A Church, A Family

     I have heard it said that when tough times come your way, it is only blood you can count on to be there for you. I believe that a family is not simply made up of people who share the same DNA, but of a community of people whom you care for and who care about you. For me. this year has been an ever so present reminder of how blessed I am to be part of a church.
     Richard and I come from completely different backgrounds. I was raised Southern Baptist and he Catholic, though he was not practicing when I met him. We always said we wanted to find something in the middle, but it took us years to accomplish this. Not because we were church hopping, but because we were lazy. We would talk almost weekly for years about finding and joining a church. We tried out a few churches here and there, but honestly nothing ever fit. I wanted to feel like I was part of something more then just a sea of people in a sanctuary that held 5,000 people.  Finally one day a flyer came in the mail and we decided to try this church out.
     Our first Sunday at Grace Community was Palm Sunday. I'll admit I was scared to death. The church didn't have it's own building so the congregation met at a local high school. Both Richard and I were used to traditional settings. We took a deep breath and walked in.
     We were warmly greeting upon arrival and enjoyed the service. We happen to visit on a day where there was a social after church. After watching all the kids run around playing while the adults mingled, welcoming us and finding out where we were from, etc., we knew we found our home.
      Grace Community was exactly the small close knit environment we were looking for. Everyone knew each other, the pastor and his wife were down to earth and had a big family which we loved. The church's dedication to their children's program while running on a small church budget was admirable. You could tell they poured a lot of heart and soul into the children's ministry. It was a church that Richard and I both felt comfortable in. We were hooked.
    I am so thankful that we got that flier and decided to attend that Sunday. Our lives quickly became a roller coaster for a good two years. Our congregation reached out and embraced us when Richard was laid off from his job and I was pregnant with our fourth child. We were overwhelmed with support, prayers, emails and visits from members and leader who truly cared about how we were doing.
     We were showered with meals upon the birth of our son Samuel. Two weeks of home cooked meals delivered to my door was such a blessing to our family!
    Months later our pastor and his wife spent hours sitting with Richard and I as we overcame a very difficult challenge in our marriage. And , six months from that our pastor sat and cried with us in the hospital as I lay both very sick and broken hearted after losing our baby. He drove over an hour to be with us even though we insisted that he could visit us when we returned home. We were showered with visits, meals, and cards. We were deeply cared for and it made all the difference in the world.
     Our church has become family to us. I only hope to be able to give back in return all that our church family has done for us. Six months from now we are planning on having our church family with us again for another important event, our vow renewal ceremony in celebration of our ten year anniversary. It would seem only fitting that the people who have seen us through some of the toughest times, be there to witness our new beginning.