I'm new to the area and have had a rough start here, both personally and professionally. I was…read moretold this is a great bible-based church and that it would be good for me. I attended in person and online. The music was really wonderful and the message was nice. After my first in-person service, I stopped at the new member greeting area and filled out a card. The young man who greeted me there was very kind and even said a lovely prayer for me. I decided that I'd like to get more involved. When I got home, I signed up for some classes. But, there was nothing available to attend for several weeks (everything started in September--this church seems to be heavily centered on college students coming to the area in the Fall). The 'Pastor of Next Steps' sent a very nice greeting email later in the week. I replied and we agreed to meet at the next service. All good at this point! At the next service, I was feeling particularly emotional and vulnerable. But, did not want to miss meeting the pastor, as we had agreed. So, fighting through the crowd and my feelings, I searched for Tyler at the new member greeting area. There was a man there, but he wasn't wearing a nametag. I wasn't sure he was the right person. He was engrossed in conversation with several young women (probably students) and what looked like a mother. I stood nearby, waiting politely. I went completely unacknowledged for quite a while (felt like 15-20 minutes?) as they chatted away. I started to think I was wrong about him being the right person and stepped away to ask someone else--the pastor who had given the sermon was leaving the worship hall. He pointed me back to the same person I'd been waiting next to as he rushed by, with no smile and just the slightest pause. Hrm. I finally got a chance to speak with Tyler and we had a quick intro. I said I'd like to volunteer somehow, but in a low-stress position. We talked a little bit about my situation. He wanted to know more, and I hesitated, saying I'd probably cry if I went into detail. He assured me that was ok. So, I stood there pouring my heart out to this man in the lobby (awkward!) and crying while we talked about my situation and what I'd like to do for the church. I shared openly with him, but nothing cringe-worthy. When I paused, he took a beat and then said, "Wow, you went deep, fast," and had an expression of surprise and--if I'm not mistaken--discomfort. He said it twice and in the same tone with the same expression. I was suddenly so uncomfortable. Why invite someone to share and be vulnerable and then be surprised when they take you up on it...? He asked me to send him a list of my personal gifts before he would recommend a volunteer position. I agreed, but honestly just wanted to get out of there. I did not send the email about my many gifts. And Tyler did not send me another email, either. I also didn't get any follow-up emails about the classes I'd signed up for after that--surprised they didn't have any 'See you this Wednesday!' notes or, 'Looking forward to seeing you on Sunday!' reminders. Nothing. I did look into volunteering with the media team. But, for some reason, they asked in the online volunteer form if I'd accepted Jesus as my savior, which I thought was a pretty redundant question. The other volunteer opportunity forms I looked at did not ask that question. This place is likely not a right fit for me. But, it's a nice new church with great music and lots of kids and maybe a good fit for fresh, young faces and people without a lot of troubles. That's my impression.
