the.church.search

Today our family will visit a church for the first time.  To protect the innocent, I will not name names.  We're without a church home and would like to quickly find a place that will be ours.

Our family has more than a fair share of ministry baggage, as in we've been on the inside of pastoral staff multiple times.  Not to mention, through the years we've attended churches of multiple denominations and non-denominations in multiple states.  So, if one could receive an honorary degree in Varied Church Attendance, we would now hold doctorates.

Since both my husband and I work in full time faith based ministries, we work full time with faith filled people.  We actually pray at work, discuss theology at work, do a lot of church type things......at work.  Meaning, we don't want our church experience to be another day at the office.  At least I don't.  I suppose I shouldn't speak for him......

We're a family of varied interests.  It seems many modern churches want to appeal to what society deems as the modern young person.  Our oldest young person is a seventeen year old classical guitar player.  When gifted with a nice chunk of {back to school} money from his grandparents, he didn't ask to be taken to Abercrombie & Fitch.  His first desire was a Chopin book of piano music.  Although he likes The Black Keys and Jack White and John Mayer, he also enjoys Bach.  Oh, and at his Governor's School for the Arts Jazz Concert, he threw a Jay Z and Kanye tune into his solo.  And our girl, our modern girl, went shopping yesterday [Saturday] with me, all dressed up in dress pants, heels, and a lovely necklace.  She looked like she was headed to corporate office, not Target.

What I'm trying to say is......we're not necessarily the [norm] when it comes to what many modern churches are striving to please.  I have some workmates who frequently call me a [hippie].  And my husband doesn't like the Bengals or the Reds, which seems to be a prerequisite to church work in Lexington, Kentucky.

I'm curious what today's service will yield.  I hope we love it and feel at home and continue there until the end of time.  But, I'm not getting my hopes up because the.church.search is so difficult, and it leaves me wishing we'd raised our family as good Episcopalians, never considering another church life, always happy with the pipe organ, real wine with the Eucharist and the Passing of the Peace, instead of the seemingly endless, always uncomfortable for introverts, greeting time.

Last night at Orange Leaf [a frozen yogurt place, if you don't live in LEX], we noticed a young man with the name of the church we're visiting today on his t-shirt.  [Could this be a sign????]  My husband called him over and asked about the church.  The guy only gave a raving report about how great it is.  He also mentioned he's a college student and doesn't often get up early enough on Sundays for church........