Finding a Home (Church)...

Hello, friends! 

When we were planning our Sabbatical (still living in CoMO), we knew that a big part of making Omaha feel like home would be us finding a church and building community that way. We figured that we'd move at the end of January, spend February looking for churches, then have a decision by March or April at the latest. That is what we like to call "wishful thinking." 

Friends, looking for a church is hard work! For one, there are a lot of churches in the area. Omaha is a well churched city, which means there are a lot of different options. For two, Meg and I had to decide what our core values were in what kind of church we wanted to be a part of? What was most important to us? Were there certain theological or ecclesiastical "must haves" or "can't haves?" There were a lot of questions and conversations that needed to happen around this decision. 

One of the things we decided to do after we first moved to CoMO was to look for a church together. I'd been going to a church before we got married but we wanted where we worshiped to be a decision we made as a married couple. Back then, our priority was a vibrant young couples population. Since we were new at being a married couple and Meg was new to CoMO, we wanted to make sure that we would have a community where folk were in a similar life stage and we could all go through those life stages together. We were blessed to have found that community and were happy to be a part of that church family. 

Moving to Omaha, our priorities were a little different. Now, a good children's ministry was high on our list. We were also looking for a church with ethnic diversity and one that affirmed women in leadership. When we first moved to CoMO, ethnic diversity and the affirmation of women in leadership were important values to us but they weren't deal breakers. What a difference a few years makes, eh? 

I'm happy to say that it was a few months behind schedule but we've committed to Bridge Church in Omaha. Along with a great children's ministry, a diverse congregation, and a woman on the pastoral team, Bridge also has great worship and is a walkable distance from our house. We've already walked to Sunday celebration a few times this summer. We are excited to be part of Bridge Church and are looking for ways to serve. Meg has already signed up to help with the Children's ministry and I've met with one of the pastors about potential leadership and training opportunities. 

No church is perfect. Our church in CoMO wasn't and Bridge isn't either. Still, we felt peace about attending then and we feel great peace about attending now. We're so thankful for the ways that we've been welcomed into the church community and are looking forward to this next season of growth. 

Have an excellent day! 

~Adam