Church update

Well, we finally made a definite decision. It was clear that we weren't going to get any support or help in resolving the situation so we decided to leave our church. I've spent a lot of time in prayer over it, so I do feel like we're doing the right thing even if it isn't what I wanted to see happen! We spent most of today writing up lessons for the children's department so that they would have a bit of a buffer before having to find someone else to take over. They've got 7 weeks set which should make things easier for them. I did draw the line at prepping it for them. :) I'm not as sad as I thought I'd be for some reason. I think I've been torn up enough about it for long enough that now I'm just glad to have some sort of resolution even if it isn't a good one.

On an up note (and I'm trying to make myself think positively!) we did visit a new church yesterday. It was a wonderful little congregation. I didn't count, but I'd be surprised if there were more than 50 people there. The youth/children's department is pretty non-existent simply because there aren't many youth/children there, though they do seem to try to set time aside for them. The kids worship with the adults for the first half of service, then as the sermon starts they can either choose to stay in the sanctuary with us, go help in the nursery (which is really one room with the 3 and under crowd) or go to the Sunday School class if they are in the 4 to 9 age range. (C barely slipped in that group!) They did announce that they are having some students come up from a somewhat local Bible college next week to talk about starting a youth group. I'm hoping that since there are so few kids that they will let the preteen crowd join in as well. I was just impressed with the amount of love that was obvious in this congregation. They have a definite focus on helping those who hurt or are in need before putting money into their own programs for "fun" which is a refreshing change. They have recently started a food bank - which already made it in the top 10 "numbers served" in the city we're in - and are looking to have other community programs where the entire congregation (including teens and kids) are welcome to serve. I just love that. Some might see it as silly or idealistic in some way, but it was like I got an answer to all of my prayers of concerns... they managed to address every single hidden concern that I had without even knowing it. It was a "God thing."

Oh! And! I'm so excited! I need to call my MIL over this (unless you're reading this tonight....) :) The pastor and his wife both hold advanced degrees in the study of Hebrew and Biblical History, and they are VERY open and inclusive when it comes to the Hebrew-roots of Christianity. His wife leads study groups to Israel and is going again in a few months. They have a working relationship with a local Rabbi who comes and speaks at the church at various times in the year. The pastor was actually excited when I told him that my husband was Jewish. It was a nice response. :)

This congregation is a very open and inclusive non-denominational community church. They have people from Catholic, Methodist, Episcopal, Nazarene, Baptist, and several other denominations who all came together to form this. (The Episcopal members are looking to start a new church at some point with the blessing and support of this one.) The pastor came and sat with me during worship which was very sweet. At one point when he knelt in prayer a little girl who couldn't have been more than two came up and got down next to her. He simply put her hands in a prayer position, tucked his arm around her, and kept praying. Little ones would run up to him in the middle of the sermon and hug his leg, and he didn't miss a beat except for the few seconds he stopped to smile from ear to ear. I know... I'm going on and on too much. I just feel like I need to say it to some one! lol I am still trying to decide if we will visit others or just give this a little while to see how it goes. Now just to see if mom will like it!

No matter what we do, it is sad that we're not with our friends in what was our home for the last three years. But, on the other hand it was good to see my kid SMILE in church.