jayanna

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Everything posted by jayanna

  1. Your Father in Heaven knows about your trials, he cares about you. He has not left you alone in this. There is a way to make this situation better, and He is waiting for you to return to the path you are meant to be on. The first relationship that you need to work on is the relationship you have with the Savior. You can begin this by getting out your scriptures and prayerfully studying them for the words you need to have right now. Also, if you our your parents have it, get out your patriarchal blessing. If you don't know where it is, you can request a new copy on lds.org. Begin and follow your study with prayer. You can only control your own choices and actions. Go back to church, and attend the Gospel Principles class, I know you might think you know everything in there, but you must have missed something along the way. It is a great place to start if you are returning to activity. Attend every Sunday, and as soon as you work up the courage, go to the Bishop. I have had to go to my Bishop before to work on something, and let me testify to you, I felt SO much better after I got that skeleton out of the closet and started working on it. Once you start loving yourself again, you can believe that your spouse truly loves you. If you don't have love for yourself you will always doubt what feelings of love that he might have for you. This relationship, if it is supposed to move forward, can only move forward after you have begun walking with the Lord again. Once you have begun feeling better, it will be easier to forgive your husband and look past what has taken place between you. In order for you to be forgiven of your sins, and yes they can all be forgiven, you must also forgive your husband's... you both got into this, it will take work from both of you to get out...you start and when he sees the difference in your countenance he will surely wish to follow. So now you have a plan, search ponder and pray, attend church, see your Bishop as soon as you can to feel better. I seriously doubt you will be given a cancellation of sealing, most importantly your relationship with your Heavenly Father can be mended once again. That is the most beautiful thing, when we come before him again and again he loves us and forgives us every time. He wants us to be with him, and he will give you every opportunity to be in his presence.
  2. Welcome, Brian... How interesting. This is the first time I decided to read a new member post in quite a while. I have been trying to help my sis and her husband who are going through a divorce. It its hurting them and their children. They have been to counselors, but none of them seem interested in preserving the marriage. I don't have the foggiest idea what to do. It is so obvious to me that their main problem I is a lack of forgiveness...with my sis airing a very long list of grievances, and him doing the same in self defense. Any time I get in a conversation with them they do this. They want mercy for him/her self, but justice for the other. I don't know how to break this cycle...I even took them to church with me and someone gave a talk on that very thing, and they both loved it, even though neither one of them had been to church with me before and they don't attend church anywhere...they are planning to attend separate churches, seeing out as a quaint way of being social, they are much to intelligent, they say, to believe in a religion. Outside of a church belief, what can I possibly say that can stop this cycle of destroying one another and instill forgiveness?
  3. So I am an adult convert. My hubby was a Baptist when we got engaged. I do have a couple of points of advice for this situation. First, ignorance breeds contempt...it is not the Mormon church, it id the church of Jesus Christ, start calling it that. Study about Christ if you study as a group. I suspect you missed out on a very Christ centered Easter Sunday, with Easter hymns that your hubby would have recognized. 70% of our hymn book is written by members of protestant religions. second, focus on the similarities to what he is familiar with. Third, remember to shine a light...the gospel of Jesus Christ is joyful, let him see in your face the joy you feel. Most of the couples in my ward are converts with one spouse joining and the other lading behind for a bit...actually both counselors in the bishopric joined years after their wives did, my guy for one. With God all things are possible, but you have to do it God's way. And btw, you must only follow your husband if he is leading you toward the Lord, HE would not want you too follow anyone away from Him. Living the word of the Lord will make you a better and happier wife and mother.
  4. I agree. My hubby is in the bishopric right now, and reads a statement during the interview that states a few things that members obviously need to remember. A statement for right now. He reads it at every single interview and has it memorized. Day and night...garments...an outward expression of an inner commitment...He works in a warehouse. He lifts very heavy boxes, some that your average everyday person cannot lift. He lifts one after another, after another, all day. When he helps people in the ward move, the brethren are shocked at the loads he can lift. Last year was the hottest on record for our state. We had 100+ degrees for over 60 days. The warehouse is not air-conditioned, nor are the trailers that sit out in the sun all day and when you open up you can see the heat rolling out of them. He wore his garments every single day, the heat was not an issue. He says, "The heat is not an issue, if it is not an issue, then it's an excuse." We were not made in order to give garments a place to be worn. God does not stop being God if we don't wear them. The temple is still holy whether we wear our garments or not. Garments are made for us, to help us. The garments we have today are not the greatest sacrifice expected of us, they are the least. Garments, they are not for social status, they are not for anyone or anything but you, they are a sacred priveledge. If you do not want to take advantage of that privledge, don't. You will also not be able to take advantage of the blessings that come from wearing them.
  5. I have a sweating problem here in my area during the summers.... I love the DriLux. It changed my view on garments, the silky ones are more comfy, yes, like wearing flower petals, but the sweating was really nearly risking my life (having a bad ticker and my fluids were just not staying in me was dropping my blood pressure fast as soon as I went outside and I couldn't maintain my body temp.L) so I switched to drilux. Still a challenge, so I kept at it, knowing that those garments are for my protection, why? I remember word for word what was told to me when I recieved them....and I beleive that nice lil lady, who through the priesthood gave me the garments and told me what they were for. I don't doubt it for a second. So I wear them. I have acclimated to them. They help me, they protect me, and as weird as that sounds to so many, even my brothers and sisters on this forum, I have a testimony that they do the very things that sister told me they would do. They helped Adam and Eve, they helped my husband, and they help me. Now when I have to go without them (for the dr.) my clothes feel so scratchy I can't wait to get them on again. Don't get me wrong, I fully understand how big an adjustment they are. I am a well-endowed woman, and I have a heart condition that means I have had to be defibrillated a number of times, and I sometimes go visit ER's, and have had a couple of ambulance rides. It is hard, but everything that's worth it is hard. Keep trying.
  6. I also, in my area, have never seen someone counseled in any way to divorce a disbelieving spouse. In fact just this Sat (yay!) my hubby will be baptizing the husband of one of the young mothers that I was driving to church quite a bit last year. He had abandoned her, getting drunk after taking her money, and hitting her....came back after the new year started, repented, changed himself inside and out, and is now getting baptized! I am so proud of him! They will be getting marriage classes, etc. for a little while, and a lot of brotherly/sisterly love from the ward, that's for sure. The whole divorce question is on such an individual basis, I don't think there can be one hard and fast rule saying these are okay reasons, and these others aren't. It has to be completely subjective, with particular bearing on personal revelation and what the Lord has told each party to do. I for one, was told to get a divorce, and a way was made for me to do it. I later found out why it was okay for me to divorce, other than the Lord said so. It is a sin to allow abuse to continue....at some point if you are being abused, you are not following the Lord by allowing that person to continue doing it. It does not matter if you forgive them for it or not, if they are not stopping it. For a long time I will have to live with the consequences of not getting out of my situation soon enough. While I did have my two girls at the only time of my life I was able to have children, I am sure I could have had those same two girls with my current husband rather than remaining in the nightmare I was too proud to leave. Yep, it was mostly pride. I was refusing to be a divorced woman. I refused to have a different last name than my kids, I looked upon those that had been through divorce as people who simply were not smart enough, patient enough, nice enough, determined enough, or sexy enough to be loved. Yep, I was sure self-righteous, until I converted, and then the beatings got so bad I knew he was going to kill me. He even told me he was going to kill me, even though I tried so very hard to be smart and nice and patient and sexy....none of it mattered, in fact, the better I was to him the worse he treated me. He came to visit years later to sign over his parental rights, and told me and my current hubby that I was nothing but the best wife a woman could be, and I did not deserve what I got from him in return. He is still so scary 6ft 5 while I'm 5 ft 3 and he is still violent evidently. I waited too long to leave, I know I did. The Lord told me months before I actuallly did something about it. I was just too proud to listen. I still have physical issues from the damage. Just in the last month or so I have been really struggling with a hip that had dislocated and never been treated. It makes a horrible popping sound and hurts so bad sometimes. I've been having trouble sleeping at night trying to find a comfortable way to lay. I have a lot of trouble with ribs, too, and one foot had a broken bone in the arch ooo that one does give me trouble, not to mention the vertebrae I have to be very careful with my back. I did a lot of physical therapy for my back, and have to do stretches, etc. I have mostly had dislocations, which, I think must be worse than breaks, because those joints tend to feel a bit slippery like, and I have to be careful not to reinjure them even though it has been quite a long time. Especially that hip. I can't even cross my legs right now, or bend over with both feet on the ground, I have to lift up the foot of the leg with the problem hip, and balance with my hand on something. I slip on all my shoes and I'm currently considerig giving up on socks altogether. The jaw that was dislocated, though, doesn't seem to bother me at all. At the time it was awful trying to bite and chew, but about a month after it went back into place and the swelling went down, no trouble since. I move around like an old person, no offense old people, but I'm still in my 30's, ya know? So, I guess basically what I mean to say is...it depends on the individuals and if the divorce is going to help them get better or not. You have to judge it (if you HAVE to judge it) by its fruits. Pretty much, if you aren't one of the two people involved in the marriage, don't judge it, or try to learn more about it. Learning more about the situation can make you disappointed in both parties. In some cases, ignorance really is bliss. There is a reason Jesus didn't lay down the rules on this one, it is too individual to do that. He did shine a light on how to do it right though. Love your wife the way Jesus loves the church, wives love your husbands....that can work for everyone. Those particular cases, well, that is what the Holy Spirit is for, use it.
  7. This is an issue I have had to worry about, too. I have a heart condition that has made me dependent on medication, but I live in an area that has both tornado activity and now earthquakes. What I have found is that my perscription can be filled up to 10 days early. If I do this three times, I can save up a month worth of medicine. I would not like it to go bad, though, so I rotate it.
  8. FAmily there, so far, so good. Cousin's house lost the roof, everyone else okay, so far. Family business took some damage, but fixable. Hope the church does some help out there like it did here, great work for missionaries.
  9. I hope there aren't any rules against it, as just this weekend we went to see my stepson graduate from BMT at Lackland AFB. We went to church with him on the base, and every military member of the congregation was wearing their uniform, including the two men blessing the sacrament, and all the men that were passing the sacrament. I went to RS and I can tell ya the spirit was definitely there, the love and care the leaders felt for the women in that room was staggering. I feel so assured that my stepson has a ward family that cares for him through all of the training trials he is having. He heard tesimonies from others facing the same issues he is having...and later testified of their truthfulness to us. So proud of him!
  10. Yep, sounds like there is a pattern working here, especially if she has already lent the money before speaking with you about it. Maybe could he work it off? Maybe do some repairs or maintenance around your home to work off the money he owes you? I think Funkytown had a good idea there with the division of funds.
  11. Wapow, that whole thread was very upsetting, I wish I hadn't read it.
  12. It is the most successful way for the parents to grow up, too.
  13. This thread reminds me of this: The Proclamation On The Family (the last two paragraphs are as follows) (here is a good talk The Family - Ensign Feb. 1998 - ensign ) “We warn that individuals who violate covenants of chastity, who abuse spouse or offspring, or who fail to fulfill family responsibilities will one day stand accountable before God. Further, we warn that the disintegration of the family will bring upon individuals, communities, and nations the calamities foretold by ancient and modern prophets. “We call upon responsible citizens and officers of government everywhere to promote those measures designed to maintain and strengthen the family as the fundamental unit of society.” That statement was made by the Apostles and published all around the world. To read the full proclamation go here The Family: A Proclamation to the World - Liahona June 2006 - liahona So, yes, as the family, which is the basic unit of society fails, so society will fail. I think that leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ would agree with you. It was a warning put out by them over a decade ago, before a lot of the controversy that we are currently seeing had fully come to light.
  14. I was just thinking, about those who have sin, though not specifically an addiction... the Savior taught on this subject: 36 ¶And one of the Pharisees desired him that he would eat with him. And he went into the Pharisee’s house, and sat down to meat. 37 And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster box of ointment, 38 And stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, andaanointed them with the ointment. 39 Now when the Pharisee which had bidden him saw it, he spake within himself, saying, This man, if he were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is that toucheth him: for she is a sinner. 40 And Jesus answering said unto him, Simon, I have somewhat to say unto thee. And he saith, Master, say on. 41 There was a certain creditor which had two debtors: the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty. 42 And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell me therefore, which of them will love him most? 43 Simon answered and said, I suppose that he, to whom he forgave most. And he said unto him, Thou hast rightly judged. 44 And he turned to the woman, and said unto Simon, Seest thou this woman? I entered into thine house, thou gavest me no water for my feet: but she hath washed my feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head. 45 Thou gavest me no kiss: but this woman since the time I came in hath not ceased to kiss my feet. 46 My head with oil thou didst not anoint: but this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment. 47 Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little. 48 And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven. 49 And they that sat at meat with him began to say within themselves, Who is this that forgiveth sins also? 50 And he said to the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace. Luke 7:47*
  15. Slamjet, I can understand why you are wondering this, but I have to say it is not a good idea to compare two people that way Regardless of what sin, if the atonement washes it away, it's gone. I do not think I'm any better or worse than any sister in my ward despite the fact that not only was I a mother when I got sealed in the temple to my second husband, I have probably had more s=x partners than half the RS put together. I have not been kept from anything because of it that I know of, and I certainly don't think anyone can tell by looking at me. My kids don't know, it is a completely internal thing. It's what comes out of you that counts. Your fruits are what make you what you are, not past experiences. You can have the best or worst past, but if you don't do anything good with what experience you have it doesn't matter either way. Good is as good does.
  16. Something I just thought of, it is common in our area to have an open invitation to the ward to a sealing. In the past there have been few members that can actually come. For example, when my hubby and I were sealed to my kids we made an open invitation to the ward. We had about maybe 20 people there in the sealing room. We did not have an other family there, since we are adult converts. Now, keep in mind that we have been approved for a new building and to get that a high percentage of the members need to have current temple recommends. For example, 90% had to be full tithe-payers. So it's not like there was a lack of temple worthy adults, just timing and all that. Maybe the bride should wait for some RSVP's before panicking about the seating.
  17. Maybe it is also a time thing, like the census records that are only released after such a certain amount of time. IF there is a chance that the person is still alive, the records are not available to use in order to protect their privacy. Similarly, I have found that when I am submitting a name 20 years old in the church system, I am asked the family permission question (when I am not a direct descendant) but if I enter one in that is a couple of hundred years old I don't get the question, all of their immediate family have probably passed away.
  18. Here is part of an Ensign article I have found recently and it is very good: When we left our premortal home to come to earth, I suspect that our greatest fear was falling. Although we were glorious beings in heavenly surroundings, our Father desired more for us. He wanted us to gain a physical body, the experiences that go with it, and the opportunity to progress toward eternal perfection. When the great plan of the eternal God (see Alma 34:9) presented us with an opportunity to obtain a body and test our spirits under new and extreme conditions, we no doubt looked forward to our possibilities on earth (see Job 38:7). But I suspect we may have had some uncertainty about the consequences of the required fall. Our new life would be as fallen people on a fallen earth. As fallen men and women, there was the possibility we could become enemies to God if we used our agency unwisely (see Mosiah 3:19). But our loving Father has reassured us that His “great plan of happiness” (Alma 42:8) was founded on faith, not on fear of failure. It is a plan of mercy, a plan of redemption, a plan of restoration, a plan of salvation, and a plan of deliverance (see Alma 41:2; 42:5, 13–15). The central figure in this plan, the true Deliverer, is the Lord Jesus Christ. The deliverance offered was not to be limited by time. God’s deliverance would span all eternity, always safeguarding the agency so essential to our falling and then rising “unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:13). God’s deliverance would be sure and infinite, comprehending every trial or crisis in our fallen world—conquering evil, sin, and death through resurrection and reconciliation. His premortal assurances of deliverance gave us cause to shout for joy (see Job 38:7), and most of the Father’s spirit children elected to come to earth. Nephi later echoed the Father’s parental promises, saying he would “show unto [us] that the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith, to make them mighty even unto the power of deliverance” (1 Nephi 1:20). For some, those kingdoms other than the celestial kingdom will be such a relief. One cannot live in a kingdom that one is unprepared for. We would not want to be in High School with only an elementary education, things would be so difficult to understand and we would not enjoy it at all. I know some people (and some in my own family) who have absolutely no intention of being married or sealed to Anybody for all of eternity. That just sounds like a complete nightmare to them, it is more than they can ever want, and they are currently incapable of it. Sure, I can give them every opportunity and every ordinance, but they still have choice, and they simply do not want it. As odd as it may seem to you,they want to be in a heavenly home, they love the Lord, and they want something other than the celestial kingdom, and how wise of our HF to provide that. They would be uncomfortable there, and not happy at all. Remember, this is the PLAN OF HAPPINESS, and we shouted for joy when we heard it.
  19. Hi Slamjet! I have encouraging words for you...provided by others Struggling with something you believe to be harder than you can bear? You are not meant, and in fact do not ever face it alone... The Savior has given this invitation to all: “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. “Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. “For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28–30). A yoke is a device that allows two animals to fairly and comfortably share a burden that one alone would find difficult or impossible. It is still used in many parts of the world today where animals plow fields or pull wagons. Speaking of the Savior’s yoke, President Howard W. Hunter (1907–95), fourteenth President of the Church, said: “His yoke requires a great and earnest effort, but for those who truly are converted, the yoke is easy and the burden becomes light. … “Obviously, the personal burdens of life vary from person to person, but every one of us has them. … To one and all, Christ said, in effect: As long as we all must bear some burden and shoulder some yoke, why not let it be mine? My promise to you is that my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”1 Conversion is a process, not just a single event. Our Heavenly Father is patient, kind, and gracious. He gives gifts of the Spirit not only “to those who love [Him] and keep all [His] commandments” but also to “him that seeketh so to do” (D&C 46:9; emphasis added). Live what you know, and more knowledge and strength will come. Let the Lord make of you what you could never make of yourself. He promises, “My grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them” (Ether 12:27). Your temptations are burden, cast them upon the Lord and take up His yoke. How? When in Doubt … Doubts are natural. They can spring up from within, or they can come from others. Regardless of the source, there are some tried-and-true ways to deal successfully with doubt. 1. Remember the spiritual experiences you’ve already had. For example, Oliver Cowdery was Joseph Smith’s scribe during much of the translation of the Book of Mormon. He had already received a witness of the truthfulness of the Prophet Joseph’s testimony regarding the golden plates. But apparently he wanted additional reassurance from the Lord. Speaking through the Prophet, the Lord counseled Oliver: “If you desire a further witness, cast your mind upon [remember] the night that you cried unto me in your heart, that you might know concerning the truth of these things. “Did I not speak peace to your mind concerning the matter? What greater witness can you have than from God?” (D&C 6:22–23). The Lord expects us to remember the witness we have already received from the Spirit. 2. Be patient. When you come across things that you don’t understand, be patient. Hold fast to what you already know (in other words, remember). As Laura says, “I cling to what I already know and don’t let questions bother me. I keep asking in prayer, knowing the Lord will answer when I’m ready for it.” 3. Feed your faith; starve your doubts. As you continue to pray, search the scriptures, and keep the commandments, you will receive additional strength to your testimony. Alma compares this process to nurturing a seed as it sprouts and grows into a tree that provides sweet, precious fruit (see Alma 32:28–43). Nurturing doubts produces the opposite effect, and testimony withers. Weathering the storms of life makes the tree stronger. The reward for faithful nurture and endurance is fruitful maturity and a bountiful harvest that is “sweet above all that is sweet” (see Alma 32:42). Meeting the Challenges - Liahona Oct. 2006 - liahona Here is something for you to study: From a teaching manual:Suggested Lesson Development Attention Activity As appropriate, use the following activity or one of your own to begin the lesson. Ask a class member to come to the front of the class and hold out his or her hands. Place some books or other heavy items in this person’s hands. Continue loading the member’s hands with objects until he or she becomes somewhat burdened. Then ask: • How far could you carry this burden before stopping to rest? What arrangements would you have to make to carry the burden a great distance? Explain that there are many kinds of loads, or burdens. Some are physical, while others are spiritual or emotional and not as easy to see. Many unseen burdens can exceed our strength to bear them alone, and we become weary. This lesson discusses how the Lord can lighten our burdens and bring us rest. Jesus forgives a woman in the house of Simon the Pharisee. . • The woman who entered the house of Simon the Pharisee carried the burden of sin (Luke 7:37). What did the woman do that allowed Jesus to take away her burden? (See Luke 7:38, 44–50.) What can we do so the Savior will remove the burden of sin from our lives? • How did the sinful woman and Simon the Pharisee differ in their attitudes toward Jesus? (Contrast the woman’s repentance, respect, humility, and love with Simon’s pride, lack of courtesy, and judgmental attitude. See also the quotation below.) Why are the qualities that the woman possessed important as we repent and seek forgiveness? How do the qualities that Simon possessed keep us from repenting? Elder James E. Talmage taught: “It was a custom of the times to treat a distinguished guest with marked attention; to receive him with a kiss of welcome, to provide water for washing the dust from his feet, and oil for anointing the hair of the head and the beard. All these courteous attentions were omitted by Simon” (Jesus the Christ, 3rd ed. [1916], 261). • How would Simon’s attitude toward the woman have made her burden seem heavier? How might we sometimes make another person’s burden of sin seem heavier? What can we learn from the Savior’s response to the woman? • Even though she had not been invited and would risk being treated unkindly by Simon and his household, the woman came directly to Christ as soon as she knew where to find him (Luke 7:37). What can we learn from her example? What obstacles might keep us from repenting and coming unto Christ? How can we overcome these obstacles? • What can we learn from the parable of the two debtors? (See Luke 7:41–50.) How is sin comparable to debt? (See Luke 7:44–50.) How can having Christ as our “creditor” make our burdens light? That whole lesson is great for just this thing, find it here New Testament Gospel Doctrine Teacher?s Manual Lesson 10: ?Take My Yoke upon You, and Learn of Me? Also, here is a great Ensign article by a Seventy: Facing the Future with Hope - Ensign Dec. 2007 - ensign Remember John 16: 33 These things I have spoken unto you that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.
  20. no, if you put in for say, your uncle-in-law who recently died, it will probably ask you if you should ask any of his family, for example. His parents/children might want to do his work.
  21. yes, I have been working on my genealogy, and it asks that if there could be living relatives closer than me
  22. I discuss my faith with others on at least a weekly basis. I live in an area in which my religion is currently a minority. I have friends of other faiths, married a baptist in fact, though he didn't stay one for long :) I tend to see the similarities rather than the differences. I would rather my actions speak on whether or not I am a Christian rather than doctrinal debate. It's funny, sometimes someone at my work will actually say, "I want to go to church where she goes to church!" Then they ask me where I go to church, I tell them, and even give them directions and the meeting time. LOL they usually change their tune after that, but at least they know what my actions say about my faith. People are generally very surprised when they find out things they didn't know about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints... some wish their church did such and such, and then I tell them that we have that...like the welfare program, the genealogy programs, fast offerings, etc. I have a couple of Messianic (sp) friends, that were very surprised by some of the things they learned about us keeping the feast times of year by general conference. We feast on the word of the Lord, I told them... similarities are very common
  23. Largest 25 Denominations/Communions from the 2011 Yearbook of American and Canadian Churches. 1. The Catholic Church, 68,503,456 members, up .57 percent. 2. Southern Baptist Convention,16,160,088 members, down .42 percent. 3. The United Methodist Church, 7,774,931 members, down 1.01 percent. 4. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 6,058,907 members, up 1.42 percent. 5. The Church of God in Christ, 5,499,875 members, no membership updates reported. 6. National Baptist Convention, U.S.A., Inc, 5,000,000 members, no membership updates reported. 7. Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, 4,542,868 members, down 1.96 percent..... (not enough room for all 25, didn't see your church? Clink on the link and scroll down) source: Fast Facts about American Religion Those numbers are not worldwide, in such case there are more than I think 14 mil now. "Q: What denominations are gaining members and what denominations are losing members? A: Mainline Protestant denominations continued to decline, according to the 2006 Yearbook of American and Canadian Churches. The United Methodist Church, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the Presbyterian Church USA, and the United Church of Christ, all reported slight decreases in membership in 2005. For the first time in many years, the Southern Baptist Convention, a conservative evangelical denomination, also showed a decrease of 1 percent. The winners in 2005 were the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the Assembles of God; each reported a 2 percent growth. The Roman Catholic Church reported an increase of less than 1 percent. But the biggest increase came from the Orthodox Church in America, which reported a 6 percent increase, bringing total membership to about 1 million members." Fast Facts about American Religion When you say 'insignificant' in what manner exactly do you mean? Insignificant to you, or insignifcant in number? Or possibly growth? Basic Facts about the Church this is a source that has more recent figures. Oh, but wait, maybe your purpose on this site is to belittle and degrade...while I still have no idea which church you attend....not shining that light much I'm afraid, but a whole lot of pointing that finger.