March Madness

After not having a T.V. for the five years I lived in West Virginia, I am now loving watching it again. But not just anything. March Madness, in particular. It brings such joy to my heart. I do love basketball. I grew up on the NBA, but while at IWU switched over to watching college ball.

And I love it that my bracket always ends up at the bottom of Gail's bracket group. People who choose Cornell (just because Andy from 'The Office' went to Cornell) end up beating me. Ahhh. I love it...

Church

As I try to find a place, a people, a community of worship, I thought I'd share a few things I've noticed...

• Most churches, in mid-Michigan anyway, are excited to have visitors (which also means that it might not be the norm)
• People ages 20-35 do not go to church. Unless they have kids. Then they're definitely there. But unmarried adults or young married adults without kids are not a high attending group. (Maybe that's why they were so excited to have me...)
• I need to give up on Sunday school. I kept hoping I would find a class, but I think Sunday school classes for people like me were abandoned when people like me also stopped going to church. Small groups during the week, however, are a very real possibility.
• In visiting 5 area churches, I have always been greeted. But I think what's been even more powerful were the times when people just came up to me and introduced themselves and started conversation. That's beautiful, I think. And it's happened at almost every single one of the churches I've visited.

One thing that really surprises me is how at home I feel in the body of Christ in any church here. I mean, they're still strangers, but brother and sister strangers at that. It's been a really good, meaningful adventure in finding a local church.

And while I still haven't found a brick and mortar building that will be my particular church home for ever more, I am beginning to find and know a people to whom I can belong to. A community. A worshipping throng. A few sisters and brothers. Some sacred place and people. Or however one might describe Church.