So I thought I'd come on over and reintroduce myself. I'm Hildegard (for the Irish saint, and because she's a woman), but I was Splashdown on the old board. Feels like that was ages ago. I was in a messy headspace where I couldn't figure out, to paraphrase a line from Steel Magnolias, whether to wind my head or scratch my watch. I got overwhelmed with a lot of things and had to step away for a bit from a few places.
In my lifetime I was a member of about twelve different congregations (I moved around a bit here and there). I also used to work recording seminars & lectureships. So that was fun. Flustered a few preachers when they couldn't figure out their microphone and I would walk up and fix it. Snicker.
I've been out of the CoC since the summer of 2011. My husband and I attended a very progressively liberal, but ultimately still dyed-in-the-wool! CoC, and one Sunday we just up and walked out in the middle of a sermon. No one said anything incendiary; it was one of those instances where we looked at each other and whispered, "Are you done? I'm done. Shall we go? If we leave now we can beat the lunch rush." We never went back.
Okay, there were other things that happened that summer, and previously, which led up to our departure. But we are rarely on the same wavelength, so I wanted to record that for posterity's sake. Y'all are witnesses.
Before that church, we attended an emotionally abusive, horribly manipulative smaller church that really bordered on cultish. So when we moved across country, we did for several reasons, but mostly to get away from that congregation and start over. Distance = headspace.
For a couple of years, the liberal church was the answer; but then I think we realized we'd outgrown the CoC in whatever form it was in.
Which brings us to now, I guess. The husband is considering becoming a catechumenate in an Orthodox church--when he gets out of bed on a Sunday morning. I consider myself a Celtic Christian, but there are no CC communities where I live, and I don't have the energy to start one. Maybe that will change someday--but for now I'm content attending an Episcopalian church.
We have encountered some resistance from our respective families, but nothing like what other people have reported--being drummed out of house and home.
If I had to guess, I think the fact we chose to leave all of it behind, and adamantly refuse to attend any COC for whatever reason, made an impression. We just decided, that if we're going to be the black sheep, then we'll be the black sheep. Black wool is in style around here.
Enough jibber-jabber. Hello to old friends and new ones! I hope everyone is well. To anyone having doubts about signing up on this board, come on in. I've been friends with most people here for awhile, and not one of them has given away my identity; they have been kind, considerate, and supportive.
