This is the place where one man is idolized, angry, gruff deacons and elders talk about motorcycles and trucks and put down anyone who is different. Trust me, we went here for many years until recently we were full court press slandered and attacked for celebrating the Jewish Holy days, and telling people about them. Two deacons called me over the course of three months since we left - sending numerous texts and even a sweet handwritten note from my wife. These are people who we have always been friends with, and our children - all homeschoolers - knew their kids since being toddlers. These people decided to totally Jehovah Witness style disfellowship us because I write a blog - which no one from the church is subscribed to - where I talk about the antisemitic history of the Roman Catholic church and later, it's Protestant and Baptist offshoots. Obviously, when this was found, the small group of men leading this church decided to go on a mission to create a false narrative around us, mainly me (Stephen) When the first deacon called, he was furious, telling me God commands me to "control my wife," and "not let her interrupt men." I kid you not. These are the kind of people that right away you can see are RELUCTANT to show respect to strangers or be kind outside of making shows of it. If you go a few times, you'll see and this is what I want to spare you from. They don't call if you stop going. The pastor has never, in almost 10 years, ever gone out of his way to help, be kind to us, or fellowship with us in ANY way. He has never come to our house and we have never been invited to his, and this is a small church. The small group of angry, stone hearted, graceless men leading this church have painted us to be some kind of terrible people, me especially. I am a former Atheist who came from a broken home, have no criminal record and I have worked a full time job since I was 16. I had a tough life. I sometimes slept at work overnight and sometimes worked midnight shift before going back to high school to get through the day. Even despite this, I graduated. I am a father of three good kids, a husband of a brilliant, sweet, Jewish high school teacher (who also has a law degree) and I don't deserve to be called any of the really foul, baseless names that the deacon called me on our phone call last night (1/7/2023) I laughed so sadly because he said I was "harassing" him with my text message. In the last three months, these people ghosted our kids' birthday parties - which they went to for years and our kids are best friends and also homeschoolers - and each of the two first messages I sent him received friendly replies. So he was calling me back to ask why I was harassing him, by sending one message asking him to let our kids be friends and soften his heart as God commands? Yikes.... Yikes, Yikes, Yikes.... I want to warn people with children, especially vulnerable people like homeschoolers who really need to socialize and make friendships with young kids who also live this way. What they did to us is a spiritual crime. I don't want that to happen to you or your children, I don't want your wives or daughters being told on the basis of two isolated NT verses that the men here have control over them or to shut up when a man speaks, and I don't want anyone to become friends with people who will go so far as to totally cut off relationships between CHILDREN overnight, because you criticize antisemitic church history or talk about your Jewishness. There are MANY other churches to go to. MANY. Do yourself a favor, and please protect yourselves and your children, and don't enter in to the doors of this place. In my 12 years following Christ, I have seen some foulness, but nothing compares to how the two deacons treated me, and how their wives along with one other parent treated my wife and children. To have this happen in a church is bad enough, but to have it come from deacons and their wives is hypocrisy of the highest order. I hope and pray these hard men read this, and are moved in their hearts to seek God, to turn away from the adversary and to love and honor others above themselves, in humility, as God commands.