home is where the heart is

Some people may not agree, but finding a church home is a difficult and stressful experience. I've probably taken for granted that all those years ago when going to church everyday Sunday and Wednesday with my parents was so easy. Going to a church where you know everybody is easy because it always feels comfortable and you know what to expect.

I am once again beginning my search for a church home, a family of believers, people with whom I can fellowship. I read on a forum recently that someone thought the New England area was sparsely populated by churches, but looking around the places that I have been, I can't believe it. I think what they are referring to more specifically is the lack of certain kinds of churches. In my town alone there are something close to 30 established churches (granted it is technically a "city"). The numbers may not be up to date but they are close, we have: 2 Apostolic, 1 Assembly of God, 3 Baptist, 5 Catholic, 1 Christian, 1 Church of Christ, 3 Congregational (at least one is UCC), 2 Episcopal, 1 Foursquare, 2 Lutheran, 2 Methodist, 4 Non-denominational, 1 Pentecostal, and 1 Seventh-Day Adventist. Torrington is not that big of a city... though I understand it used to be an economic/industrial center for northwestern Connecticut. To the point, you would think that with so many churches it would be easy to find a church home. I've been to the Church of Christ, it's not bad but some of the leadership are overly conservative and literalistic - for the moment I've passed on them because of irreconcilable differences. I've also been to a couple of the Catholic churches with Claire, and while they are nice there isn't much fellowship amongst the people - Claire tells me that type of interaction only happens if you join a committee or volunteer group. This weekend we are planning on going to her church Saturday night and I am thinking Sunday morning we will check out the Congregational church up the street. That one happens to the be UCC affiliated one, which I have my concerns about, but since there is no "official" centralized doctrine or policy I am keeping an open mind. While I may have an open mind I tend to be a little reserved and protective when I visit someplace for the first time. I think a lot of that stems from my experiences in Oklahoma, not that I was openly persecuted or anything but I was usually odd-man-out when it came to my perspective. So such is my mindset when I go to a new church... and one reason I will leave you with this somewhat appropriate set of lyrics.

Not a night goes by, I don't dream of wandering through the home that might have been I listen to my pride, when my heart cried out for you Now everyday I wake again, in a house that might have been... a home Four walls, a roof, a door, some windows, just a place to run when my working day is through They say home is where the heart is, if the exception proves the rule I guess that's true
-- The Dixie Chicks "A Home"

And yes, I do listen to The Dixie Chicks... you got a problem with that?