Today...
...was awesome.
I managed to get myself up in time to go to a church service at a church that I'd been considering going to. I hadn't made a real concerted effort to find a church up here ever since I moved here. Part of it was just anxiety from the idea of throwing myself into a congregation where I don't know anyone at all, and most of it was a really big fear of rejection (because even when I'd first started up here, I was telling myself I was bi AND I was still in the closet as far as Moscow was concerned). But then I found a directory of gay-friendly churches in the area just recently, and I was really happy to see that there were affirming churches right here in Moscow! I had to check the church's website just to make sure I wasn't imagining it, but it was true. Right there in the info:
We Warmly Welcome
People of all ages and of all mental and physical abilities.
People of every gender identity and sexual orientation.
People who are single, widowed, divorced, separated, partnered, or married.
People of every color, culture and economic circumstance.
Anyone who feels or has felt excluded or abandoned.
I never thought churches like these truly existed outside the Metropolitan Community Church (which I feel leery about, maybe not for good reason) or Unitarianism (whose theology I disagree with). And this was a Lutheran church. I felt like the service was totally sound and that it was definitely biblical, and everyone was very, very, VERY friendly and welcoming. (I was even told to bring my oboe next time after the music director found out I'm a music major!) Of course I never disclosed my orientation, but I expect that will come up as I start developing friendships with these people, because I'm definitely going to be going back. I felt God with me the whole time; I'd prayed that He would make it a positive experience that I would be able to return to, and He definitely came through for me.
If it gets far enough, I definitely want to look into becoming a member of that church. I wonder what I would have to do to do that, though. I've been baptized in my original church, but my church didn't do confirmation or anything like that, so I think I would have to do that, which probably means catechism also. I think it'd be good for me, though, because I'm starting to realize how painfully little I actually know of the Bible itself. I guess we'll have to see where things go from here.
And then friends were in town unexpectedly. Yay! I'm too tired to really write about it right now, but I'm really glad that MaryEllen called me because I had more fun tonight than I'd had for a while now.
I got called to work tomorrow, but hey, I'm not going to complain too much. All the extra hours I work will show up on my paycheck, and that will be awesome. Plus, I get to work with Izzy tomorrow! :)
I managed to get myself up in time to go to a church service at a church that I'd been considering going to. I hadn't made a real concerted effort to find a church up here ever since I moved here. Part of it was just anxiety from the idea of throwing myself into a congregation where I don't know anyone at all, and most of it was a really big fear of rejection (because even when I'd first started up here, I was telling myself I was bi AND I was still in the closet as far as Moscow was concerned). But then I found a directory of gay-friendly churches in the area just recently, and I was really happy to see that there were affirming churches right here in Moscow! I had to check the church's website just to make sure I wasn't imagining it, but it was true. Right there in the info:
We Warmly Welcome
People of all ages and of all mental and physical abilities.
People of every gender identity and sexual orientation.
People who are single, widowed, divorced, separated, partnered, or married.
People of every color, culture and economic circumstance.
Anyone who feels or has felt excluded or abandoned.
I never thought churches like these truly existed outside the Metropolitan Community Church (which I feel leery about, maybe not for good reason) or Unitarianism (whose theology I disagree with). And this was a Lutheran church. I felt like the service was totally sound and that it was definitely biblical, and everyone was very, very, VERY friendly and welcoming. (I was even told to bring my oboe next time after the music director found out I'm a music major!) Of course I never disclosed my orientation, but I expect that will come up as I start developing friendships with these people, because I'm definitely going to be going back. I felt God with me the whole time; I'd prayed that He would make it a positive experience that I would be able to return to, and He definitely came through for me.
If it gets far enough, I definitely want to look into becoming a member of that church. I wonder what I would have to do to do that, though. I've been baptized in my original church, but my church didn't do confirmation or anything like that, so I think I would have to do that, which probably means catechism also. I think it'd be good for me, though, because I'm starting to realize how painfully little I actually know of the Bible itself. I guess we'll have to see where things go from here.
And then friends were in town unexpectedly. Yay! I'm too tired to really write about it right now, but I'm really glad that MaryEllen called me because I had more fun tonight than I'd had for a while now.
I got called to work tomorrow, but hey, I'm not going to complain too much. All the extra hours I work will show up on my paycheck, and that will be awesome. Plus, I get to work with Izzy tomorrow! :)