MOUTHWASH

Yesterday we visited a new church located just 5 minutes down the road. It is the church that Aleigh's best friend (Abby) and her family attend, and it's the same type of church (non-denominational) that we were attending in Peachtree City. We love the church we have been going to in Peachtree City (Southside Church) but we often don't go due to the 30 minutes we need to give ourselves to get there and get the kids to their classes in order to get a seat in time for the service to begin. Southside is very laid back, some people even come to church in flip flops, but often the women were dressed in dress pants or skirts. They have a great childrens program and really make it a lot of fun for the kids so that they don't look at church as boring or uneventful.

Well, just last Tuesday Aleigh and I met Abby and her parents for dinner at Chickfila because Abby's mom (Helga) and I, were taking the girls to Jumping Jellybeans (a bounce house place). During dinner I asked Abby's dad (Jason) what he did and his response was "I am the teaching pastor at Community Christian Church here in Sharpsburg." That of course opened the door for me to ask a lot of questions about their church. Well, come to find out, it's the exact same concept as Southside (the church we attend in Peachtree City). The difference is, it's only 5 minutes down the road, it's in the community we live in, and all of Aleigh's closest friends go there...not to mention a few of AJ's. Well after hearing about it, I thought we should give it a chance and go visit. I kept an open mind and explained exactly what we were doing (visiting) to the kids. Since Joe has been traveling to Texas all weekend to move Adam back, he wasn't able to go with us. Well, we all LOVED the church and felt so welcome! The series they are teaching right now is called "Mouthwash." Basically it's all about how lethal of a weapon our mouths are! It was something EVERYONE could relate to! The kids learn the same things that we are learning but in a fun way as a "large group" through song, dance and games. AJ's class had an air hockey table, ping pong table, and movies in it. Aleigh's room had video games in it. They had a BLAST and didn't even realize how much they had learned until we came home and talked about how hurtful words can be and even though we might think something about someone that isn't nice, that doesn't mean we have to say it! Yes, I am learning with them as well...as much as I hate to admit that! At Christian Community I was totally over dressed in my black dress pants and blouse! Everyone seemed to be in shorts and flip flops! It was so relaxed! The girls in the nursery really enjoyed Ansley and she was great for them! When we came home the kids were so excited about it they kept trying to talk over eachother! AJ has 3 friends in his class that he went to preschool with and a couple from Thomas Crossroads Elementary. Aleigh's little boyfriend, Alden, her best friend Abby, the twins (2 close girlfriends), and her friend Ava were all in her class. They keep asking me when we get to go back to church! When I shared all of this with Joe he was thrilled and is anxious to go back next week. My mom even said she would like to go and check it out as well!

Joe and I feel like it's important to find a way to be more involved in the community that we live in, rather than the community we work in! I doubt there is a single church in Peachtree City where Joe wouldn't run into, at least, a few students. The kids sometimes know a few of the kids because of karate, but going to a church in our community where the kids can associate w/ other kids that they go to school with is awesome. It also gives us a chance to meet and get to know their parents. We still love Southside Church in Peachtree City, but we need to do what's best for us and the kids, and having a church, that we enjoy just as much, right down the road is a huge plus!