church hopping

This morning found me engaged in the same activity as the previous two Sundays-attending area churches other than my own.

2 weeks ago I was at the larger of the Pentecostal churches.
Last week was the Alliance church.
Today was the Evangelical Free church.

I've felt inspired to embark on this pilgrimage to experience other parts of the Christian family within my own town. (It may also have come partly from reading the book Jim & Casper go to Church. See my earlier post.)

So far, the most enjoyable part has been running into folks that I already know. This includes, of course, the ministers as I have monthly meetings with them at the Ministerial Association. But it also includes a variety of people, at each church so far, that I've either met or come to know from other interactions within the community. It's also interesting to be an attender as opposed to the leader/performer. I find myself both enjoying aspects of my experience that I'm sure many churchgoers enjoy and asking the ever present (to me) why about so much of what is done. The differences between the congregations are very minimal, at least on the surface. The colors and flavors vary, but the substance of what goes on is the same. For all intents and purposes, I could be visiting different congregations/flavors of my own denomination and having a similar experience (except for meeting the particular people that I'm meeting).

I plan to keep hopping from group to group each Sunday, eager to meet more familiar faces and to be open to what God may want to teach me from this experience.