“Love Your Church” – Reflection by Kayleigh Kirk
February 9, 2020
I want to be trusted. I want to be respected, loved, accepted, heard & fulfilled. I want to be a part of something bigger than myself.
I want to stand with an institution that is working toward a better tomorrow for all beings.
I want to be…HOME.
Perhaps these aspirations sound familiar to you. Well these are the thoughts I had during the very first day I walked into these rooms.
I remember that day clearly. I awoke that morning eager to chase after my new community, no matter how hard the challenges were.
So there I was, standing in front of the door, bursting with excitement and anxiety to start my new adventure.
As I walked through the front door I was immersed into the beautiful rhythm and flow of this church. I saw more members than I can count working cohesively toward one common goal. They were improving the functionality of their second home.
Seeing all of these happy busy workers reminded me of the very first time I was exposed to a bee farm in Washington state, where I am from. I was listening to the Beatles with a friend when their mom asked me if I had ever seen a bee farm up close before. I quickly said no jumping up at the opportunity. As she opened the back door my eyes widened at the sight of the strange looking boxes. They were in line perfectly with each other. We came to the first box and she slowly pulled a slide out of it that was covered in bumble bees. I remember falling in love with their choreographed dance. These bees worked together so flawlessly because they all had one common love, their HOME.
We all witness our busy workers of this church every week. Working toward making our home the best it can be.
Coming into the church I was unaware of how it was run. I felt intimidated and well left out. I knew I wanted to help from day one, but how exactly ? Finally I asked someone what I could do to help.
They quickly replied “well help with whatever needs to be done.” Surprised by their simple and concise answer, I thought, “wow, they’re absolutely right but I don’t want to over step with ignorance.” I frequently held back on helping around here in fear of stepping on someone’s toes. I heard my Nana’s wise words in my mind replying, “do not make decisions based on fear, make them based on love.”
During a Sunday morning service Reverend Emily was touching on service work for the church. She said something that set off an explosion of inspiration inside of me. She said, “The work does not belong to me as the minister. This church belongs to its members.”
This struck an “ah hah” moment inside of my spirit.
I reflected on her message that week, amazed at how off my perception truly was. I understood that just as I take pride in caring for my family and my home, the church is my home and the members are my family.
The following week I came into church with a transformed perspective.
If I saw there were dishes in the sink, I washed them. If I saw a piece of garbage lying around I threw it away. If I saw an object that was clearly out of place I figured out where it needed to go. If I saw that someone was in need of help, I offered it. I was inspired knowing that maybe I was giving someone the opportunity to tend to more dire tasks.
As humans we often strive for that instant gratification. I have desired and expected this instantaneous fulfillment more than once.
What I desired was a family that I got to choose. As some of us are aware, having a family oftentimes comes with hard work. However, it is also extremely rewarding.
During our annual election meeting the church began the Process of electing new members on the board. Towards the end of the election we were encouraged to nominate ourselves if we felt moved. I immediately felt butterflies in the pit of my stomach that I feel when my higher power pulls me into their flow.
I can describe this feeling as a lion rising up (rather dramatically) along the edge of a cliff. The wind is of course blowing in my mane. 🙂
All jokes aside there was a voice inside of me urging that I raise my hand when invited to volunteer. Being new to the church I didn’t expect to get a position on the board. But if the universe has taught me anything it’s that I have nothing to do with the planning and everything to do with submission. I was approached after the meeting and offered a position on the board that became available from a current member having to leave. I was honored to be on the board and encouraged by the universe guiding me there.
In my opening words I said that when I came here I longed to be home. I stand here today confident that I am home and eager to follow the next set of butterflies that calls me into service to keep this home.
– Kayleigh Kirk
This is so beautiful Kayleigh. I know how you feel. It took me much longer to feel like I owned the place, but it happened in the same way. Change a toilet paper roll, wash the dishes, weed the garden, teach RE. Instead of saying “that door needs re-painting” I would think “I wonder how to sand down that door so that this does not keep happening”. I still think about that darn door.