This was our first Sunday to try out churches here.  We had gone online and found Mark’s ward in Ferndale, just south of us.  I had also found a Mennonite Brethren church here in Birch Bay, and it looked like it was going to work out well because Mark’s ward meets at 9:00 and the MB church meets at 11:00.

The ward house was a little different than Mark was used to but the service went well.  They sang several songs this morning that Mark described as “comfort songs”.  They were the hymns he grew up with.  After the service a man came up and introduced himself and asked a few questions about us.  When he found out we’re job hunting, he pulled another man out of a meeting and introduced us.  The other man’s name is Mike and he is the ward’s employment specialist.  He took us into a little room and asked us about our education and work history.  He asked us what we’d like to do.  He took our names and phone number and said he was going to talk with someone else and he’d give us a call tonight, which he did.  The first man who introduced himself to us said he’d also bake some Danish and some bread and bring it to us tonight, and he just came briefly a few minutes ago and dropped off some Danish and a loaf of sour dough that were still slightly warm.

Then we went to the Mennonite Brethren church.  I had high hopes for it due to the years I spent in a Mennonite church in Portland.  This, however, was a terrible disappointment.  There were two official greeters at the door and they officially greeted us.  There was an official usher inside the sanctuary and he seated us in the middle of a row where the people on the end had to move to let us in.  The music was contemporary and words were flashed up on a screen at the front; no musical notes to give us a clue how to sing them.  There was a time at the beginning of the service when they instructed everyone to greet each other, but again, even though the greetings were given with a smile, there was no sense that anyone cared that we were there.  When the pastor gave his sermon, his notes were flashed on the screen so that we could follow what he was saying, but he rambled so much I still couldn’t follow what he was saying.  Mark tried to fight falling asleep, and as a result he had another vertigo attack.

After the service we left with no hindrance and I drove Mark home.  Fortunately, this time he had medication to help with the dizziness and nausea and it made him sleep all afternoon.  I finally went back and put my finger under his nose.  He sensed my finger there and asked, “Are you checking to see if I’m breathing?”  I had to laugh because that was exactly what I was doing.  He laid there for a few more minutes and then he got up.  He was feeling much better, thank God!

So we’re settled into Mark’s new ward, but I am still seeking a church home.  I hope I find one to plug into sometime soon!