My How I've Grown

Last spring (2008), my husband and I (and our kids) took a big leap: we joined a church. (Before you stop reading, this is NOT an evangelistic piece of proselytizing - just setup for a story.) We had agreed that although neither one of us is particularly devout (okay, we're not devout at all), nor feel adamantly Christian (my husband is at least decidedly Christian; I am...a firm believer in God), we want our children to be raised in a church. Better to have them grounded in something to rebel against than have no grounding at all. And I'm the first to admit that, questionably-Christian though I may consider myself, I definitely find increasing value in the general lessons I learned being raised in a church - helping others, serving the community, the importance of worship, fellowship, and stewardship (can you tell I'm Lutheran?), and even evangelism, even if my version of practicing those things is a little off the Lutheran mark. So, we found a congregation we liked, and joined.

Gradually, through the year, we've gotten a shade more involved in the church. It's still difficult to do since our kids are so little - there just isn't a lot of time, and because both kids have food allergies, many events are just off-limits to us for now because, as all good Lutherans know, where two or more of you have gathered in his name, there is food. But, we are sending our daughter to the church's preschool, I found myself joining the preschool's board, and although they're fewer and farther between than I would like, I've tried to find things I can contribute to the church as a volunteer here and there - making casseroles, weeding the grounds, managing the nursery snacks (okay, that last one is as much out of self-interest and the protection of my children as it is philanthropy, but at least I'm generous enough to provide the snacks out-of-pocket and not ask for reimbursement). I like that we're slowly but surely becoming active members of the church (even if our Sunday attendance remains a bit...irregular).

I like it so much, in fact, that I did a crazy thing. I went to a church council meeting last night. Crazier still, I am totally jazzed about the experience. I happened to drop in on a great night, when there was a really engaging discussion about our church's service structure and the various needs it's not quite addressing and how we might go about changing it over the next year. I was impressed with the discussion, the questions asked, the group's dynamic - even the subtle suggestion of dissent in some cases (and not-so-subtle, but that was more on other topics than the service structure), and here I am today, still reviewing that discussion in my head, still thinking it was a great meeting (I don't think I knew there could be "great" meetings), and being thoroughly proud of myself for finally getting up and going.

Worse yet, I actually smiled today when a council member that I happen to know from the preschool called me to say that she was so glad to see me there last night. Just that, no other reason for the call. One of those calls that, a few years ago, I would've cringed to receive, because it would have been such an obviously ploy to suck me in and make me like the place and try to get me to be more involved, and how dare they, because really, it's a church not a used car dealership. But today, I enjoyed the call, because I want to be sucked in, made to like the place, and be more involved. I felt honored that she took 5 minutes out of her busy day (I could hear her young children in the background) to call and just say "good to see you last night." I felt...well, a part of the community. Heeeey...wait a minute... (LIGHT BULB) Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus, and he just dropped a big ol' dose of sugarplum "gotcha" on me. I have joined a church and, surprise, I like it. Go figure.