Where do you belong?

Ever had those days? Where do I belong? What a I doing here? Aside from the obvious, being a mom, wife, daughter, sister (in law), sometimes I feel like I'm not sure where I belong.

The one that has really started this (and you may have guessed if you are on any of the message boards I'm on) is where I (Arnold and myself to a point) belong in my church.

When I was in Jr High we had a group called QUEST! We were the 'coolest of the cool' wanting to get into the Sr. High group and be the 'older, smarter' ones of the group. Once we got to the Sr. High group, called IMPACT, it was who could be the drivers, who would be the ones to hang out with all the other 'older' people. Then I left for school. When I came home I was considered part of the "College and Career" group. It was so much fun. See during the week each group had their own meetings/Bible study time. QUEST and IMPACT would meet on Wednesday nights, and C&C would meet on the weekends. Every Sunday night was a BIG HUGE GROUP! We all got together and had "Sunday School" at night. It was so much fun. You got to know everyone in the group. It seemed like you never really 'out grew' the C&C group. Those in C&C would help as drivers for other events, hanging out when wanted/needed and always someone to talk too.

When I officially moved to Edmonton we attended a church there that was wonderful. We met so many new people by joining into a small group. Once a week we would get together at someones house and have a Bible study and hanging out. It was great. The best part, most, if not all of us had kids! It was so much easier to get to know people who were in the same situation as we were. I loved having other moms to talk to and other woman to understand "where I was coming from".

Now we are in Toronto. We are at a great church and really enjoy the company of others. Over the past 3 years we have started to find our places in church. We have started a ministry in our house for the College And Career group. We started it as a way to get to know people in that age group (ours) and to feed them. That's something I do! I feed people. To me feeding someone a meal has always been a comfort thing and I love it.

Lately I found that I don't "fit/belong" in that group anymore. We have a very tight knit group of people that have been there since, what seems like, day one. If they weren't friends from church they are family members, or related in some way, shape or form. I love them all dearly. It has taken a bit to get 'into' that group. They are so knit they don't seem to have room for others who weren't invited by any of the core people.

Our C&C group that met at our house is almost the 'rejects so to speak. It's not something that is talked about, kind of just, understood. Which is fine. We have alot of fun together and get to know each other so much.

As I said before, lately I just to seem to 'belong' here. In no way am I saying I have outgrown any of these people just that I feel we have all outgrown our title. I don't feel that we are any college kids. In fact any of the people in our church that are in college or university leave the city, or don't come to church anymore. So it's not that we don't fit in that group. And I don't feel like we are part of the "career" group either. We aren't just starting out, and because we have children, I feel as if we are past that group somehow.

I introduced myself to someone at church the other week and I invited her to come to C&C at our house. She said she wouldn't because she is older than she looks. I asked how old she was. 29. She will be 30 in a few months and is "too old" for C&C. Too old? Oh my... am *I* too old? This isn't the first time I have had this conversation either! I've invited a few people to come and always the responce is "I'm too old/that's not really my age group/I'm beyond college, WAY beyond". Wow really?

After talking with one of the pastors at the church, and finding he agrees we are 'missing' a group. It's a large group as well. Not one you want to miss out on. More so if you don't have 'anything' for that group and they leave your church looking for a new one.

Now I'm on a mission. Think of it as a new ministry. I'm trying to find a place in the church, somewhere I belong, and somewhere others can belong as well. It's hard. But I know God meant for everyone in the church to have a place and now I'm going to try and find it.

Any suggestions on a name for this group? Bible study ideas? Group stats? Anything? What does your church do? Do you wish you had something in your church area? Please let me know I'm not alone!