Five Things

Five things I appreciate about our church:

1. the mixture of old and young people there--it is amazing to me how many 3-generation families there are in the congregation--with our own 3-generation family, we are enjoying so much the opportunity to worship together; and it's wonderful to see other families doing the same

2. the mixture of traditional hymns and contemporary worship music--there is a part of my soul that is nurtured by old-fashioned a cappella four-part hymn singing--there is another part of my soul that is nurtured by modern worship music with instruments and greater freedom of expression--this church is one of the very few I've seen that actually combines both (and does not need to hold two services to do so)

3. the involvement of the youth and the children in the services--it's not the kind of church that simply ships off the kids to another part of the building while the adult service is happening--it's so encouraging to see young people involved in the worship team, drama, piano preludes, even the speaking, and other parts of the service

4. the huge emphasis on service--it's obvious that the people there truly care about a suffering world around them, and service is such a part of their church culture that it seems to come naturally--even among this denomination's detractors, there is widespread respect for their service and outreach

5. the humility we've seen there--coming from our background, humility was the one aspect that I was most thirsty for; and I have been soothed by the waterfall of humility that has poured over us during our time there