I can't tell you much about the church service, but it was memorable anyway. And for reasons that are not good, and upset and infuriate me. Let me first start out by saying that I love our church and the majority of its members. From when we first started attending, up until now, we have been welcomed with open arms and friendly smiles. Jim and I have great church friends, and Ian has dozens of doting grandmas and grandpas. Our pastor and his wife are amazing. Pastor Liebich came to the hospital when Ian was born, and was one of the first people to hold him.
Now, today, after 3 years of attending our church, I had the unpleasant opportunity to feel unwelcome. The sermon was just starting, and Ian had a huge blowout. I took him into the teacher's lounge to address the damage. 10 minutes later (yes, it was that big!) we went out into the back room. Our church meets in a middle school cafeteria. The large room is split into two by folding tables. The worship area is in the front and the fellowship area is in the back. There is no specific nursery, just a blanket and some toys in the fellowship area. I put Ian down in the back, and he made a B-line for the toys. He pulled the lid off of the toy box and threw it down. I grimaced because it was loud, but I couldn't get to it in time. However, after that, Ian was content to play with the toys, not being too loud, and definitely not interrupting the service. However, at this time, the president of the congregation came back. I have never been a great fan of his. I find him a little arrogant and cocky. Anyway, he came back and grabbed the blanket and told us we needed to move to the back. Basically, I took it to mean that we were being too loud and we needed to move. I picked up Ian, said that was okay, and we went back into the worship area. I was so upset. I felt like I had been kicked out for being too loud. We were in no way disturbing the congregation, no worse than normal. And no worse than the kids that had stayed in the worship area all along. I couldn't believe I had been made to feel unwelcome in my own church. I was upset and furious all in one. I wanted to get up and leave church all together. Unfortunately, I couldn't keep the tears from coming. And unfortunately, people noticed. The only thing that was positive was that the people in the congregation did not feel the same as this man.
Now, I'm a member, and I started thinking about finding another church. However, after Jim and I spoke, we decided it wasn't fair to let one idiot run us off from a church we love and who loves us. What scares me it those people who aren't members. There is nothing to keep them coming back to our church if that is the welcome they receive. Families with children are the future of our church. And, when we start our early childhood program, hopefully, children will be a much needed addition to our congregation. If this is the reception they receive, I am scared that we'll lose them.
So, now I'm torn as to what to do. As I said before, right now, my only reason for staying is because I know the congregation does not hold the same opinion. However, I don't want to be somewhere my son is not welcome, well behaved or not.
No comments:
Post a Comment