Ex-Church of Christ Support Board

To me, it is totally crazy! I was never taught there was anything sacred about the building—especially in a CofC where there are no religious symbols, with maybe the exception of stained glass windows or something.

FinallyFree wrote:To me, it is totally crazy! I was never taught there was anything sacred about the building—especially in a CofC where there are no religious symbols, with maybe the exception of stained glass windows or something.

Don't try to walk through the front door with a guitar.

From what I am seeing now as an outsider of NICOC, it looks like they are moving away from having weddings / funerals in the building. Especially funerals; they have them in the local funeral home chapel. Weddings, I am not so sure about since haven't been invited to one in years. But think about it...why would you want to have your wedding in a nondescript box with no windows, no instrumental music, no decorations, and have to haul it over to the library rental room to have your reception? Just go to some kind of all inclusive venue.

But this reminds me of something from the misty, distant pass. I didn't get married in my NICOC building (although it was old, quaint and funky) because I really had my heart set on some very minimal, simple instrumental music performed by some church friends. Having done that, I was bitched at and judged by a church "friend" at that time for spending money on the other church (it was something like $80.00 back then ); this friend felt free to judge me for not having it for free in the building.

I was married in a regular CofC and it was fine to have a piano brought in. It is just a building and if it is not a worship service, it made no difference. But, I did live in Ohio for a while and the CofC I attended there, would not allow pianos to be brought in. That really surprised me.

FinallyFree wrote:I was married in a regular CofC and it was fine to have a piano brought in. It is just a building and if it is not a worship service....

Lib'rel!!!!

Ivy wrote:From what I am seeing now as an outsider of NICOC, it looks like they are moving away from having weddings / funerals in the building. Especially funerals; they have them in the local funeral home chapel. Weddings, I am not so sure about since haven't been invited to one in years. But think about it...why would you want to have your wedding in a nondescript box with no windows, no instrumental music, no decorations, and have to haul it over to the library rental room to have your reception? Just go to some kind of all inclusive venue.

But this reminds me of something from the misty, distant pass. I didn't get married in my NICOC building (although it was old, quaint and funky) because I really had my heart set on some very minimal, simple instrumental music performed by some church friends. Having done that, I was bitched at and judged by a church "friend" at that time for spending money on the other church (it was something like $80.00 back then ); this friend felt free to judge me for not having it for free in the building.

Ooh ooh ooh. I would have told Roy Cogdill on you.

B.H. wrote:

Ivy wrote:From what I am seeing now as an outsider of NICOC, it looks like they are moving away from having weddings / funerals in the building. Especially funerals; they have them in the local funeral home chapel. Weddings, I am not so sure about since haven't been invited to one in years. But think about it...why would you want to have your wedding in a nondescript box with no windows, no instrumental music, no decorations, and have to haul it over to the library rental room to have your reception? Just go to some kind of all inclusive venue.

But this reminds me of something from the misty, distant pass. I didn't get married in my NICOC building (although it was old, quaint and funky) because I really had my heart set on some very minimal, simple instrumental music performed by some church friends. Having done that, I was bitched at and judged by a church "friend" at that time for spending money on the other church (it was something like $80.00 back then ); this friend felt free to judge me for not having it for free in the building.

Ooh ooh ooh. I would have told Roy Cogdill on you.

What? Roy Cogdill would have judged me too?

Ivy, Your wedding venue had gorgeous grounds. Our old NICOC might have been “funky”, but it was also downright ugly!

Not having social functions or parties or elections or funerals or life events or fellowship halls or playgrounds or day care schools is all the same thing. It was never about the building being sacred. It was about assuming that the 1st century church pattern was under the direction and authority of the Apostles and that what they did must have been approved/authorized. It was about not engaging in the apostacy that is constantly warned about throughout the OT and NT.

The scripture has no end to punishment and warning against apostacy, so it would seem within reason to have some concern for the concept.

But since there is no exact "rule book" or "handbook" on NT religious practice the only think one is left with (if they are concerned about apostacy) is to try and copy and mimic as much as possible, Maybe the whole thing is misguided, there just isn't much direction. But the original basis is to try and be found pleasing to God and to not be found engaging in man-made religion. That is/was the premise...but of course many folks who came later where mostly just following the tradition/pattern of whatever version CofC they happened to be a part of and frankly, many acted as if the building was sacred (because they really didn't have a firm grasp on the original concept/purpose...but I digress).

So why should there be a wedding in the building? Is it getting a special blessing by proximity or because of a God anointed clergy? What is the value and purpose?

Where I finally go to was that it would be best if there was no building and no treasury and no property and no budget and no saving account. But that is a hard sell because people want "the show". And there is a lot of cost in a lot of ways to "the show". One of them being squabbling over the aesthetics of the building and usage for civil community ceremonies. So sort of along the lines of not giving a mouse a cookie...if you don't have church property to begin with then these other issues don't come up.

Moogy wrote:Ivy, Your wedding venue had gorgeous grounds. Our old NICOC might have been “funky”, but it was also downright ugly!

It had it's own charm. A bit of trivia that might be of interest, Moogy. Once an old friend-turned-preacher (he had a neo-pentecostal orientation) visited a service at that church building with my DH and me. Friend told us later that he had seen demons sitting on the ceiling beams in the attic.