because my Church is in Garland, and that's pretty far for you.

i went to the fellowship in grapevine last wensday..it was AWESOME

i usally go to the fellowship dallas off central..but i hate going to the youth thing cause...most of them seem snobby and stuff

Nic,
I've told you before that ya'll need to come to my church. We are not too far from you in Grand Prairie off Carrier Pkwy., just down the frontage road from the United Artists theater. Directions
We have everything that you said you are looking for. Except the pastor is in his 50s, don't take that to mean he is out of touch. He is a very good pastor. We have the greatest group of young married couples. I can't stress that enough, they are some of the most genuine, friendly, and fun people I've ever met. Plus they are really committed to serving the Lord. We have two services; one for the traditional crowd and one for we contemporary types. Another thing, IMO, that makes our church such a good one is the size. We are running about 600-700 on Sunday mornings. Not so small you feel like there is nothing to do and not too big that you feel lost in the crowd.
The evening service is where it is at though. We call it AXIS. They turn the entire sanctuary into a coffeehouse type atmosphere. They have food and drinks/coffee all available. We sit at tables instead of chairs or pews. The music is the best part, the lead vocalist of our band is named Joel Sprayberry. He owns his own Christian Indy record label and is an awesome worship leader. After the music we have an interactive message from John Quinton, the young adults minister. John has a very different background than most preachers do. He is a recovered drug addict that was taken to the brink of death, where he found God. He is able to provide a much different perspective than most ministers are for obvious reasons. It is a very progressive style of worship. If you end up finding another church to attend I'd say at least come and vist our AXIS service. We have quite a few people that belong to different churches that come to AXIS in the evenings.
PM me if you'd like to meet up.

Pic of AXIS

People worship in many ways. Some respond to a traditional style service and some like a contemporary style service. There is nothing wrong with either as long as the correct message is conveyed

The important thing is to find a place that you enjoy and where you best fit in and serve. I also agree that a strong youth program is key for kiddos; that's one of the reasons we joined the church we attend. I remember all too well as a child being bored stiff on a pew every Sunday.

You'll never find a perfect congregation. Remember that. Even when you find your young church. You're gonna find bad people that go there.

So don't lose heart. And hurry up and find a church young lady!

Peronally, I think you're stalling.

My congregation would be perfect if I wasn't there.

JC, you'd be so proud of us. Lemme tell you our morning and how I feel we were "led" to Fellowship.

I've been considering FC for awhile and, just as JC said, I've been stalling for fear that it wouldn't be something Duff would like. See, his mother's church robbed her blind while she was dying and he's had a hard time coming to grips w/joining a church ever since. Basically, the scandal proved his belief that churches are run by crooks. I've been biding my time till I found something I knew he'd feel comfortable with.

Anyways, Hailey's new school requires us to be members of a church. (lead 2) This made my efforts a lot easier because he'll do anything for her. So we set our alarms and went to bed early to make it to the morning service so she could attend the Surge program. Our alarms didn't go off and we were now running behind. Luckily I took a shower the night before, otherwise we wouldn't have made it in time. (lead 3) We took two wrong exits but make it there in time to check her in. We walk in, passing two custom choppers parked by the front door, and some people dressed exactly like us. I see Duff smile and relax. (lead 5) We are given 3 wrong pieces of information and walk around aimlessly, unable to find the Surge group. Now we're frustrated and consider leaving.

A volunteer sees our faces and crosses a crowded lot to help us. We walk a ways to another building and get there in time to find that her program doesn't start for 2 weeks. Ugh. We head back to the main building and realize the service has already begun. We look at the truck...look at the building...and I tell Duff, "It's YOUR call. Leave or stay?" HE chooses to attend anyways and we get in right before they close the doors.

We sit down and they welcome Bill Cornelius, a guy Duff knows from school. (lead 4) In a nutshell, when they asked for the offering, Duff opens up his wallet and throws in a $50 bill. I just looked at him and smiled. He told me later that he'd attend even if I couldn't one day. I wanted to cry. The service, the message and the people really touched him, unlike anything I've seen in our 11 years of marriage. What an amazing morning.

Thanks again for everyone's help and thanks to Rick for being the 1st to reply. I think it was God's plan.

very cool nic....my wife and I have thought about attending there....a lot of people from the dealership go there and love it.....

Nic, that is awesome! I am glad that Duff enjoyed himself. Not all churches are run by crooks, some are and have been but not all. Most are very good churches run by men of God. Tell Duff that God only has his best interest at heart and wants nothing more then to bless him beyond his wildest dreams.

WOW! That's awesome! It sounds like quite a place. I'm glad that it seems like you guys have found a place where you fit in and will enjoy.

"You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart." Jeremiah 29:13

I think I'll check FC out next sunday. I live across the street from 3 churchs. Made the 20 ft. walk this morning to one and it's not for us. I don't mind a little drive. We need to get home base, my wifes is from Europe and doesn't know anyone here besides me. With the baby on the way she needs more support than I can give. Thanks for the posts.

Oooh, awesome!! I will be out of town until the Sunday of Aug. 15th but, if you find you like it, maybe we can meet one Sun. there. I'm actually really sad to miss those services. However, check out this page (Moving at the speed of life) and you can download the service from yesterday and see what you think. Of course this was a guest speaker, but he swears that Ed Young is even better than him. Can't wait to find out.

Thanks y'all. Now Duff won't shut up about it. Even told me not to cuss Sun. (my one vice) LOL! 11 years of waiting may've paid off with just one service.

I'm smiling over here.

Me too. I'd a liked a fellow DFWStanger at my church but sounds liek you've found where God wants you.

be there at Ennis if you can

I caught a piece of one service, I believe in 2002. Really cool deal that they have them there.

Anyone else looking for a "young" church, we are about 9 months old and growing VERY fast. The name is Connect, and we meet at the AMC movie theatre in the Parks Mall (9:00 and 10:15). Mark Mangrem is pastor, and God has put it in his heart to build this church for the young and unchurched. He is young, by the way. We want to provide an atmosphere that is inviting to those who "don't like" church. It is a very powerful place, and we have a great time every Sunday. We have "Sunday school" during the week at different houses. We are up to about 400 members now. If anyone wants to come visit, I run the media up in the back if you wanna say hi. If you know someone that is looking for a place like this, send them our way.

I havent been in here for a while, and Nicole Im glad you guys went and even though the "evil one" was trying to discourage you, you didnt give up. I love that through all things, our God is an awesome God and will be Glorified in everything. Keep me updated and let me know if there is anything I can help with. God Bless.( The Lord triumphs again!)

Went to Fellowship Church in Grapevine this morning. It was an amazing place, the kid's programs they have are impressive. They made such a cool place for kid's that the kid's make the parents go to church instead the parents dragging the kids there. The music was first rate, I hate being made sing in church, today I was singing when I wasn't even supposed. Around 75 people got up and went to get baptized. The main thing though is the wife loved it, which is great since she was raised catholic.