Morning Tea

I enjoy tea, not so much in the morning because I drink coffee. But in the afternoon or at night, it is quite enjoyable. There is something very relaxing about it. Last weekend, my church hosted a women's tea. But they needed women to actually host the tables. Even though I know quite a few people at my new church since it was my old church, it was a great way to jump into serving in the church. Even though it was only for a few hours.

Trying to figure out what theme to have for my table was rather daunting. Since it was the weekend before Valentine's Day, I thought it would be a fun theme to have. I picked a centerpiece that I wanted to make and had several other ideas, but the cost was getting to be a little too high and my time was getting a little too low. So that theme was scrapped.

After walking around Hobby Lobby several times, I saw some black chargers that were 50% off. SCORE! My theme was going to black and white - easy and classic. But now about the tableware. As a hostess, I needed to provide a table cloth, plates, water glasses, tea cups and saucers, flatware and a centerpiece. All of my dishes are in Pennsylvania so I was a little out of luck there. Thankfully, Toledo is home to Libbey Glass, so I was able to get some glass plates for relatively cheaply. I also bought water goblet for $1. Another bonus buy!

So now it was time to decorate the table. This is a little more fun for me. I had an idea in my head, so I was moving full steam ahead. My mom helped to prep the food, so she was able to give me a little insight to what was already up on the tables. I used roses for my centerpiece from an image I found on Pinterest. I was really pleased with how it turned out.

I even did a fancy little napkin fold. It was actually pretty easy thanks for the step-by-step directions I found. By the way, what did we do before the internet?

All in all, the event was great. The food was so yummy! And the company was great. Now I have a full year to decide what I am going to do next year.

The Church Hop

When I lived in Illinois, I loved my church. It was fantastic - the music, the preaching, everything. It was also a very large church, some would say mega-church, but it still felt like home. I was involved in a small group and went to their singles ministry meetings. So although thousands of people might be there on a Sunday morning, I didn't feel like a face lost in the crowd. I can't accurately describe it, but there is something very special about that church.

After I moved to Pennsylvania, I knew I would have a hard time finding a church because I would want to compare it to my previous church. That would not be a fair assessment. No two churches are the same. For a year I struggled with finding a church. And then I found out my church in Illinois was planting a church right near me. I was beyond excited! I got involved right away before the church had even launched. After the church launched, I volunteered and hosted a small group in my home. But after almost 2 years, something just didn't seem to fit.

So for the last several months, I have been looking for a new church. It feels like I am back at the beginning again. Finding a church is hard. Now, with the convenience of technology I can check out a church before attending a service. I am able to look at their website to see what they believe, what kind of ministries they have, etc. I can even listen to a full Sunday service. This has been helping me narrow my search. Before I even step in the door, I can see if they are a church that is Bible-believing and Bible-teaching.

Another aspect of my church search is that I don't know where I am going to be in a year. There is a high probability that I may not even live in the area next year. That makes it hard to want to get involved knowing that I am not going to be able to fully commit. Lots of praying needed to go on here.

Thankfully, I serve a God who is everywhere and not just in the four walls of a church building.