My kiddo has had a difficult time in her short years finding a church that accepted her for who she is. She would attend other churches with her friends but found that while they preached love and acceptance, the reality was much different. She could never find one that would acknowledge that she could be the person she is and still believe in a Creator. Instead, otherwise supposedly mature adults would exclude her from their "club" by labeling her as immoral or against God and punishing her. She had to hide to be accepted amongst them and ultimately, that wasn't something she was willing to do.
A few weekends ago she was directed toward a church about a half an hour away from her house and her dad took her. The joy in her voice when I spoke to her on the phone afterward was enough for me to offer to take her this last weekend when she stayed with me. She was skeptical about that offer since she is well aware that I am atheist and haven't stepped inside a church (except for weddings and funerals) for more years than she's been alive. But I didn't hesitate. When she described it to me I figured that -- of all the churches I'd heard of so far -- this one would be all right with an atheist in their midst.
So on Sunday we put on our regular everyday clothes and attended a predominantly LGBT church.
I have to say that it was the best church experience I've ever had. The sermon and ceremony was very influenced by the Catholic tradition of mass and communion. Hymns were powerful, the sermon itself was short but inspiring, and everyone seemed warm and close and accepted. I spent the first part of the service watching from behind the pews and the second half in the welcome center drinking coffee and listening to the resonance of the music and the voices raised in song. For moments there, I actually felt that uplifting sense of communal warmth and belief and I must admit, it was a feeling that surprised me as it occurred. It felt good. I thought about it after it had dissipated and wished that feeling was something that could be sustaining in my life and could be a real presence instead of a brief flash. But it isn't. I'm well aware that my experience was nothing but a momentary sense of shared experience and not something that resides within me. However, feeling it was nice. It allowed me a deeper understanding why others that are capable of those profound beliefs consider it such an important aspect of their lives.
After the service I went into the Fellowship hall and looked around and was definitely the "odd woman out" but not in a bad way. Mingling with everyone seemed effortless and there was much laughing and kidding and catching up. No somber seriousness. I really felt comfortable.
Kiddo came out glowing. She's made some friends, she's happy, she's accepted. And that's worth it to me. I'll be taking her every Sunday she's with me and wants to go.
((Song: "Converted" by Alabama 3. Lyrics here: http://lyrics.wikia.com/A3:Converted))
