Announcements and Important Items - CHECK POST 7!

[Athena_Satov]

Rules and Guidelines

1. Gaian TOS apply; please try to remember this

2. Respect everyone –

a. As Christians we are called to love our neighbour as yourself (Mark 12:31) and that means we respect what opinions other people have even if we don’t agree.
b. Non-Christians, this is equally applicable even if you don’t believe in the Bible and its message – all I ask is that you all act in a way that shows respect and love to the others present.
c. Please don’t be judgemental – this is part of respecting people. Everyone comes from a different point of view and that is perfectly acceptable. If you don’t agree and want to say so, do so in a kind way.
d. T.H.I.N.K. – is it Thoughtful, Helpful, Instructive, Necessary, and Kind? If it isn’t, then don’t say it! (this is from a talk that I heard at Soul Survivor – thank you for the acronym)
e. No criticisms of people based on race, gender or any other such motivation is to be present in this guild. Support for genocide, Nazism, racism, or any other such thing will be frowned upon and will earn the author first a warning and, if they persist, they will be banned.
f. If you have a problem with someone in particular, please discuss it with them in private firstly. If this does not solve the situation, please report it to a moderator who will deal with it.

3. Denominations –

a. This guild is for all denominations and consequently I would prefer if people did not criticise people for being a different denomination.
b. The yardstick of faith is the Bible – that is where truth lies.
c. Differences of interpretation are not to become a means of dividing us – we are all Christians and we all have faith in Jesus Christ.
d. The statements of faith of the guild are the Apostles’ Creed and Philippians 2:5-11. These are common to all Christians.
e. Debates regarding the veracity of one denomination or another are not encouraged in this guild, because this guild is about building up a fellowship of believers, not causing schisms. If you feel strongly about this, there are other Christian guilds that are focused on debate.
f. The question regarding denominations in the entry form is to help form small groups that will function well – having a different denomination to myself or anyone else won’t be used as a reason to not accept you in the guild

4. Language –

a. Please don’t swear at all – if you want to express strong feelings, try to find a non-offensive way of saying it. If you do swear on this guild, your post will be edited and you will get a warning.
b. Please be as literate as possible – if you’re not good at writing, have spelling difficulties or are dyslexic, etc that’s fine! Just please don’t use leet speak, or text language, or any other use of grammar or spelling that makes it difficult to understand or read what you say. If you want to be listened to, you have to encourage people to want to listen and the best way of doing that is writing things clearly and well.

5. Small Groups –

a. You will be assigned your small group based on your answers to the Entry form – this will be done impartially by the guild captain or one of the moderators. Especially important is the time zone in which you are – it will help the group grow quicker if the members are all in the more or less same time zone. Denomination will also determine which small group you are placed in. Don’t ask to join a specific small group – I want to make sure you are challenged by where you are placed as well as feeling at ease and also want to make sure each group has equal opportunity to grow.
b. If you are not happy with your small group, please PM one of the moderators or guild captain. However, it would be appreciated if you give yourself some time to get to know the other members before you reach the decision that you want to leave the group – don’t just give up if you don’t feel that you aren’t best friends with anyone yet.
c. Welcome every new member and do your best to include them and help them integrate into the group and the guild. Every member of a small group should be made to feel at home with their group, but not to the point of complacency!
d. Each small group will have an assigned leader to guide conversation and Bible study, to moderate and to be the representative of that group to the guild captain and moderators. If you’re interested in doing this, then add this to your entry form – that won’t automatically place you as a leader, but it will mean that you will be put on the shortlist for consideration. Remember to respect your small group leader and to follow their instructions.
e. Non-Christians will be placed in small groups with Christians, according to their answers on the Entry form. I would encourage both Non-Christians and Christians to be considerate of the others feelings and to not make their small group unwelcoming to the others.
f. Small groups will meet in one thread that will be made by their leader and the members will be listed in the first post. While I don’t want to exclude people from talking to one another, the point of the small group is that it is for the people in that group. If you aren’t a member of the group, be sensitive to those who are if you choose to post and remember that the thread is their home. If you want to discuss something, your first port of call is your small group and only if you have permission from your leader and the guild captain, can you create a new thread for a specific topic.
g. This is about fellowship and God! You are in a small group to get to know other Christians. You are there to help each other grow in their relationship with God and in character. God is to be at the centre of the group as much as possible (without excluding Non-Christian) and that should be reflected in your fellowship with each other.

6. Other Christian Guilds –

a. This guild is to be complementary to other Christian Guilds, not a rival. The objective of this guild is fellowship and therefore if you’re interested in debate as well, you’ll need to look at the other guilds.
b. Supporting Christian guilds will be listed in a separate thread.

7. As guild captain, my word is final on any conflicts and such issues. If it is theological, then God’s Word is final.

8. Remember that God’s salvation is available to all who believe and don’t hinder anyone from taking hold of that hope.

9. Problems –

a. If someone infringes the rules, a warning will be issued by one of the three following – their small group’s leader, a general moderator or the guild captain – by PM.
b. A report of the warning will be made to the Council and will be reviewed. If the warning is felt to be inappropriate, there will be issued an apology.
c. If the person persists in infringing the rules, they will be banned.  

[Athena_Satov]

Entry Form

Username –
Age –
Gender –
What time zone are you in?
Are you a Christian?

IF yes, please answer these questions –
What denomination do you belong to?
What led you to become a Christian?
What’s the most important thing about being a Christian to you?

IF no, please answer these questions –
What interests you about Christianity?
Do you want to know more about Christianity?
What belief system do you feel you belong to?

How much time do you spend on Gaia on average?
Are you involved in another Christian Guild? If yes, which one?

What do you value most about community?  

[Athena_Satov]

Statement of Faith

“I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
The Creator of heaven and earth,
And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord:
Who was conceived of the Holy Spirit,
Born of the Virgin Mary,
Suffered under Pontius Pilate,
Was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended into hell.
The third day He arose again from the dead.
He ascended into heaven
And sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty,
Whence He shall come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
The holy catholic* church,
The communion of saints,
The forgiveness of sins,
The resurrection of the body,
And life everlasting.
Amen.”

((*in this context it means 'universal'))

***

“In your relationships with one another, have the same attitude of mind Christ Jesus had:
Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a human being,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.”

Philippians 2:5-11

 

[Athena_Satov]

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[Athena_Satov]

Post 7 -

Hi Everyone! I am leaving Gaia Online, but I don't want this guild to disappear due to that. So if there is someone who is willing to take over, please send me a message...
Thank you,
Athena.

 

[Athena_Satov]

Post 9 - Reserved

 

[~PuNkGiRlLuVzJeSuS~]

Username – Skimmie
Age – 16
Gender – Female
What time zone are you in? Eastern Standard
Are you a Christian? Yes

IF yes, please answer these questions –
What denomination do you belong to? Pentacostal
What led you to become a Christian? My friend. And seeing a play called "Chains".
What’s the most important thing about being a Christian to you? Be able to show my love and to show others God's love.

IF no, please answer these questions –
What interests you about Christianity?
Do you want to know more about Christianity?
What belief system do you feel you belong to?

How much time do you spend on Gaia on average? One Hour and a Half a day
Are you involved in another Christian Guild? If yes, which one? No

What do you value most about community? Being able to fellowship with others