Church

When I moved out here I had no idea that one of the biggest decisions I would need to make quickly would be finding a church. In college I had chosen a church from the 3 or 4 churches most UR students attended--I wanted to go to church with my friends. From those few churches I chose according the theological beliefs of the denominations. It was during my junior year that I discovered my theology most aligned with the PC(USA) church and I therefore became a member of Third Pres.
Moving to Pasadena I predicted the church hopping process to be quick--I now knew what denomination I was and there couldn't be that many choices, right? I began attending churches based on others' recommendations. I soon discovered that there were many types of PC(USA) churches with many differences. There were churches with 30 members, churches with 1500 members, conservative churches, liberal churches, various types of ethnic mixes in congregations, different emphases on ministries, churches an hour away, and churches 5 minutes away...to name a few categories.
By the middle of my second quarter I was exhausted from visiting different churches and longed for a place to call my home. I had over-analyzed the churches so much that I could create a complex Excel spreadsheet with all the pluses and minuses of each church.
I then realized that it wasn't this Excel spreadsheet that would make my decision for me, but that God was calling me to a church. I then thought back to my very first visit to a PC(USA) church in Pasadena, and remembered the feeling of peace I had in attending that service. The answer had been in front of my face the entire time!
I am at San Marino Community Church--a beautiful church about 10 minutes away in the middle of the tiny suburb of San Marino, CA. The church just received it's new pastor and I am excited to see how San Marino grows and changes.