We've been here a year now and still have not settled into a church to call home. We wish to find a place where we can be useful. We are able bodied workers who are more than ready to roll our sleeves up and be put to work.
We started out in one church, stayed there for about 7 months or so and then moved on. It was clear this church was stagnating and didn't seem to want to go anywhere or do much of anything. They had no children. Quite often I was the youngest in church on any given Sunday. We tried to help them seeing many needs but they like it the way it is. It wasn't being led by the Holy Spirit and to us felt quite dead. So we moved on.
We decided to check out a new church every week. So we drew up a list of about 27 churches and started in one after the other. It's been quite a learning experience. We've met so many people along the way as well.
The first church we went to was like going back to the 1960's. It was very formal, stiff, seemingly legalistic and cold. I wrote my husband a note saying, "I'm not liking this place at all." I think one person said hello to us.
Another church we went to was quite full. It wasn't a big church but it was well attended. The Pastor seemed nice as far as we could tell. But not one person spoke to us. Not a word. They never welcomed visitors at all with any acknowledgment. So we moved on.
We then went to another church. They have no Pastor as of yet and the people seemed nice. It was a big church but sparsely attended. They have an interim Pastor who was quite the showboat and totally turned us off. He would break into song and play the piano in the middle of his sermon. He also seemed to talk an awfully lot about himself. He also interjected alot of his own opinion into the written word. We'd be there searching the word saying...."it doesn't say that." But the people seemed very friendly and their greeting of visitors is to be commended. We moved on.
The next church was very very full. Full of all older people. The Pastor was quite old himself but his sermon was pretty good. It was a very traditional service, as most of the churches are down here. All hymns, but this group really belted them out. We liked that. At least the music wasn't dry and hard to sing. They all seemed nice but it just wasn't for us. We went out a side door. I didn't want to shake the Pastor's hand. He spent the whole sermon wiping his nose on a hankercheif he kept taking out of his pocket. I mean the whole time. Blech!
We went to another church and liked it well enough to try again. So we went for two weeks but not close together. The preaching was quite bad. His theology wasn't quite right. He was contradicting scripture. The Pastor is quite young and likeable. We liked him alot but his canned preaching style needs alot of work. He wasn't preaching his own words but that of another. This was the first church who bothered to call us and sent us literature in the mail after our visit. We even had a visitation from one of the couples in the church soon after and we hit it off quite well with them.
We moved to the next church. That was this past Sunday.
Boy did it turn out to surprise us.
My husband found it on the internet while searching out the next town over. Most of the churches we have attended are featured in the Saturday newspaper. This one is not. It was about 20 minutes from the house so we decided to give it a try. The website said they had no Pastor and were getting speakers each week.
When we drove in at 10:25 for the 10:30 service we thought we were running late. But we soon found out this church is in no hurry. As we drove in the word "Redneck" came to my mind. It was like a little country church in the middle of nowhere. It was a cute little white church. It had a connected outbuilding I found out was their fellowship area and I believe their SS classrooms. The church itself was nothing more than just a plain simple sanctuary.
So we go in to see a very small church seating area. It had an aisle down the middle with about 50 red padded chairs on either side of the aisle. The altar area was also small with about a dozen seats behind the pulpit for those in the Choir. During the service I counted 50 people attending.
Everyone seemed to be quite friendly with one another. Seemed almost like a family gathering. The service turned out to be quite long. Longer than any we had attended so far anywhere. Like I said they didn't seem to be in a hurry. When they had their "meet and greet" time I thought it was never going to end. It was quite long. You'd be able to catch up with everyone quite easily in this church if they do this every week. Many came over to us to welcome us. Quite friendly.
Three people went up to the front and gave some sort of a testimony. One young boy about 17-18 got up. He was nervous but sure of himself. He went into his story telling where he had come from and how he arrived at this point today. As he spoke an older man, a "cowboy" type, leaned forward, putting his face into his hands he started to weep. It was clear he was very moved by this teen's testimony. When the boy finished and came down that short aisle, this older man, in his jeans, cowboy boots and suit jacket stood up, grabbed the boy and gave him a "man" hug.
It was very moving.
Two more ladies got up to speak. One talked about the Operation Shoebox Ministry that Franklin Graham has. She reported they filled 37 boxes this year. I was very impressed. This small church filled 37 shoeboxes? Very good. She told us a story about a little boy who received his shoebox last year. When he opened it up he saw row after row of clean white socks. That's it. No candy. No toys. Nothing else but three rows of white socks. When he saw this he started to cry. A missionary who distributed these boxes felt badly. She told the boy she would get him another box. The boy hugged the box to his chest and said no. He would be keeping this box. He went on to show this lady his badly burned feet. He had prayed to God that he would get white socks so he could put his feet into them to comfort and protect them.
As this lady told us the story, she mentioned a name that got my attention. See, this lady delivered these boxes to another church who was the distrubution center in the area. While there she met a lady named Carol who told her this story. It was Carol who I met in August who invited me to go to her church which we already attended. Carol's church was the one with the preacher who preached badly but we liked him a whole lot. Both churches are in the same small town. What a coincidence? No. A Godincidence.
As we were sitting there listening to this precious group of people one by one, we started to actually feel something. This small, simple, country church has it. They have the love of God, the love for each other and it just permeated everything. This is the first time we felt like we could be at home.
Before the service even ended, the older gentleman, who had cried earlier came up to me and whispered in my ear while I was sitting there. He invited me to their turkey dinner they were having after church. He actually said "would you please consider staying for dinner with us?" Before we left many invited us as well. Very nice.
So when church ended, it was hard to go. We talked to many before we even got out the door. The older man, once again came up to us and asked if we'd come back next week. It seems as tho they may finally have a Pastor and he's preaching next Sunday. They are going to ask this guy next week if he will be their Pastor.
But before we left, he took our phone number so he could contact us especially if this Pastor doesn't accept the invitation. If he doesn't accept they would like my husband to preach in their little white country church. We would be honored.
So now we have to decide. Which church will be the next? Should we go back to this little white country church with no fancy bells and whistles or should we continue down our list?
I won't know until next Saturday night when we decide for sure.