Picture this….you walk through the doors of SouthSide Church for the first time and you’re feeling a bit like a fish out of water. A very friendly person welcomes you with a handshake and a smile, and you begin to feel a bit less fishy. You walk through the gym doors and notice that the blue jeans you felt unsure about putting on that morning are commonplace; in fact, there’s not a tie in sight. You also notice that everyone seems to be standing around drinking coffee and visiting. Another friendly persons points you in the direction of the coffee and tells you that there is a coffee break from 10:30 -11:00. This is great because you missed your usual morning dose of caffeine! You pick up a mug from the info centre and help yourself to a nice cup of java.
Worship begins and you feel a bit of that ol’ fishiness again. You look around and notice that some people are standing and singing, some are raising their hands, and some are closing their eyes. You look some more and see that some, like you, are sitting and just taking it all in. The worship leader finishes a song and lets everyone know that at SouthSide, you can worship in whatever way you feel comfortable. That makes you feel good, and you sit back and enjoy the music.
Halfway through the worship service, the children are dismissed for Kids' Church. You follow the signs to the nursery, and feel at ease when you meet the dedicated people that will be caring for your baby for the next hour. You continue following signs to the Kids’ Church classrooms and notice how much fun everyone seems to be having. Feeling confident that your children are safe and happy, you make your way back to the gym for the sermon.
You settle into your chair, expecting to catch up on some much needed sleep, but find yourself unable to nod off. You wonder whether the caffeine has just kicked in or if this stuff is actually easy to understand and relevant to your life. Whatever it is, it’s not what you expected. In fact, this whole SouthSide Church experience was not what you expected. As you walk out the doors with your family, you feel like you just might be back—and without the fish next time.
