church #6 and the thoughts preceding
after going to numerous churches, it was dawning on me that i was going to these churches looking for a church, when i should've been going to them looking for GOD. i also started questioning whether or not wanting a group of singles was me focusing on the wrong thing. it would be nice, yes, but should that be a basis for looking for a church? the same thing can happen to me at a new church that has happened to me at my last one - they may just all move on and get married. no church is going to be perfect. the most important thing is that it's Biblically sound, and i really want some place to serve.
when i was looking last night for a church to attend today, i was happy to see that on church #6's website, under their list of ministry connections, there were links to two different recovery programs, one of which is that one that (sadly 6 months ago now) i'd thought about looking into to volunteer at. i got the feeling this is a small church, so i wasn't too sure about the young people situation, but i liked the prospect of the church encouraging serving those who have been through addiction.
i got to the church today, and i was right. it is a small church. fewer than 70 people, of whom probably 7 were under 70. but i liked it. i was ever so welcomed and introduced to people and invited to lunch. i liked the music, and the sermon's title was the name of the wednesday night ministry i attend, which caught my attention right away.
gonna have to put some prayer into this one. a problem that i am going to run into forever is that i like old people. i like them, their style of worship, and, to be honest, their church buildings better than young people and all of their rigamarole. and how are these churches going to thrive if the young people don't attend them? perhaps if young people were added to their numbers, new people wouldn't think, 'i really like it here, but there are no young people,' and then leave, disappointed that they 'couldn't' go to that church.
and if i want a place to serve at the church i attend and like old people, not kids, wouldn't it make sense to go to a church with plenty of old people? and if it's a church where i can serve old people, and one that also encourages serving former addicts, wouldn't that make sense? and angie from work and i have been hanging out outside of work, so i have a friend now. do i need to keep insisting on young people at the church?
so this one needs some prayer. i'll be out of town the next couple sundays, but i'll try to listen to a couple sermons online between now and when i get back, and then decide if i want to try it again. we'll just have to see.
when i was looking last night for a church to attend today, i was happy to see that on church #6's website, under their list of ministry connections, there were links to two different recovery programs, one of which is that one that (sadly 6 months ago now) i'd thought about looking into to volunteer at. i got the feeling this is a small church, so i wasn't too sure about the young people situation, but i liked the prospect of the church encouraging serving those who have been through addiction.
i got to the church today, and i was right. it is a small church. fewer than 70 people, of whom probably 7 were under 70. but i liked it. i was ever so welcomed and introduced to people and invited to lunch. i liked the music, and the sermon's title was the name of the wednesday night ministry i attend, which caught my attention right away.
gonna have to put some prayer into this one. a problem that i am going to run into forever is that i like old people. i like them, their style of worship, and, to be honest, their church buildings better than young people and all of their rigamarole. and how are these churches going to thrive if the young people don't attend them? perhaps if young people were added to their numbers, new people wouldn't think, 'i really like it here, but there are no young people,' and then leave, disappointed that they 'couldn't' go to that church.
and if i want a place to serve at the church i attend and like old people, not kids, wouldn't it make sense to go to a church with plenty of old people? and if it's a church where i can serve old people, and one that also encourages serving former addicts, wouldn't that make sense? and angie from work and i have been hanging out outside of work, so i have a friend now. do i need to keep insisting on young people at the church?
so this one needs some prayer. i'll be out of town the next couple sundays, but i'll try to listen to a couple sermons online between now and when i get back, and then decide if i want to try it again. we'll just have to see.
posted by melilotnfosco | 6:17 PM
5 Comments:
This sounds great. And I had the same thought today! Well, a similar thought anyway. The church I've liked the best so far is the one I want to take you to next weekend. And the one I went to today had more people and more young people (or young men?) than the one I want you to see. But I just wasn't feeling it. The sermon was even good, and that's more important than the music (the music was bad). But it was just stuffy and that actually distracted me. I'm thinking I like that little church, even if there isn't anyone my age, or at least not anyone my age that's single. That shouldn't be the top priority, because you're right, it'll only end up being disappointing. And I think that because it's small (and people were so welcoming but not in a too-intense way), I might be more willing and able to help serve. Maybe. I'm looking forward to hearing what you think. :) (The pressure! ;) )
When I was a travel therapist and going from city to city, I church-hopped a whole lot. The thing is, I stayed in a town for at least 3 months, so I really could have picked one church after the first couple weekends of checking out churches and settled for the rest of the time. But I didn't do that most of the time; I just went around looking for a place where I liked the worship, sermon, non-invasive welcoming committee, etc. ... And then I met/spoke with a pastor at random one day (hmm to God it probably wasn't random!), who wasn't affiliated with any church I had visited, and shared how I had been browsing churches. He said what you and Chelley had already concluded so much quicker than I did, and without help! That the point of church isn't so that it fits my desires and expectations, that I shouldn't feel entitled to look until I find one that *I* like (he didn't use those words but I sure felt that way)...
And by the way, you never know if those older people have young relatives they might want to introduce you to ;-)
hmm...wise words.
Thank you for skipping a week of trying new churches to come visit me. :) I guess you still got to visit a new church, but it's different since it's not an option for you -- unless you wanna move here! :D
i was quite glad both to visit you and visit the church :)
Post a Comment
<< Home