Going Grape

In January the pastor of the church we were attending submitted his resignation at a church business meeting. It was a shock, but maybe not so surprising. He gave only 2-3 weeks notice, so the church had to scramble to line up speakers until an interim pastor could be found. A pastoral search committee must be formed, with the first item being to find an interim pastor. Over the course of the next few months various people took turns giving the message.

A search team was chosen, but I felt they had overlooked a very important segment of the church - the youth and college-age. I was not encouraged about the future of the church. My husband had not been happy there for some time. I was co-teaching a children's Sunday school class. The other teacher was great, but it wasn't going well for me.

In April we received a postcard in the mail from the Vineyard Church in Kansas City North. My husband and I decided we would like to visit there. I was committed to my Sunday school class, though. My husband went by himself one week to the Vineyard that meets at the Northglen theater on North Brighton. The next week was Easter and my husband had to work a late shift. We decided to attend a Saturday afternoon service at Vineyard so we could attend church as a family, then my son and I would go to Sunday school at the other church on Easter morning.

The service at Vineyard was excellent. We went back the next Saturday and the next and are still going. I gave my notice to quit teaching Sunday school at the end of May. But until then we would go to Vineyard on Saturday afternoon and my son and I would go to the other church for Sunday school on Sunday morning.

One Sunday (probably in June) I decided I wanted to attend the adult Sunday school class at the other church. I hadn't been there in quite a while because I had been teaching Sunday school. I pretty much made my husband go with me. He hadn't been there in a long time. One person waved to me and another commented that both my husband and I were there, but no one else made any indication they were happy to see us.

Our son does not want to leave the other church. He enjoys the youth group there. I like the youth pastor there. So we have compromised for now. We attend Vineyard as a family on Saturday afternoon. On Sunday morning, my husband or I take our son to the other church for Sunday school, but we don't go in. I usually just wait in the car and have some time with God. We also take our son to the youth group activities there.

This morning my husband and I attended Vineyard 101, a class to become acquainted with the Vineyard church and what they are all about. They are all about what I want to be all about, to use whatever gifts I have to minister Christ's love to a world that needs Him so much. As part of the class, both my husband and I took the step toward becoming members of Vineyard KC North. We're going grape.