Church

One of the next questions I most commonly get is: Have y'all found a church?

Well... yes and no... we aren't 100% sure yet, so I'll explain.

I have tried 3 churches since being here. 

The first felt like I was going WAY back in time... I even opened a hymnal! Something I haven't done since I was a kid!  They were very sweet, but when you walk in by yourself, pregnant to an older church you get LOTS of stares and sad looks.  I did not go back to that church :)

The second church, Immanuel Baptist Church, was recommended by my ultrasound tech girl actually. Matt was able to go with me the first week.  They have 2 Sunday morning services, so we tried the latest one.  It was very good, still had some older music and we could definitely tell we were in their more "traditional" service.  (No big deal for us, we love that!) The next week I went back and tried their "contemporary" service as well as a ladies Sunday School.  I wasn't too crazy on the service... it was sooo dark- even during the welcome they didn't turn on many lights.  I LOVED the ladies SS class.  They were instantly nice to me, started conversation quickly and very very sweet.  They didn't spend too much time gabbing about gossipy type stuff bc the teacher wanted to jump into the lesson.  She was very prepared, well-spoken and you could tell she really enjoyed teaching these ladies and they really enjoyed learning!  The donwfall to this church is that they currently are looking for a Senior Pastor (according to the tech girl, something not so good happened) AND the second sunday I visited the Music Minister resigned (his family is being called to serve in Hawaii... too bad Matt and I didn't get that option!)  It's always hard for a church in transition because you never quite know which direction they will take, but it's definitely still in the running.

The third church, Porter Memorial Baptist, I have been to 2 times on a Sunday and once on a Wed night.  That's the biggest draw to that church... they have a Sunday night and Wed night service-- very good for us because Sunday mornings are almost always out for Matt.  We finally heard the Senior Pastor speak on Wed night (he was away on sebatical).  He was great- kept our attention for sure.  I will attend a ladies SS class this weekend to see how other parts of the church are.  Even though Matt can't go on Sunday mornings, I plan to.  That's why a ladies class would be perfect... it's never quite my age group of people, but I don't want to go to a couple's class and be half a couple everytime. 

So... those are the 2 we've found.  So far, nothing they've said has drawn any red flags (biblically speaking anyways).  We definitely want to find a place to get involved, but it's difficult! 

Some tips for those of you that have new people visit your SS class....
    *Don't stare at them for a while before talking to them- trust me, we notice
    *If you can, invite them to lunch (sounds silly, but I have been dying to go to lunch with someone and so far that has yet to happen.  Sure, I guess I could invite someone, but when you listen to their conversations you hear how busy they are and don't want to intrude... plus I don't want to sound desperate!)
     *Send follow-up letters. (I received 2 from the ladies at Immanuel and it was just a nice gesture- I realize it's that person's job in the class to do that, but don't neglect it or think it doesn't matter- it does)
      *Try to remember them the next time they return (many of the ladies remembered me the second time and that was so comforting!)
      *Tell them about other things the church offers, but don't overwhelm them

It's hard being the new person, so just keep that in mind the next time you see someone new!  Don't be afraid to ask them either... many times the draw to a church isn't so much the preacher or music (though that is important), it's the fact that someone was nice, someone took the time to notice and shake hands, someone cared...