Week 19

I've struck an oasis of potential last Sunday when we finally found the church we'll likely be attending.  My wife was slightly freaked out about it at first because she thought the name sounded corny- 'The Love Church' but I was pretty determined to give it a chance.  It turned out to be one of the most joy-filled worship services I've attended in years, coupled with a down-to-earth preacher, even though he's called a Bishop- a bit odd for one used to 'pastor' or maybe 'Brother so-and-so'.

We met Bishop Jim and his wife Joan after the service, he'd picked new faces out of the crowd and seemed genuinely interested in knowing more about us.  He even sent an email later in the week that probably took 30 minutes to write and definitely wasn't cut-and-paste.  I found that impressive.  Usually the courtesy calls start coming after a church realizes you are a faithful giver.  I hadn't put a thing in the plate yet.

We met an associate pastor (unsure if that's his official title) who just started an orphanage in Haiti, named John and his wife, Heather.  He said he named the children's home Heather's House because he didn't want to argue with his wife about the name.  He's a good natured fellow, really fun to visit with.

The last name that I retained on our first visit was Bernie.  A middle-age mustached mailman who loves to talk.  I was bombarded with other names and wagging hands, but those were all of the names that managed to stick after the first visit, but we'll be back!