Home

A Church Home. Is there really anything more comforting for a Christian? Nothing says “belonging” like feeling part of something wonderful, and worshipping alongside other Christians. I suppose the hard part comes when you no longer feel “at home” at your Home. So, what do you do? You go looking for a new Church Home. But you go in a bittersweet way, I think.

How do you leave the Church where you met your spouse? How do you leave the Church where you married your spouse? How do you leave the Church who supported you through the births of your children? But how do you stay? If you do not feel welcome, or part of something greater, or important? How do you stay somewhere you feel doesn’t want you any more?

Ok, so all that aside…when you try a new place, how long do you wait to see if it “fits?”

I was not raised in the Church of Christ, so this whole “stand and greet your neighbors” thing is new to me. But, isn’t the point of it so you might by chance meet a visitor to your Church? Shouldn’t you look around and see who is around you? Very few people turn around if their “Visi-Dar” tells them someone new is behind them. I’ve noticed at EVERY Church I’ve been at, very few people want to greet a visitor. I think it probably has a lot to do with comfort zones, or some such nonsense. My husband is shy. Yeah, really, he is! You wouldn’t guess it by looking at him, but he IS! And he hates meeting new people, so for him to want someone to reach out is a BIG deal. We both want to find a Church Home so desperately that we’re willing to be like Cinderella’s step-sisters in the Grimm Fairy Tales story…cut off a big toe, suffer uncomfortable situations, MAKE it fit. Is that the right thing? Do we just throw ourselves whole-self into a project just because we can? I don’t think that’s really the answer. And I’m NOT saying that’s what we’re doing…I don’t really know what I’m saying. I do not feel well today (if you read my myspace.com blog you already know that) and it’s manifesting itself in odd ways.

So here goes : we found out that we’re no longer members at our old Church. How we found out, well that’s a funny story…I had online members only access and I tried to get online to find an address and couldn’t get on! Then someone called me and said that we weren’t listed in the membership rolls online, when they were looking for my address or phone number or something. Anyway, they got my information from someone else and called to see what was going on. Now, I know the Church lost a lot of members, and a sermon we heard at another Church really hit home to us, it described our old Church to a “T.” But HOW does someone get deleted from the rolls? We never rescinded our membership. We, in fact, were about a hair away from going back because we didn’t feel good anywhere else. I don’t know, and really I’m not looking for an outpouring of support, or overwhelming emails. (You won’t find my email address in the membership rolls online, so unless you know it you can’t email me anyway ;) !) It’s really gone beyond how my mother in law was treated, or anything like that…it’s much deeper now.

We’ve attended a Church for two weeks now, and it’s been an uplifting experience. The Children’s Worship is (OF COURSE) amazing, and we feel so safe with our kids in there. The service has been fabulous, and the preacher is good. I’ll go right out there and say it : he’s NOT as good as Danny, but he’s really good. But is it HOME? We don’t know. Nobody turned around to greet us the last time we were there. But hey, nobody ever turned around to greet us at our old Home either! (Excpet you, MC Lam.) I think it’s just an epidemic of turning the other way, not noticing, and not making anything “your” problem. But really, turning to us, introducing yourself, and saying hey really won’t make us latch on like leeches!! I promise!!

At least I don’t think so….