Churchy-ness

I love our church...Love, love love it! When we walk in on Sunday morning, we are greeted with a hug by several sweet seniors at the door. We have a hard time making it anywhere in the building because we are stopped about every 15 seconds or so for a hug or a story. All my friends at church are authentic people...They know they are flawed and don't try to hide it. They, like everyone else in the world, are trying to be good people. I love that I can see someone at my church on Sunday and again on Friday outside of church and they are the same person. I love being Methodist.

I was raised Baptist. When friends from church came over, my parents made sure that all the liquor and beer was hidden in the garage. Nowadays, Adam and I don't hide the liquor and beer when church friends come over....We get it out and offer it to them!

Since I haven't attended a Baptist church regularly in almost 10 years, I forget the differences. I joined a mom's group at a Baptist church by our house so I could meet moms in the neighborhood. I have been consistently disappointed.

I attended a play group and introduced myself to everyone in the joint and had a hard time finding someone who was part of my organization. When I finally did, the conversation was over after the exchange of names. I was actively trying to engage people in conversation and make new friends and failed.

Last night I attended the monthly meeting and was horrified at several happenings.
1. When I asked about a lady that was absent, I was told that she wasn't coming back because she couldn't afford it. It's $40 a semester. I asked for her contact information and offered to pay for her myself....It wasn't given to me.

2. When sympathy was expressed for a lady who had been dealing with sick children, the woman next to me leaned over and whispered, "That's what happens when you don't breastfeed your kids."

3. A panel of husbands sat through a Q & A session. We submitted anonymous questions, some of which were censored. The ones that made it were cheesy...."What was your favorite Valentine?" "What's the best part of being a dad?" Blech.

One question was, "What do you really want from your wife?"
The answer: "Respect and recognition that I am the leader of the household. Respect for my decisions as leader, even if they are wrong."

I'm not lying. This guy sat in a room full of women, asserted his superiority and no one blinked! I couldn't believe it. I told Adam if he ever said that he would be in trouble. Adam replied, "I would never say that because it's not true. Does that guy think women are just chattel?"

It's hard for me to believe that these people are working for the same things I am. That they are trying to make the world a better place and spread as much love as they can. I'm trying hard to fight labels and judging, but when I see such a stark difference in my church and that one, I get upset. Maybe I'm naive. Maybe these people exist at my church too and I just don't know them. I don't know, but the more I go to this Baptist church, the more I love being Methodist.