Veggie Chili

My new little church, at which I am very part-time, is so lovely they almost bring tears to my eyes.

It has been so interesting for me, after being at such a dysfunctional small place, to be in a place that is not dysfunctional, just small. I did not mean to start to love them...it was meant to be a step on the road to SOMEWHERE, because, wow, are they NOWHERE, take a left. It takes me an hour and forty-five minutes to get there for one hour of confirmation and one hour of worship, some visits, and then one hour and forty-five minutes home, not including my now-traditional stop for Subway.

Here are the two things that have stuck in my mind about them. I know it might seem like it's all about me, and okay, it sort of is, but they are also signs of the general health and compassion of this congregation.

First of all, they gave me a Christmas bonus. My last church did not EVER give me anything for Christmas, and did not give me so much as a card at our last worship service together, so this was huge. My new place is small, as I said, with not much money between them, but they still took up a collection for a gift because they value their pastor. I was completely surprised when they gave it to me, and I couldn't stop talking about it. A small, lovely, thing, in the midst of many friends/colleagues experiencing ugliness from their churches.

Second of all, today, they made me veggie chili. Last week in my sermon I had talked about how I had given up meat for Lent for the second time, and this week, there was a little pot of veggie chili next to the meat chili. Again, a small, lovely instance of someone actually caring.

I don't know how long this "relationship" will last...I'm an interim and they're so far away that there's no real potential for long-term. But I'm going to enjoy it while it lasts, to soak it up, to know that it's okay to feel safe and healed and appreciated, and in fact, it's the way things should be.