Welcome Home!

We went to church last night - back to the church where I last served on a worship team, the church we attended 8 months and 2 days ago. It's been a long time, but we took the plunge and went back. My son insisted that we go (how many kids do that?!).

From the minute we walked in the door we were surrounded by people welcoming us, hugging us, excited to see us again. We parked ourselves in the back pew, but were rushed again after the service.

It was awesome to be enfolded by people who care! Folk I thought had forgotten me - but who were ready to "put you on the roster", get me back into being involved and needed the minute I arrived. People who had been wondering where I was, who thought I'd left the country, who had been wanting to contact me but didn't know where to reach me (I never ended up on the church directory list, as I was never officially a member).

My son took things to keep him busy during the sermon (we've done that since birth), but put them away after a few minutes and listened to Greg's excellent message on honouring your parents. I was quite surprised! But perhaps he's just reached that stage, where he doesn't need entertaining anymore.

We had fun picking out new features in the church (aircon on the walls, new backstage curtains, big palm trees on stage replaced by little bushy plants in pots etc.), and noting with pleasure the many, many new faces in the overflowing pews of youth. This has always been a church filled with vibrant, real, exciting youth. The kind of group that you don't find often - one that is blessed and raised and supported by every single member of the congregation. They bring me to tears regularly - and last night was no exception. Greg called for those who wanted to make right a past of not honouring God and their parents to come forward during the final song (I guess you could call it an altar call), to just be with God at the front and commit to making things new. They streamed forward, they prayed, they hugged each other. The guys who looked the wildest were the guys most involved in worship. There's something deep and wonderful in their lives, thanks to the community they belong to.

So we went back to church. And we may continue to go. It felt like coming home.