1. Who attended? Bradley & Erica
2. CHURCH HOP RANKINGS:
How was the experience?
1: I was so uncomfortable and/or offended that I did not stay to the end of services.
10: This church was welcoming and thought-provoking. I would recommend that others experience this church.
Erica's ranking: 8 (difficult because I have no basis for comparison yet)
Bradley's ranking: 7 (Likewise)
3. Picture(s) of the church
4. Name/location of the church:
LUMC (Loveland United Methodist Church)
10975 South Lebanon Road
Loveland, OH 45140
Website
5. Was it recommended to Church Hop?
Nope. Bradley & I have passed this church every time we've visited my grandmother, so that's where we got the idea.
6. Time/duration of services:
9:30-10:30ish
7. What type of religion did the church cater to?
Methodist
8. Who did you meet?
Beth Sonnenberg, the pastor's wife. She found us and asked if we were "church shopping"-- one letter off! She was incredibly friendly and made us feel very at home. We didn't tell her about Church Hop but we did put the website in the collection plate, on the "first time at LUMC?" card.
9. If applicable, scans of handouts, tracts, etc
10. Church Hopper’s personal experience with the church, additional details:
Erica: I had a great experience at this church. Everyone was very inviting, the church itself was beautiful, and the service was inspirational. The sermon was about the idea of being touched by Jesus, and they had a guest preacher today, who was really energetic and obviously wsa emotionally affected by what the message he was spreading.
On a more superficial level, the church has giant glass windows behind the pulpit that look out into the woods. During the service I saw a red-headed woodpecker, which made me think of my grandfather. How perfect.
In following the charter, we were annointed after the services. I don't think either of us were expecting that, but we were in the spirit of things and neither of us felt too uncomfortable about it. Plus it gave me a chance to shake hands with the "real" pastor at the church, Douglas Sonnenberg.
Also, this congregation was very music-oriented... I'm sure Bradley will comment on the band so I'll leave it at that.
Bradley: I would first like to start off by saying that this is the first Church we've been to. Therefore there wasn't much to base my judgement off of, only my previous knowlage of Church, which is very weak. Anyway, I was overall pleased. Apon entering, the Church took on a very easy-going tone. The room was very well lite, and it seemed to be alive with spirit.
The members of the Church also were members of the band, located right behind the podium. I've never seen a man of God do a "Hawaii Five-O" style drum beat on a song. It was a very, very cool thing to be a part of, and everyone seemed to enjoy it. The songs took on a good pase, and it was very well put together.
The guest speaker really knew his stuff. He had an extensive past (Military and Education) and he told a very, very deep story about how a touch can heal, and the inportance of it. It all connected nicley. All in all, this was a great Church to start off on.
