Chi-town

Just came back from an amazing weekend in Chicago.

• Friends
• Friends doing your hair
• Friends with adorable dogs I used to dogsit
• Friends from afar
• Meeting new people
• Cute baby (rare)
• The WEATHER
• Skyping friends
• Strolling through Wicker Park and discovering unique cafes, bookstores, and cafe/bookstores
• Strolling along Lake Michigan at night with old friends and new, with the city lights and skyline across the water—having deeper conversations
• The WEATHER
• Church of the Beloved
• Worshipping God so deeply in what feels like a very, very long time
• Worshipping with the faithful
• Discussing all the mutual friends I have with new people/friends
• Sermon series on dating haha
• [A church actually having the guts to do something to address a need; a singles mingle and dating series to address the desire of singles to be married, but who don't necessarily know how to do it well (dating); even if such an event may be imperfect or uncomfortable for many, at least they are doing something; stagnation in a church/lack of trying anything even when there is a known need or problem makes me fiercely angry; perhaps I need to clarify this—lack of church leadership promoting a change that is practical and actionable, rather than just saying words or preaching to a congregation that they need to change x or y because the Bible says so; related to my next and last point]
• Thinking several times that it was absolutely the right decision to leave Houston—that it was truly God's call, and not just my own fickle heart, for a lot of reasons

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It's interesting—the different ministry focuses (foci?) different churches have. At Beloved, the majority of attendees seem to be young adults/young professionals. For some reason, it made me feel like more of the ministry teams/sermons/preaching style was geared towards that audience (well maybe duh, that would only make sense). And for many other churches I've attended (in Houston), that focus on young professionals is the same. But here in Indy, at CCCI, I think one of our biggest ministries is the youth. A lot of resources get poured into the youth group here—perhaps because there are so many youth; we lose them once they leave for college [a lot of people tend to leave Indy]; they are pressured by the stereotypical Asian parents, and we want to in some ways counteract that and emphasize God above all those other things; so middle/high school is the only time we can really set a firm foundation for them, in hopes that it all sticks through college and beyond; and also we don't get as many young adults that move here, and the older generation has basically stayed the same (my observations—not necessarily true).

It reminds me of something my pastor here once posted—something about ministry also getting done in quiet places/behind the scenes. The idea that our youth group is one of our biggest ministries (if not the biggest) is striking to me. Though big city churches try to reach young adult/adult populations (and try various tactics to attract people to come and stay), my church here tries hard and pours in so many resources to grow these kids in Christ while they're still young, impressionable, and here. It's not necessarily as flashy as hip, modern churches, but I know the heart that goes into it. It is striking that God's work is being done so well in such a small, boring city in Indiana (and yes, I believe it is being done well).