Church

The church that I attend is a small country church.  It was built in 1861, and the history of the church is rich. I was fortunate enough to learn the history of the church while researching it for the church's 150th celebration.  The church was built during a time when it wasn't proper to have men and women enter the church through the same door.  It wasn't even proper for them to sit together.  

The church above is not my church.  It is very similar in design, however my church has two entrances in the front.  One of them was for women and the other was for the men.   Currently we only use one door through which everyone walks in.  

The floor inside of the santuary sags a bit, and the pews creak under the weight of its occupants.  The ceiling is finished in tin and it is beautiful to look at.  I sometimes look up and just admire it.  There is a distinct aroma that swirls around the church.  It is one that speaks the age of the church, and to me, it is the smell of home.  

My second home.

I started thinking about my second home yesterday.  We had gone to a friends house for the holiday and he had asked me whether or not we built our new church yet.  We have not, and it's sad to admit that we probably never will.

 

There was a time -- not that long ago -- when the church was stagnant.  It was stale.  No one was doing anything.   I got tired of arranging everything and doing everything. It was so stale that I took an almost month and a half hiatus.  

The hiatus did not do anything to nurture my spirituality.  All it did was give me reason to lie in bed Sunday mornings.  I had nothing to feed my mind.  A mind grows hungry, you know.  Very hungry.

I was asked to come back.  I was asked to not abandon the church because it needed me.  I was asked to breathe life back into the church again.  I vowed to do just that.  

In order, however, to breathe life into the church, we needed a solid member base.  We needed more than me willing to step up and help out.  We desperately needed younger people who could devote the energy to push this church in the right direction.  I cannot do it alone.  Not anymore.

Slowly, we are seeing new people wander into our doors and a few of them are willing to put themselves out there.   They are willing to step up and help.  I love these people!  

To backtrack.... 

The church has been trying to get a new building built for 20 years now.  I do not know if it will happen.  We have the lot of land to build on, but the whole darn problem is the building committee.  The worst thing to ever happen to a church is the formation of a committee.  It is a pain in the ass!

Nothing can be done without everyone agreeing.  Nothing can be done without everyone being informed.  But that isn't our problem.  Not at all.

Our problem is that we need stronger voices.  We need a voice to join my own to say, "If we want this church built, we have to just do it!!!!"  

There are so many trips around the circle you can take before your head wants to explode.  The discussions are always the same.  The reactions are always the same.  There is one dipshit woman that always has to over-analyze shit.  I swear I could smack her.  

Not very Christian of me, is it?  

 

We also have a man on the committee that turns everything into a damn argument.  No one will stand up to him.  No one will tell him the facts and tell him he's wrong.  Instead people will cower in the corner and nod their head to him.  Fuck that shit !  

We need the younger people to make our church stand out.  We need them to help get our church out there and recognized.  Publicity is what we need, but we cannot get that without doing something in, and for, our community.   We've gotten quite a few new people coming in because of the missions work being written about in the newspapers, but there is so much more that we can (and will, if I can help it) do.   

A church that gives is a church that survives.

We also need a strong voice.  We need someone with the ability to speak matter-of-factly about the facts and figures regarding building the new church.  We need someone with a level and cool head.  We need someone that does not take any crap from anyone.  We need someone strong.

You know something?  I know someone like that.  It was the friend who asked me about church yesterday.  He'd be perfect. I wonder if I could convince him to come to church.  

I wonder...