1. Who attended? Bradley & Erica.
2. CHURCH HOP RANKINGS:
How welcome did you feel at this church?
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: 8.
BRADLEY: 6, this was an interesting church.
3. Picture(s) of the church
4. Name/location of the church:
Anderson Hills United Methodist Church
7515 Forest Road
Cincinnati, OH 45255
www.andersonhillsumc.org
5. Was it recommended to Church Hop?
No, it's nearby(ish), and our dad used to do maintenance there.
6. Time/duration of services:
9:30--10:40am.
7. What type of religion did the church cater to?
Methodist.
8. Who did you meet?
We were greeted right away by a woman who played in the band.
9. If applicable, scans of handouts, tracts, etc
10. Church Hopper’s personal experience with the church, additional details:
ERICA: This church didn't particularly "affect" me in one way or the other-- I wasn't spiritually moved but the church clearly had a strong sense of community and the people were very friendly. The program was clear (I knew what to sing when, how/when they take communion, etc), there was clear visitor parking, and they mentioned that visitors were welcome and that they could receive a gift (and some personal attention) after services at a desk in the lobby. The pastor was animated and energetic, and there were roles for everyone in the church to play (act in a skit, sing in the band, "Jam for the Lamb," etc).
It was a straightforward church, I guess you could say. We were welcomed personally and in general. There was a passion missing for me, I guess-- very few people in the congregation sang along, even with the words up on the screen, and there was no powerful overall . But the message was relevant to day-to-day life (helping one another grow). Sorry I don't have much else to say about this one... I was comfortable, if unaffected.
BRADLEY: This was a very odd church, because I've seen so many like it before. It seems like an interesting idea for older churchs, or churchs that are usually steeped in tradition, to try and add on a newer part. It's all to attract the youth, because this room really seemed like it was collapsible. This is a very large church, but things still seem like they could revert back to the normal by just taking some computer screens off the wall.
But, not to say this church didn't know what it was doing, because it was organized, and everyone seemed to enjoy what was being offered. The wasn't was alright, and the stage was very well set up. Like I said, things were organized, and things were in place. Even though I'm of that age, the whole lot of teen church still doesn't attract me, so that's why I really didn't get the full feeling of this church. However, the pastor was a good speaker. He gave a clean, and simple sermon, something I can really appreciate, because of it's simplicity. This was a good church, I just would have liked to see a little more, because I know with a church of that size and with that amount of people, it's possible.
