I love my church....

But....

We have had a wonderful, quite relaxing summer. Yes, we have been all over the country, gone many weekends, and now are finally getting back into the swing of things, but it's been a wonderful summer. Now, as school gets back underway, so do church activities, and I'm starting to remember why summer was such a needed respite. Mike and I were talking last night about when we could meet his parents for dinner on Sunday afternoon, something that we try to do a few times a year. We had scheduled it for this Sunday, but scheduling conflicts arose, so now we're looking for another day. Well, already, before the summer has even ended, that is getting difficult, mostly because of church activities.

Part of it is our fault. We like to be involved, and going to a small church like ours means you have to be involved. And everything sounds good, until I start jumping in and can't quite doggy-paddle to Respite Island. I'm starting to feel that way already, as I look at our calendar and realize how busy we've made ourselves again.

Sunday School (I've decided to teach this year). Small groups (Mike is coordinator, and we host one at our home 2-3 times a month). Bible Study (Every Thursday). Choir (Sunday evenings, before small group at our home). Outreach committee (I've been tasked with setting up an ESL program, which once it is set up I will have to find/train volunteers, or do the tutoring myself!). Worship team (Wed. evenings, early Sunday mornings). Friday Night Live (our young adult group that I coordinate). Everything very well-intentioned, and meaningful, but put together in one lump sum, can be seen as quite a load.

I think it's because we love our church family that we want to be a part of making her ministry exciting, and we want to share our gifts in these ways. But is it a problem when Sundays, our "day of rest", becomes a day when you can't even fit in a dinner with family? Is that meaningful ministry, or an inability to say no? And what about my duties as homemaker, wife, mother, and employee? Do they get put on the back burner because of church? Is that what church should be? Busy?

Where would the early church be placing their priorities? They took care of each other. Isn't that what I'm doing when I get involved in church?

Questions, not easily answered. But regardless, here we go....