A New Church Family... A New Journey Begins!

Our photo from Otter Creek which was shown when we placed membership.

Today Scott, Luke, and I officially placed membership at Otter Creek. This is the first time I have blogged any about the whole process that led us to this place. Changing churches is such a hard thing to do....

I have attended Woodmont Hills since my college days, and Scott and I placed membership there after we got married. So, I would guestimate that I have been affiliated with that church for going on 13 years in total.

The one thing that I hope is never construed from our decision to go to Otter Creek, is that we no longer "like" Woodmont Hills. The truth is that we will ALWAYS love Woodmont. It is such an amazing place with wonderful people. I know I would not be the person I am today without the instruction and experiences I had there. I treasured every moment that I had there.

So-- why the change? There are several reasons... When you are in your 20s-- and childless-- you have much different needs, spiritually speaking. You are somewhat self-absorbed in ways. Church is all about the sermons and to a big degree the social interaction. Woodmont was such a great place to be on all counts for us while we were in this stage of our life and spiritual growth.

When you hit your 30s, you start to re-examine your church in terms of "community." You began to realize that you want church to be much more than hundreds of acquaintances that you only see once or twice a week. You want church to be where you commune with those who are you dearest friends-- people who know you intimately and know your battles, pains, and struggles... as well as the joys. When you have children an entirely new level of needs develop. You want your child to grow up in a church of people who know them, love them... where they feel secure and happy.

And-- before I continue-- let me say... We have struggled SO SO much with all of this. There is a fine line with having your needs met in church and feeling "at home," and at the same time, not slipping into the "consumeristic" approach of "church shopping" when it becomes all about which church meets our criterion of what we think will make us spiritually content. I genuinely believe that we made our decision out of pure motives and that we have tried with all our hearts to carefully analyze our reasons for wanting to make the change.

So-- at some point, Woodmont just stopped feeling like "home." We felt like we had gotten lost in the crowd, and for me, I felt like Luke was getting lost. Woodmont is just big-- which is a testament to the wonderful things that happen there and the wonderful teaching that speaks to so many. We had NEVER considered attending anywhere else, but this summer, a restlessness arose in our hearts, and we started to consider other places.

We started to visit OC in August. We attended a new member's luncheon in early October on a whim... we literally were pulling out of the parking lot, and I said to Scott, "We really should go", and the next thing we knew we were eating chicken and sitting with a room full of others who were interested in making OC home as well. We left feeling like OC sounded like such a great place to be. We really connected to the vision and goals that were presented. We felt like it was a place we could be needed and used.

My bed rest put a kink into our plans to keep visiting since I wasn't able to attend church anywhere. Scott and Luke continued to go without me. But, sitting on the couch for two months gave me so much time to think about this decision and to discuss it over with Scott.

At some point, I think it came down to-- OC feels like a place we can grow and develop the strong sense of church community we are looking for vs. Woodmont doesn't feel like home anymore. I was also just tired of "riding the fence." I wanted to make a decision and go with it. I'm not really a middle of the road person when it comes to being involved-- I just want to jump in and start working.

So-- we thought that Christmas Day 2005 would be a special day we would always remember as the day we started our new journey with Otter Creek. It was a great day, and we feel like we have made a great choice.

We are aware that we are leaving behind many wonderful relationships and memories at Woodmont-- I don't even like pondering on it for very long because it makes me sad. We had invested over a decade there and it is always hard to close the book on such an important chapter in your lives. Woodmont was so much of my identity for so long. I will always love WH and the people and ministries there.

We look forward to our future with OC! We are really getting in at a hugely transitional time. Otter Creek will be moving to a new building at the end of February after 50 years in their current home. It is also hard for them to let go and move on, but also a time of great anticipation. We are thankful that we will be joining the "new era" of OC and are excited about what lies ahead!

Ultimately, we are all members of Christ's church. The people we fellowship with each week are just a tiny part of the larger universal family to which all believers belong. Our loyalty must first be to Christ alone-- above all other things, even the names above our church doors. Right?

So-- thus begins a new chapter for the Westerman crew! If you knew how much I truly hate change and transition, you would know what a HUGE step this is for us! But, I feel a wonderful sense of peace about placing membership, and I am looking forward to all the great things that lie ahead for us and for OC!