Church

One of the most challenging parts of moving to OBU has been finding a church home. The first month of school I visited several different churches with my group of friends. We went to large churches, and small churches. Sometimes, the group of visiting college students nearly doubled the size of the church, and sometimes I felt lost in the sea of people in attendance. Most of the churches I visited (actually, I think all of them) have been Baptist churches. There seem to be an abundance of Baptist congregations in the area.
A couple things have been interesting to me throughout this search. First, I've found that I expect several things of the people in churches. I expect them to be very warm and welcoming when I come through the door. I expect them to greet me and try to include me in their church family. I also expect the people in the church to be involved and working for the good of the body. Whether these are appropriate expectations or not, I'm not sure, but I have noticed them in me as I've walked through this process.
Secondly, I believe that the Church is one of the most important institutions in the life of a Christian. Because of this, I've made it high on my priority list to find somewhere where I can attend regularly and get to know people outside of OBU. Because OBU is a Chirstian school, it can sometimes feel like I live in a church. This is partly true. I live with members of the Church. But I have found that there is something special about being a part of a church body with people of all ages.
One more thing comes to mind as I think about finding a church home. I have struggled somewhat with the purpose of the church in the lives of it's members. I desire to serve the church where I attend, but I also desire to be fed by the teaching and fellowship. Ideally the church would have both of these functions, but in my experience, this is not always true. So the question arises, If the church does not feed me, should I not attend? Or, if there is no opportunity for me to serve the church (and i'm not sure if this is possible), should I keep looking? Is it mandatory to have both of these in order to be a good church? Will I ever find a perfect church in an imperfect world? While I realize that it is more important to be serving than to be served by a church, I also know that spiritual food is very important. Obviously, I am still sorting through this. Feel free to leave a comment if you have any thoughts.

If you are wondering, I have found a church that I have been attending regularly. It's a medium sized Baptist church that I attend with my cousin. I've enjoyed serving them with my violin, and i'm looking forward to being more involved with the college class this next semester.