The Catholic Church and the Salvation Army church are extremely different in many ways. Although both churches are based on a good set of morals they differ in what they believe completely.
The Catholic Church uses very much a routine way of doing the service. They use slow, olden hymns and they have very structured times of completing things. The Priest says prayers, reads bibles, and lifts things all as if it is scripted. Although the Catholic Church has good moral basis behind them they seem to be a bit fake with their ways. The Catholics believe in the Holy Trinity. This is something the Salvation Army also believes in highly.
The Catholic Church has seven sacraments. Baptism, Eucharist, Reconciliation, Confirmation, Marriage, Holy Orders and Anointing of the Sick. These seven are all routine practices of the Catholic Church and are taught by elders to the next generation as something to be continued. . The Salvation Army believes that some of these practices are necessary. They believe that Baptism and Holy Communion are the only two reasonable and required sacraments. While they believe this they do not practice it very often as the Salvation Army believes there are many other ways to declare your reborn state.
The Salvation Army is a very new church as it began the 1800’s. The church has morals and mission statements that are all about helping others and God. This is a good thing to base a church on as it affects everyone’s needs. The Salvation Army does very good work throughout the community. The Catholics do charitable work also, however it is not a common basis of that of the Salvos. The many fundraising events through out they year fun by the Salvation Army are something many people know about and therefore give too.
The church services are very different to each other. The modern Salvation Army uses music, prayers and even bible readings that are relevant to the modern world. This is a effective method to keep new people attending the church as it is relevant and challenging to them. The Catholic Church services use very old hymns, prayers and holiness teachings which may not be completely relevant to a lot of people who enter the church.
While both churches believe essentially the same thing about God, the major differences within these denominations is evident. The Catholic Church is a lot about Religion. The Salvation Army is all about Relationships.
Monday, June 14, 2010
Georgia's Comment on Chloe's Blog
Hyperlink-
http://chloelouisestoyleshistoryblog.blogspot.com/2010/06/citipointe-church.html?showComment=1276527419507_AIe9_BHGfjbUizW7kbtnIfuWLTPliFBOVok5S1ZGk0GXr0w7v70AtVLgS87Hnibuwj2qAhTYH9lzJJxuIixmQznFnmU-8rWnlRsIFqQgTsDnPzRtjITwesRtptCwdZeTP6loZXPUkJcg_5mxModkrlcIUjExRDFWPk5bGhK7-ZITv4XYqwpK1SKjD1InjzVTinqmxgJWveBFvy8h5D7oPIgOfznEALBVdMfFGYFkpyO2JJKwNGBiD0PSgxICMQqzlX8IDtcwvBPn#c2453920367309771016
Part A- Citipointe Church, Brisbane.
Citipointe Church at Carindale used to be known as Christian Outreach Centre.[1] It is a part of the Pentecostal church and started in 1974.[2] Citipointe is a very large church, run by Pastors Mark and Leigh Ramsey. [3]The land on which Citipointe is located is also the campus of Citipointe Christian College Brisbane.
I visited this church on a Sunday morning. I felt comfortable, as I knew people who attend the church. It was a great experience. The service was held at 10.30 and was filled with families and youth.
The service began with praise and worship. The songs that were chosen were very upbeat but effective, I believe, for all ages. The band was amazing and was valuable in helping me personally to connect with God. The music was very loud however the songs chosen had impacting messages. Music has always been a large part of Citipointe’s culture. Quite a number of Christian albums have been released through this church. [4]
The church building is a large auditorium. It has very modern technology and a large stage. Those operating the technology did so with real professionalism. It was easy to read the words on the screen and hear the musical backing. This church obviously prides itself on doing things excellently.
An impacting statement used within Citipointe Church is:
“ To unmistakingly influence our world for good and for God”. [5]
It is a great mission statement to base a church upon. The dedication to God, through the service, was obvious.
The offering time seemed to be rather pushed on people. It made me feel a little uncomfortable just how “over the top” the preacher was about giving the tithes and offerings. I understand the importance of giving, however I did not believe this was necessary.
More songs were sung and videos were played about things the church was supporting.
The sermon was well constructed and had a very clear message. I found it a challenging sermon as it spoke to me about things in my life. I enjoyed the experience at Citipointe and found it to have a very direct impact onto my life.
Part A- Salvation Army Church.
Salvation Army Centenary.
The Salvation Army is an evangelical Christian church that is well known for the charity work they do. It is an international association that currently works in 121 countries. [1] William Booth and his wife Catherine started the Salvation Army in 1865. [2]The Salvation Army's basic mission is to perform “evangelical, social and charitable work and bring the Christian message to the poor, destitute and hungry by meeting both their physical and spiritual needs.”[3] The Salvation Army has firm beliefs about God and have set doctrines which its members are expected to understand and adhere to.
The Corps I attended is called “Centenary Salvation Army.” The officers are Captains Andrew and Paula Hambleton. The Corps is a small, modern church, mainly attended by young families and young adults. As I entered, I was welcomed with a hug and given a pamphlet. The service began at 10.30am and commenced with a time of praise and worship singing.
The songs that were sung were modern and upbeat. The worship band consists of drums, piano, guitar and a small brass band ensemble. The singing was lead by the group and they seemed very passionate in their worship. It was easy to connect with God through this time of singing. “Music has traditionally played a big part in Salvation Army worship meetings.[4] From its beginnings, William Booth deemed it necessary to connect with the people of that day by putting Christian words to contemporary, secular tunes.” Brass bands and tambourines were a bright and effective way to connect. Today, there are still some of these groups remaining but there are also many worship groups such as the one at Centenary.[5]
Sunday school operates before the church service. This allows families to worship together. The kids have a special “Kids Time” where they share about their week and are taught a simple message. This was a fun experience with lots of laughs.
I noticed, next to the wooden cross, a flag was leaning against the wall. The flag is an important symbol of the Salvation Army. Its colours are red, blue and yellow and these depict the blood of Jesus spilt on the cross, the purity of God the Father and the fire of the Holy Spirit. The flag is used during services when people are “sworn in” as members of the Salvation Army. It is also used when children are dedicated (christened) or when someone has died. [6] If the Salvation Army band marches outdoors, it is preceded by the flag. [7]
The sermon was preached by Captain Paula Hambleton. Officers in the Salvation Army are jointly ordained. Men and women are able to preach and be leaders in their own right. Catherine Booth was a great believer in the ability of women and, from the early days of the Army, pushed for women to play an equally important role as men. Traditionally, Salvation Army meetings have included messages of holiness, usually during its morning services and messages of salvation for “the whosoever” during its evening services. [8]
The service went for around one and a half hours and was followed by a fellowship morning tea in the church foyer. I enjoyed the experience at this church and was encouraged by the passionate leaders and the challenging message that the Salvation Army brings to everyone.
Word Count: 547
[4] Quote; Major Sue Davies
[7] Salvation Army International Heritage Centre - http://www.salvationarmy.org/heritage.nsf
[8] Quote; Major Sue Davies
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)