So the boys and I tried a new church today. (I know, Mother, stop crying, there's hope for us yet.) This one was Baptist! Ooh, I haven't been to a Baptist church since I went with my friend Janet and watched somebody get dunked...I mean immersed. I'm Presbyterian, so I was expecting something very different, but it was actually quite similar. I knew all the songs we sang, and there was no recitation of unfamiliar creeds, which actually surprised me. We Presbyterians say one and sing the other, and visitors have to look it up real quick in the hymnal - sorry! Oh, and we didn't say the Lord's Prayer today - surely that's not just a Presbyterian thing...huh. There's always that nervousness about whether to say "trespasses/those who trespass against us" or "debts/debtors." But there were no unknown chants or postures today - phew!
I was also surprised that when it was offering time the men just walked around the aisles looking sheepishly at people. What? The boys each had some money and I had my "Visitor - Call Me!" card to put in the plate, but I didn't realize I was supposed to flag someone down, so we just held onto it all. How laid back!
And everyone was so friendly - people actually told me their names and invited me to join them in their pew next time, and Drew got invited to Sunday school by a friend - nice! Very different from an old church I used to go to for years, where a lady in the Sunday school class I had been in for 2 years asked me how long I had been visiting.
So thumbs up to the Baptists at this church. Next is either this one again or a non-denominational one down the street which has about 25 members - we might cause an uproar there. This one today had 82 members...singing in the choir!
5 comments:
I'm glad you had such a good experience! We're still trying to get settled in a church in Tucson. Rylee was Not A Fan Of Nursery when we moved, and it didn't seem far to shuttle her around.
I grew up Baptist, so I can tell you that in general there's not a lot of ritual as far as certain creeds or prayers. It's usually a bit more laid back, although can also be VERY strict. The church I grew up in was strict, but casual if that makes sense?
I grew up Methodist and Presbyterian, but my favorite church was Unity. If you've never been to a Methodist church, you might try it sometime.
Now what is Unity, Mary? And Lynn, been there & done that with kids not liking nursery - it gets worse as they get older, for my boys anyway. Girls seem to be easier to carry to church! And congrats Tracey - that's where you've been going for a while isn't it?
Here's a link about Unity: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unity_Church HTH
Thanks Mary!
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