Finding the Faithful Fun

Today I went back to the church that I went to on Easter, and it was well worth getting up early-ish (well, at least for a Sunday). The service was billed as a jazz service, and that was definitely true. The jazz band that the church uses as its musicians was in top form, and the songs were all the familiar tunes that I was used to but presented in a very fun way. Everyone was again very friendly and open, and Pastor Jen even remembered my name from last week.

There were a lot of really cool things that the congregation did that now seem extremely plain to see. For instance, after the sermon the pastor opened the floor up for debate about the passage and the sermon on it. There was a lot of good discussion, and it shed some really interesting slants on the different parts of the reading. Another would be offering one another peace at the beginning of the service rather than in the middle. It seemed to start the service off on the right foot, with everyone smiling and offering God's peace right at the onset. They also seem to have kids' sermons every service, and the great part is that a) it doesn't take much time, and b) it takes the service into territory that is not always associated with church. For instance, this time the focus was on recycling as we are supposed to be stewards of the Earth.

All in all, a lot of cool stuff is going on there, and I'm definitely going back next week. It feels good to be going to church again- I've been feeling a little adrift spiritually, and having a place to go and worship every Sunday and actually enjoy it is a nice anchor.