Resolution Sunday

Well, I finally did it. A week late, but I have officially put my New Year's Resolution in motion. Operation Find a Church is underway!

Flanked by two of my trusty neighborhood friends, I checked out Johns Creek United Methodist this morning. I like the Methodists. I was married by a Methodist minister. So it seemed like a good place to start my hunt for a new church home.

Now for the controversial part - I left Matt at home with Violet to attend the service. I figured it would be easier to really focus on the experience if I wasn't sweating the fact that my child was probably creating havoc in the nursery during the service. I might continue to let Matt babysit until I find a church I feel good enough about to bring Matt back with me. I need his input - after all, it will be his church too. But for now, it's easier to let Matt have some daddy-daughter time while I forge ahead on this mission.

I don't think they really missed me this morning...

Now, for the church review. Johns Creek United Methodist is a lovely church. The building is nice, large but not too overwhelming. They seem to have tons of activities, a bustling nursery and Sunday School program, lots of groups and dinners and opportunities to get involved throughout the week. Everyone seemed very nice, there were tons of kids, the infant room was full of toys (and they will call your cell phone if your kid starts freaking out during the service!) There was a large orchestra that played the worship, one of the pastors had a nice humorous streak. All pros.

However, it was a bit more traditional of a church than I am looking for. We only got to sing three songs, all hymns. (Keep in mind that none of the things I'll mention are necessarily negative, just perhaps not exactly what I'm used to or seeking for myself. For example, I love hymns. The music is majestic, the verses are beautiful. But I love a good, rocking praise song as well.) Everyone serving the service (pastors, choir members, childrens choir members, etc) was dressed up in their official robes. There was a lot of pomp and ritual (and I'm generally a sucker for that kind of stuff) but for some reason I wasn't digging it completely. I think the problem is that I'm comparing this church to my last (and dearest) church, and this one came up short. I'm going to have to try and approach this experience with a blank slate. My two friends really enjoyed the service (they lean towards the more traditional) so perhaps we'll all go back, our husbands in tow, to check it out again.

While I did some church shopping, Violet went on her own shopping spree.

However, I'm just glad to finally be back at church on Sundays! It was definitely an awesome experience to be getting back into a service, singing, hearing the Word... I have missed it, and I am remembering how important a part of my life it is. So, until next Sunday...