People

Ely, IA

Hello,

People have certainly made our lives worth living. It is so nice to reconnect with the people in the Ely congregation after being gone for almost 13 years. After we move to Cedar Rapids, we will join a church there and not see so much of these individuals.

It is a whole new experience for us to join a congregation with Leroy not being the pastor. In the US this has only happened once before. I remember going to the churches in Moorhead, MN and learning that it takes a great deal of courage for me to go to a church where no one greets you. Admiration is what I feel for people who can do this and come back. You know when we come in as the pastor’s family; there is an instant welcome and inclusion. Going in as someone off the street, creates a situation of worries about getting to know others.

Because we are coming back to a congregation here it is again easy to talk to these dear familiar faces. I feel cared for.

Now I wonder what it will be like when we visit the church in Cedar Rapids. In a few of them we might know some of the people there, but for the most part we will be strangers. Too bad churches don’t hire people to come in as unknown visitors and report back to them just what their experience was like. My guess is that many of these “friendly” churches do not quite live up to their idea of themselves. After all who of us would say that we are unfriendly just because we did not make an effort to include someone else?

Moving from people to birds, I have seen my first robins of the year. There were two of them searching out some good morsels in the yard. But it should be just the first of many as our weather is becoming quite nice with above normal temperatures.

Paula