A Place to Call Home
We just wanted to share some exciting news...no it isn't a new house, but even better--a church home! We've only visited three times but decided why twiddle our thumbs? It feels like home.
It feels like the church I grew up in; that I loved with all my heart. I'd been particularly grieving for it lately and I'm sure it was no coincidence that God put that longing on my heart just before we visited Orangewood for the first time. It's of the PCA denomination and when the pastor gave the blessing at the end of the service, I wanted to cry and let out a big sigh of relief. I grew up PCA and had no idea how much I missed the doxology and member book being passed around, the Lord's Prayer, and especially the blessing. It's like the sweet girl I spoke with today, who's been there four years said, "Okay, now I can go!"
So after that first visit I waited for Shaun's pure opinion before sharing my own--my heart ran over when he said he loved it and that it felt like home. It took me several days to realize that the pastor, Jeff Jakes, who used to be the youth pastor there, was the same youth pastor I'd seen with his group at Camp Kulaqua every year, back in my church youth group camping days. It's so weird how things interwine so often in life, and in so many amazing ways. But his doctrine is sound and his sermons, convicting and encouraging at once. Although, it's amazing I've been able to assess this much, because Madalyn's beeper has gone off all three times!!
Today when I was paged, I brought her into the sanctuary and gave her a bottle until she sat up in her pink smocked jumper, and turned around to wave at the congregation in the stadium-seats behind us like a beauty queen, and saying in a very animated voice, "Hi-iiiii!"
Then she turned over my other shoulder to greet the other members. When she faced forward to find the pastor with his hands raised in illustration, she raised her hands towards him as if she were copying a dance move and I knew it was time to slip out before she shouted a greeting to him, too... although our exit was not as discrete as I'd hoped for. She couldn't believe I was taking her away from her smiling audience!
I can't gush enough of my excitement and gratefulness for the newfound hope we have in Orangwood Presbyterian. We long to join and find a place to serve. So instead of gushing on and on with even more details, I'll just ask that you please pray for us and the committment we are about to make. We pray God finds a place for us in this wonderful body of believers; a place we can better learn to, (as I remember learning in my PCA catechism,) "glorify God and enjoy Him forever." Thank You, Father, for this new journey and excitement!
