Today I attended an organized religious event for the first time in almost seven years. Or is it eight? By "organized religion" I mean Christian. Lutheran to be specific, in this case. Our friend and neighbor is organizing the Vacation Bible School for the summer and I said I would take Noah. So this morning we were off to St. Paul's in South Minneapolis to take part in the "Kingdom of the Son: A Prayer Safari."
Before the festivities started, Noah was playing with other kids in the nursery so I took a walk around to see the sanctuary. It was an old church. Musty and worn around the edges. "World worn" if you will. The stained glass windows were simple and the decorations were dated from at least a couple of decades ago. I didn't feel at home here, but it did make me miss the church home I don't have.
The last time I atteneded church regularly it was in a community center in Uptown. A rag-tag bunch, but it was home for me. Almost. During college I attended my parent's church (which at the time was Evergreen Community Church. Wierd ass mother fuckers. Seriously. How can you be a church and not believe in sin? They might as well call themselves Unitarians.) or whatever church my friend's were going to.
When I was younger, I attended Bethany Missionary Church in Bloomington. I was there from the time I was 2 and my parents moved there to attend college, to about 22. The VBS there was amazing. Decorations were over the top, there was a music band, something planned for every second, and at least 100 kids attended. My memories of them are good. But my memories of Bethany as a whole are not so good. Most of what they did was enable my parents to spiritualize the alcoholism and abuse that was going on in our home. I'm sorry, but my Dad flipping out is not due to Satan, but the bottle of Jack Daniel's he just consummed. And no, I don't want to speak in tongues, I want someone to pound some sense into my mom to leave the cocksucker. THAT would be helpful, thanks.
(Insert throat clearing noise here.) Noah's first VBS experience wasn't the same as mine. But at least it's a first step, for him and for me into the world of organized religion again. I have my beliefs. I have my spirituality. I don't "need" church. But sometimes, I think it might be nice.
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3 comments:
oh, lisa keathly, renee and i are ooohing and aahing right now over those blog posts. we really wish, right now that we were with the keathly/mullans in downtown.... and we deathly miss jimmy johns. long pours and liters of makers. which we are imbibing as we type... not a lie. am i not as witty as you remember? start saving up for vegas, love, dean and renee....
DEAN! How come you never post? Give us something to read, man. And let me know your e-mail address to while you're at it.
RENEE! What up sis? Besides work, Maker's and Dean. Anything going on? Gotten out to the beach? Gotta work on that tan, babe.
Oh, and yes, Dean, you are the wittiest of the witty. Renee is a lucky chicka.
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