Not long after we moved to New York, we found a sweet little Episcopal church that has about 25-50 people in the pews every week. And that 50 is on Christmas and Easter.
We like the priest, and we like the people. But there are no other children. There is no child care during services. There is no way I can get through an entire service without having to walk out with one girl (because she's screaming for coffee-hour cookies) or the other girl (because she wants to go to the bathroom, which is in the parish house a full 3/4-block away).
We've tried the big village church, where there is child care. It's a very Blue Blazer type of place, and the rector seems very much to be the CEO of the church. The people are nice enough, although there is a certain sense of the church being the place where a the social elite gather on a certain day. The Sunday morning country club.
On Ash Wednesday, I attended services at another church, close to where I work, far from where we live. The rector seemed very down to earth and conversational in his sermon. The building is big and old, with obvious mid-Century renovations, a combination that always makes me think of my grandmother's house.
After the service, I asked if they had child care during the Sunday services, and he answered in an incredulous tone, as though I had asked, "Do Episcopalians drink?"
"Oh YES!" he said. "Of course we do."
And not only child care, but care that is individually tailored for different ages of children.
The only thing that gives me pause is that they offered little Lenten meditation books written by a writer who has a reputation for being a very conservative voice.
I know how churches work - maybe the booklet came free, or maybe there are members of the church who really appreciate that.
Still, it gives me pause.
We're going to visit on Sunday - assuming there are no blizzards. So we'll see.
I really would love to hear about other people's experiences in this arena.
