Missy Arnold

Review of Lake Avenue Church

This is an extremely hard review to write. I ve pu...

This is an extremely hard review to write. I ve put a lot of thought and prayer into this and I d like to start by saying lake avenue church will forever hold a special place in my heart. I grew up here in the church and found God at the high school camp. I met some incredible people here and have amazing memories. However, I also have pretty terrible ones. I remember a lot of pastors and people in the church leaving. Not a few times but constantly. As a kid this really messed with me. When I got to middle school I was a bit used to it so my guard was up to never get close to anyone there because if I did they would just leave. Lake avenue church became very clique centered. If you went to the local Christian school you were favored, if you didn t you were an outcast. Not only the kids made this known but many leaders as well. It was evident that we lower classmen where treated differently. Though these experiences hurt me I didn t let that stop me from coming to church and pursuing a relationship with God. That was until I made a huge mistake and attempted suicide. I was bullied a lot in school and I thought it was the only way. Instead of having people lift me up I was invited to the pastors home where his daughter in my same grade as me were in the same small group. I thought that I was going there because they were trying to lift me up but instead I was told that I was a sinner and what I had done was wrong. Though these things were very true it was not appropriate for a then 12 year old. When I was upset at what had been said the pastor then instead of reaching out to my mother reached out to my moms best friend who then told the whole church just how much of a sinner I was. They told there kids to be extra nice to me and instead I was getting bullied in the one place I felt safe. Not only by kids but by adults. I was being judge as if judgment day had come early for me. But yet again despite all the hurt and sadness the members of the church had inflicted upon me I still dared to come back. This time I was 18 and engaged and yet again was on the chopping block. I wanted to get married in the place I ve called home my entire life but was told I needed to become a member first in order to do so. When I asked what makes you a member I was told that I d have to go to a seminar but was also given a pep talk on how I m too young to be getting married and god would want me to wait . I asked the pastors I grew up with to help me in the situation and they pretended they didn t know me. I asked why is it that I don t have to be a member to give money to the church? You will willingly take my offering and you will allow me to go to church camps every year and allow me to grow up for over 17 years in the church but when all I want to do is be married in front of my community like that very place taught me is the righteous thing to do then all of a sudden I m no longer a member? Oh but that is unless I have money.... which of course I didn t have enough.... so according to this church in order to really be apart of the family you better expect to pay up in some way or another. I am very sorry that this church family has become anything but family to me. I will always have a place in my heart for the great people of this church but unfortunately it s just not home to me...