find a church

I have found a church I really like and now need to get involved. I plan to take a 3 month class on being an Episcopal and also meet and possibly join the group for folks in their 20’s and 30’s. Cleverly called Theology on Tap (two things I like already beer and debate)
For me a church is not really a church home until you have friends there/

It’s been great and weird going to different churches over the last few months. We have found a great community at St. Pauls Episcopal Church in SD with friendly people and sermons with substance. It is much more formal (high Eucharist) than I am familiar with, but my husband feels right at home, so we are going to continue there for a while and check out other options now and then.

If you are looking for a church here are a few pointers/ recommendations.

Read websites and/or Yelp first. This made it very easy in some cases to know before I ever walked in the door whether or not a particual church would fit well with my politics and beliefs.

That said you can’t tell everything from a website, sometimes you will only get a feel for a place if you attend and I recommend attending different services, which may have a differnt focus, demographic etc.

Decide what is important: liturgy, modern rock band music, politics/ community, diversity etc.

Do it as a pair and listen to the other person. My significant other and I approached this as a team effort when both of us were ready to look. Coming from very different religious backgrounds this is important so that we develop common ground rather than one of us finding a place of worship that was uncomfortable for the other.

Somehow it just time to find a church. Maybe this is one of those growing up things as in: went to grad school, got a job, found a husband, bought a house…so now that I have a mortgage and the beginnings of a family it’s time? I hope that’s not all this is.

I’m trying to be intentional and self reflective through this process, so that it’s not just another life step to muddle through.

As far as I’m concerned here are the top things that matter:
1. A good message—still defining ‘good’
2. Focus on Social Justice
3. Serves the local community
4. Optimistic, rather than hell and brimstone, but not self serving
5. Avoids biblical literalism

On the funnier side over the past year I’ve been to:
1. A church with live camels (camel rides for kids at the live Nativity)
2. Had Episcipols leave bread on my door step the very next day after I filled out a visitor card (stalkerish?)
3. Accidentally selected a predominantly gay community church (they were very nice and the choir was good)
4. Choked during a coughing fit and had to leave a Presbyterian service (bad cold, should have stayed home)