Asa playing before church. *sigh*
When we first moved to Atlanta we were fresh out off of a church staff. And it was not a nice exit. We were moving back home to lick our wounds, enjoy our new baby Lydia and try to figure out what God had for us. As the months progressed, we got more settled in Atlanta, began to enjoy being near our family, added a new baby Asa to our family, my husband started his own business and we realized we were happy just attending and volunteering at our church. If you’ve been around my blog from the beginning (THANK YOU!), you know this was a struggle for me–to go from pastor of hundreds of kids to mom of 2.
The first church we ever visited in Atlanta we only visited because it was a big “famous” church and we wanted to see how they did church so when we finally got back on staff at a church, we’d have some good research under our belts. Well, four years later, we’re at the same church and loving exactly where we’re at.
I am a “coach” over 3 classrooms in the preschool department, my husband and I lead singing for about 150 four year olds and we’ve bonded with our leaders, our other volunteers and parents. But we also drive 45 minutes to get there every week. And although I think it’s worth it, we finally realized we couldn’t do this forever.
Lydia will be starting Kindergarten this year. I want her best friends to be at church. But if we live 45 minutes away and her church friends live 45 minutes the other direction, how in the world will they be BFF? We’ve never been a part of a small group, never made any friends near us, rarely even gone out to eat with friends after church because we’re always going the other direction. Not to mention driving 2 kids for an hour and a half every Sunday, missing naps and having late lunches–and what that does to my sanity!
So, when we found out that a church in our area (LIKE RIGHT NEXT DOOR TO OUR HOUSE) was going to become the 4th campus to our 3-campus church, we got excited! In fact, we volunteered to be there before we even stepped foot into the church!
Next Sunday will be our last week at our campus. (Which I am very bummed about, of course–we’ve made some great friends there! *sniff*) Then we’ll be attending this new campus {which will be modeled and run exactly like the main campus} as volunteers and regular attendees!
Last Thursday I took the kids to the “new church” and we helped make new curtains, open new boxes of supplies and meet new people. I found out some people in our neighborhood have a 5 year old boy that goes to our new church, met some old friends of my brother’s and generally, people that shop at my same grocery store! I’m so excited to have some church community around me! I want to be able to talk to local people about the schools around me, find people who share the same values so we can go out to eat every once in awhile or even start a small group.
Since we’ve moved to Atlanta, I’ve hung out with MY friends {you know, people I’ve known since I was 4 or met online), but my husband and I need OUR friends. We need local couple/family friends and I am excited to find those people at our new next-door-neighbor church!
Do you have a church community near you?
{and because I really really like it, one of my favorite posts: GO TO CHURCH.}
We were driving 30 minutes one way to our church (where we are on staff). It was rough & felt the same way. Couldn’t be in a small group, LB couldn’t go to kids’ programs. So we moved last summer. Can’t sell our house so we’re renting it out & renting a house closer to church. I see church friends in the grocery store, we’re in a small group, LB has BFFs that she can see several times a week and one she goes to school with every day. What a blessing.
So happy that God opened up this opportunity for you, for your family and for your ministry! Yay God!
Thanks, Heather! 🙂
We made this switch before we had kids and it was moving away from my husband’s church where he grew up and his parents stil attended! Wheesh- it was hard! But we knew that the 30 min drive was holding us back from really participating- you know? And we found a church 4 minutes from our home that we love. LOVE. Our besties are there and we’ve been there for 8 years. You will love it and it WILL make a big difference! Love you, brave friend. 🙂
It sure helps that the campus is going to be exactly likethe main one. We were in exactly the same “sitch” and with 3 kids, we know what its like to not be able to be totally “plugged in.” When they announced one of 2 of the new campuses were being built in our same county, we were excited. Only to find it was the same distance as the main campus.
So we too moved, and just like Heather, it was the best move for us. We are now in a small group, we see kids that are in our small groups we lead in Transit, our kids see their friends, it’s awesome.
I was reminded again this week of the blessing of being part of a LOCAL church body. Two different families in our church needed meals this week (a new baby and a wife’s unexpected trip out of town), and within a few hours, our small church family had come together to put meals on their tables. What a blessing to be part of a community of believers who care for one another!
We changed churches about 4 years ago because of the drive and parking situation. The church was in the downtown area and parking was scarce. We are really happy at our new church and glad we are able to be a part of the church community.
**Sigh** While I am selfishly VERY bummed that I won’t see you every Sunday morning, I TOTALLY get the church move. I mean, that’s the entire reason we moved, to be closer to the main campus. So, I get it, and they are blessed to have you. In fact, I’ll be sending some emails this week to make sure they know how BLESSED they are to have you. 🙂
I will miss seeing you regularly, but now have an excuse to make a girl date with you. Yay!
Kathy! I was thinking the same thing! We need to have a Kathy/Sisterchick party soon!
Amanda, so happy this has worked out! We deal with a similar struggle, but our church is on the small side so no chance of a new campus. Still it’s nice to know that others have my same struggles, and it gives me hope. Blessings as y’all go forward in this new chapter!
We are ready for you to start coming to our church (ha–we’ve only gone there for a month, but still. I like to own it now. :))
I wish I had a church community. Growing up, I did and I enjoyed it. And once I was on my own and living in the city, I found a wonderful church that was so service and community oriented and I felt absolutely at home. But once we moved back to my small town, I found that my old church was floundering. Low attendance – nothing for the kids anymore, etc (I think it was a combo of a struggling community, an aging congregation, a sweet, but not-so-savvy or compelling pastor, etc). I tried for a long time to make it work for us (and tried to encourage friends to come back), but it just wasn’t happening. So now I am trying to find something that works for us, and it’s hard. I would like to go back to my city church, but it is such a long drive (more than an hour each way), and there’s no parking (I used to walk), that it’s not ideal. I just hope I can find another church nearby that feels like home.
It’s so interesting to me to see how different churches are organized and administered! In the Mormon church, everything depends on geography – cities are aligned into what are called “wards,” and you attend your chapel and your services based on what ward you live in. I guess I think of it the same I assume parishes and such are organized. The advantages are everything you’ve already mentioned – your church family includes your neighbors, school friends, etc. I love it this way, and am happy you’ll be feeling those same benefits in your new church. (although, I totally know what it’s like to move to a new congregation – that can be hard, too!)
Thanks for sharing this!!!
I am right now as we speak in the middle of trying to find a new church – closer and where my teen and tween can get connected. I currently live 20 minutes from the church I grew up in and have been on staff, like since I was twelve volunteering, choir, etc. But now I am realizing as Mr. M and I plan our futures together and where we plan to live for the schools, etc –it will be 35 minutes from the church and our kids jointly need a group they can not only see at church but also in the community close to home.
Help us pray as we get out there and start the search. We have been visiting local churches, but I have also been torn because my church family for the last 30 something years are at my church… so this new start has been a challenge as we make this quest for our new life adventure.
Thanks again for sharing – this has given me hope for what God can do for us!
Currently, we are 30 minutes from the closest church community people we know. And that just stinks. Especially since for the past 5 years of our marriage we lived down the street (or next door) to people in our church community. So to be that far removed is HARD. However, we have found a house that is on the same street as our new community of believers. We are set to close on the house this month, so I am praying like mad that everything goes through. It’s pretty awesome because the families that we know have kids the same age as our kids – and that just makes my mama heart so blessed.
When we moved last May we moved about 10 minutes away from our old house. We could walk to church from our old house. Plenty of people were in our n’hood who were in our church. Now we are in a subdivision that has many families from our church, but we just have to drive to get there. We love our church and the families in it. I’m so glad my kids will grow up there.
I’ve never commented before, but I was thrilled to read you are part of a mulit-campus church! Our church just launched it’s 2nd campus (the first besides the main one). We were part of the launch team. It’s been at ton of work, but an amazing experience. We have met so many more people than we had in almost two yrs at the first location. We can’t wait to see what God does next!
You should move to the boonies, and then driving 45 minutes to church would feel normal. Just kidding, although we do drive that far to church. LOL!
I do think it’s different when you live in a metropolitan area, and you’re driving past more than cows to get there. When I was in junior high, we went to a church 45 minutes away, and after a few years of that we finally moved closer to the church because we were getting so involved and the drive was killer. Thankfully, we moved to a house across the street from the boy who is now my husband…awwww…
I will miss seeing you on Sunday mornings and all our fun conversations in the coach’s room :o)but I’m happy for you and your family. Watermarke is blessed to have you and your hubby! Jessica
It’s always a big deal to change churches. We have had 3 churches in the 15 years we’ve been married. Two were “start ups” and I know how much work that is. But it’s also fun being involved from the ground up.
I think it’s important to have a church community that is nearby so you can truly be a community and care for one another. When we move out here to the new neighborhood, we changed to a church close by. (Our old one was a 35 minute drive from here. It had been literally 9 blocks away at our old home so that was QUITE a difference.)
I don’t think I’d want to drive more than 20 minutes to church – not because I mind the Sunday drive, but because of the other activities, and the friends issue for the kids, and having people around us to help out in times of need.
I’m so glad you’ve found a new church home that you’re excited about!
We’ve moved six times during our marriage and each time this has been an issue. Our church family means so much to us and living even 30 minutes away limits the amount of time we can spend with like-minded people who participate. We now lead a small group full of young couples (well, younger than us – finally our kids are the older ones!) and we love it! (Shout out to the N. Atlanta burbs!)
As our oldest neared middle school we changed congregations to a church that had a more active youth group. It wasn’t necessarily a bigger church, but one that was more focused on growing teens into who Christ had meant them to be…best move we ever made. My children all feel excited to go to church and it is not a chore and I see my teen (now headed to high school) leading others through her choices.
You are so lucky! We are still trying to “fit in” at our new church and I’m struggling. I’m not one to volunteer for everything and have been discouraged in a few ways that I’m finding difficult to get over. I’m so jealous! Keep us posted on how things are going.
I was reading Stacy’s comment at Tree, Root and Twig and I too attend the Mormon church which has congregations based on geography….but, we still live a half hour from our building and my children do not attend church with any of our church community, nor do we see any of them in the community. My children do not have many friends in our church community as it’s so small.
This post tugged at my heart. I long for a more local church community. We’re trying now to establish our ‘own’ friends and to branch out socially….it’s all so tricky when your church community lives so far apart!
oh, i am with you here. we left the church we had been in for 10 years – the church our kids had been born in – to find a church closer to home with more friends their age. it was a rough transition (or kids really hated it at first) but now we LOVE our new church! it has been such a blessing, and such an answer to prayer! i pray the same is true for you all! xo
We live about 20 minutes from our church – we’ve been there 20 years and I cannot imagine being anywhere else — even through the turmoil our church has gone through over the past five years or so. The Lord used staff at that church to save my marriage, and friends at the church to save my sanity. They prayed with me through 9 years of infertility and celebrated with the birth of each of our four babies (I literally had 20 people standing outside my delivery room door when Elizabeth Jane was trying to make her grand entrance…they wanted to hear her when she cried for the first time!). Precious, precious family to us even though we have blood family nearby.
Praying that all goes well for y’all in your transition.
I am so excited for you!!! I have chills.
I grew up in a pastor’s home, so church wasn’t too far. When I was in college I missed my “at home” church family that was 7 hours away. When the hubs and I got married, we lived 25 minutes from church and it felt soooooooo far. Our last house and the one where we are now were/are 1 mile from church. We have a small church, but many families are close in our rural community. I love, love, love our small church community. There’s nothing like it.
I hope this change find peace in your heart quickly. I have struggled to for year’s now to find a church in my community. I moved here in 1996 and the area I live in is Catholic or Lutheran, I am a christian. My husband is Catholic and would like to stay in our Catholic church, We were married there, baptized our twins there, and attend there, I have went to a few different churches before the twins were born, I attended the Lutheran church for a few years with my mother in law, I just havn’t found the place yet, I grew up with youth groups, and community, Although our church is huge in our small town, I never feel the feeling of community when I am there, I wish I could explain, I have a good understanding of both these religions, and I like both priests, but I dont feel the spirtual glow that I did at our calvary chapel, I have chosen not to convert to catholism, because there are parts of the beliefs I can’t accept in my heart, I continue to teach my kids as I have learned to accept God in there hearts and to have faith. there is no youth or childrens groups, they just sit with us and listen as we do(not easy for four year olds) I wish I could offer them more, I want them to feel about church as they do about God, I want the same for my husband too, I will keep looking and hopefully someday I will find it..
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