So, I’ve been exchanging emails off and on with a pastor of a church in South Riding.  I’m not sure why I’d emailed him initially to begin with, but our email correspondence goes back to August.  I think I was mostly just bored when I did.

But, I have to admit, he managed to impress me with his attitude, geniuneness and honesty.  He took my somewhat confrontational and caustic questions in stride and came up with original answers.  Not something that looked like it’d been cut and pasted straight from the bible or something.  His answers were unique enough that I was actually intrigued and curious about his actual church.

So, for some reason, I actually went to his church this morning.  I’d intended on going a couple of times previously; however, sleep got in the way of this.  Well, after a friend called me to torment me with Neil Diamond music at 0930 hours….I was awake and so, I went. (Oddly enough, this is the same friend that called at 0730 in the morning to talk about God and try to save me again)

It was very weird to be in “church” again, but thankfully not as weird as it could have been had they had their own building.  They have church in a high school auditorium, so it was pretty secular as far as the “decor” goes.  Most of the attending group were in jeans, so it was fairly casual as well.  I have to say that both of these factors made it MUCH easier to be there.  I definitely felt odd and uncomfortable during the times of “prayer” though.  I’m not the type to bow my head and “fake it” so as to not stick out.  I’d rather be honest and real even if it’s not what everyone else around me is doing.

I didn’t really meet anyone other than making sure to introduce myself to the pastor I’d emailed previously.  But I was hoping to not meet anyone honestly, and had strategically made it difficult for people to introduce themselves to me (came in after worship had already started, positioned myself so that I was in an area where no one else was sitting close to me, and just, during the meet & greet, not make eye contact with anyone).  I don’t trust myself to not be brutally honest in a way that some Christians just can’t handle, and I just didn’t feel like being that antagonistic this morning.

I thought it only fair though since we had been emailing to introduce myself to the pastor, and I’d went up after and talked with him for a bit.  It was a refreshing change to not have a pastor trying to push answers/religion/bible onto me, there are so very few that don’t do that.  I’m thankful that I now know 2 who are not like that.  I don’t mind religious discussion with people that I respect their views on faith and religion, I actually really enjoy that.

What struck me most was he made sure to make me feel welcome again, without trying to pressure me into coming again.  It didn’t seem like he had that second agenda that many pastors often seem to have of “okay, what can I do to get this person saved in the next 10 minutes!”  He also seems to have the same views on the church (in America), the path it’s taken, and how pharisaical it has become.

So, as much as I hate the church, christians and christianity, I can completely respect this church (well, so far).  I have no idea if or when I’ll go back though.

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