New Church?

I am a member of a really great church.  I love pretty much everything about it – I love the people that go there.  I love the messages on Sunday Morning.  I love the music.   I love the acceptance that happens there.  I love that the church has a ‘real-world’ mentality, taking practical steps to help and reach out to those in need.  There is just one tiny thing that I don’t love and that is that there are no kids the same age as H.  Consequently she’s not really making real friends there.  She doesn’t really like to go to Sunday School – she’d rather stay with the adults in the service and draw or hang out with M in the nursery.  And I don’t love that at all.  And its important enough to me that she have friends in church that I decided we should maybe stick a toe out to see if there’s a church that’s a better fit for all of us.  It’s all fine and good if all my needs are being met, but what about my kids?  Their needs need to be met as well.

So, I decided we would try a new church.  We went to the local one that’s held at H’s elementary school.  It’s non-denominational and very community-oriented. 

I know I’m biased because the music is so amazing at my church, but truly, it’s incredibly difficult to get a good sound in a school gymnasium. 

The kids were welcomed.  That part was awesome.  H was in a Sunday School with about 15 kids all her same age.  The did cool crafts and had circle and snacks and it seemed very amazing.  She had a really good time. 

M actually was willing to stay in the Pre-school by himself because there were so many fun toys and kids to play with. 

I really felt like a fish out of water, though.  This church had such a different feel than my home church.  I missed my church.

Bad luck it was the 5 year anniversary of this church so there was no real message just a litany of all the changed lives since the inception of this church.  It sounds like this should be really inspiring but to be honest, it wasn’t.  About five people went up to talk about their ‘changed lives’ and not one of them mentioned God doing a work in their lives it was all about how volunteering and service to the church had turned them around.  And that may be true, but they could just as easily volunteer at their local food bank for the same results.  I don’t know, maybe I was looking with an extra cynical eye, but it all just sat a bit funny with me. 

When the church let out, I collected the kids and asked “Well, are we coming back here next week?”  NO!  was the resounding reply.  They wanted to go back to our regular church. 

Me too.

Then on Wednesday a card came in the mail.  It was from the new church thanking me for attending last Sunday and they had included a $5 Starbucks Gift Card.  Well, I get what they’re trying to do:  be hospitable and all that.  But it felt like they were trying to buy my membership a little.  And if I felt weird before, now I really did.   That kind of stuff just really puts me off. 

So we’re sticking with our church – and who knows, maybe more families with kids Hope’s age will start coming.  

And we won’t have to use Starbucks Cards to bribe them to stay.