Love this piece, Marilyn Flower! Luckily I haven’t been spiritually bullied (I call it “spiritual arrogance “— the whole speck-and-log thing), etc., at any church. The main thing I encountered while “church-shopping” was being studiously ignored, i.e., not greeted or acknowledged in any other way.

At my current church (First Presbyterian Church of Springfield), a woman in “my” pew slid over after the service and started chatting with me. She was very kind and helped orient me to the social activities at the church. I learned later that she was a deacon.

Then one of the deacons brought me one of the alter bouquets when the church learned that I was recovering from a surgical intervention soon after I had met Nice Pew Lady (i.e., soon after my first visit there).

I’m now awaiting the church elders’ decision on funding the entire amount needed to get a custom wheelchair built and buy the compartment that goes on top of the car to store the wheelchair!

Now that’s what I call a REAL church :-)