Welcome one another

I have attended many churches in my life. I don’t claim any particular doctrine, however I can say I have noticed differences in the various churches I have attended.
I strongly believe the Bible was inspired by God. I believe what is in the Bible is truth.
I don’t often tell anyone what they should believe. The Bible clearly instructs us to live our lives as an example. I don’t need to shove my beliefs in someone’s face to demonstrate my faith.
I have attended a couple of churches in the Lower Valley since I moved here nine-and-a-half years ago. It amazes me the difference in attitude more than doctrine.
The first church is a very popular church among community members. I am not entirely certain why since I not one time felt welcome at that church.
This struck me as odd. We are supposed to love one another and my experiences the many times I attended the church did not give me a feeling of love. I felt scorned or ignored each time I attended the church services.
I encountered people I knew in the community and attempted to say hello to them. Often times I received a wane hello in return and they moved on. Other times, the attitudes struck me as though certain individuals questioned my even being in their church.
It is not so much as what is said, but the body language and tone of said individuals was nothing I would consider friendly.
I am a straightforward, overt person. I approach others with a smile and eagerness that doesn’t always appeal to one’s sense of decorum, given certain circumstances. But, in church, I would believed the warm, friendly approach would be welcome.
The experiences at that particular church led me to wonder if people attend it because it is the popular place to be. So, I sought another church.
It was more by accident that I began attending the second church than merely deciding one Sunday to attend a specific service.
My first experience was when my oldest child was my only child. We went to an event hosted for children. The "family" of that church welcomed me, approached me to announce their pleasure at my attendance and invited me to stay longer for additional activities to follow the event.
They embraced me.
After that experience, I attended a few other events hosted by the second church, all the while attempting to give the first church time to grow on me.
The first church never did grow on me and I often wonder if anyone at that particular church even remembers I once entered their "sanctuary."
The second church has since become my "church family." I may still be a face many are gradually becoming familiar with, however the warmth and grace is there nonetheless.
The reason I write this is not to state that any church is good or bad, but merely to emphasize the fact that we all need to feel loved and welcome.
This community is a loving and welcoming community. There is a lot of warmth in the people of the Lower Valley.
In our daily lives, I believe there are people whom we encounter that feel as I had when I attended the first church.
I believe it is up to us to break that particular image when we are going about our daily routines and embrace the individuals we encounter as the second church embraced me.
We can all make a difference in how the community is perceived by just being warm and friendly.