church promo

(Attention: this post is not meant to be an advertisement for my church. Any superlatives/hyperboles/excess/exaggeration or effusive discourse are to be construed as the results of the author's 25 years of familiarity with her subject.)

I love my church.

I loved my first class in this round of Sunday School: Colossians. I loved the teaching style and descriptive language of our teacher, a dear friend. I loved sitting behind a wise-guy, next to my husband, and in front of a history buff who has a heart for the Muslims. It will be an interesting and colorful class!
I loved canteen, which offers up fresh gourmet coffee and a snack between Sunday School and the main service. I loved spying the engagement ring on the hand of a lovely lady, whose eyes matched the sparkle of her diamond.
I am a huge fan of our worship teams, even when they rock too hard for my taste and the gym floor shakes from pushing the pastorally-prescribed decibel limit. These puny issues don't bother God, as demonstrated by His insistence on showing up in a big way for every service.
I loved seeing one couple honored for their years of commitment to our youth. Two hundred people stood spontaneously when our pastor commended them. I loved seeing as many hands that would fit (and then some) touch and bless another couple as they step into a new ministry. Young people prayed fervently and unreservedly for them. No one was in a hurry.
I loved watching our pastor when his sermon was interrupted by a disturbance in the congregation. Someone needed prayer. So we stopped and prayed.
I loved hearing the nervous laughter when the lapel mike died in the middle of a strong scriptural pronouncement. I recall it was during the reading of Hebrews 2:1:
"For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it."
Funny. I loved watching the sound team scramble and dash like maniacs all over the sanctuary. (#1 Son was among them.)
I loved the challenge from the pulpit: "What has God been speaking to you lately?" and the follow-up: "Tell somebody about it. Right now."
I loved seeing how the babies were dressed, some in outfits that scream "Christmas gift from Grandma".
I loved the insert with the list of prayer needs followed by the financial needs of a number of church members. Some of our church-family are facing extreme difficulties but they will not face them alone.
I loved the last-minute invitations thrown out for sharing dinner, dessert, and Sunday afternoon football.

I love my church.