Why?

I was reading Irene's blog today which has addressed the fact that we have not been very faithful about going to church on Sunday mornings. We do occassionally but have not gone much lately. This is a huge difference compared to when we lived in Texas. We were very faithful about going to church and those times were highlights of our week. We had even gotten to the point that we were attending regularly on Wednesday evenings for the first time in years. Since arriving in Delaware, we have not been as dedicated. It's very disheartening for us but there are reasons for this; even if they're not very good reasons. The best way to explain this is to describe our church experiences from TX and DE. So, let me elaborate.

TX: Large church, lots of options for adult Sunday School classes, all of the kids had Sunday School classes to attend (even John), large assemblies filled with lots of kids which means John's voice stims are less noticed, lots of friends who were encouraging about having us in church with John, wonderful Care Groups that changed each year allowing us to make friends with lots of people within the church, always a feeling of edification.

DE: Smaller church, not many options for Sunday School, James's Sunday School has kids 2-3 years older than him, there's no Sunday School for John, smaller assembly makes John's voice stims feel like every person is turning to look at us, fewer friends, Life Groups that don't ever seem to change (you're in one group for life), not feeling very edified.

These are no excuse for not being faithful to attending. I've realized, the older I've gotten, that there is a specific reason behind God calling us to meet together. It's not because we can't be saved unless we go to church every Sunday. It's because we need that constant encouragement from our brothers and sisters in Christ in order to be able to face the world around us. Also, as parents, it's our responsibility to put our children in a routine of meeting with other Christians. They don't pick that up on their own. If we're not going to church, we're less likely to give that encouragement to our kids. We notice that, when we're not in the routine, James is very aversive to going. Back in Texas, there were times that he didn't want to go but when we were going regularly, it became an expectation. That's a good habit! I pray that God will help us settle in and become a part of a church here. In the meantime, we dearly miss our friends and family at the A&M Church of Christ!