Church on Sunday

For some odd reason, my dear friend Belle occurs in my blog more than any other person besides myself.  This is probably because she is quite memorable, or perhaps because when anyone is with Belle, s/he is bound to have an adventure.  Whatever the case, this is another blog that heavily features my crazy New Zealand friend, and I hope that she does not mind the extra attention (she won’t ;) ).

This past Sunday came and I was not really looking forward to the prospect of church.  The morning was dreary and there was still snow on the ground.  I wanted to go to Peoria for church, but I was not sure about the weather.  I don’t do very well on icy roads (the only time I have driven on an icy road, I got rear-ended.  More like rear-bumped, but still).  The roads were supposed to be clear, but this is from my Illinois friends, who think that two inches of snow is nothing to blink over.  So… I was nervous about taking an adventure with Zelma, my white Saturn. 

I decided that the adventure was feasible and I was going to attend the First Christian Church of Peoria, and I would be early to boot! (Normally, I arrive fifteen minutes late to the churches I visit). Just as I walked up to my car, my phone starts ringing.  “That’s odd,” my conscious grumbled, “no one calls me at this time on a Sunday morning.  What bozo could this be?”

Well, that bozo was Belle, who was sick and needed a ride to the hospital.  Let me quickly stick a disclaimer here, the “hospital” is the Eureka advocate, and feels more like a clinic.  It is a hospital, but it is a very small, very rural hospital.  Eureka students go there for health care as the College is too small to employ full time health care providers on campus.   

We get to the hospital and we get Belle checked in and she asks me to accompany her to her room.  As we are waiting for the nurses and the doctor to come and start checking her out, Belle apologizes for dragging me out with her instead of getting to go to church.  I told Belle that it was more than fine and that any time she needed a ride in the ‘ambulance,’ all she had to do was call.

However, as I thought more and more about the idea of church and what I was missing… I realized that accompanying a pal to the hospital was a perfect example of church.  What was more potent than helping in the healing of a friend?  In its own way, setting in that room with Belle was a very powerful worship to the Divine of the universe, and I was able to commune with my beloved God and my beloved friend. 

There is not much more that can be said for a “good service” on Sunday.  So, Belle, thank you for taking me to church Sunday.  I thoroughly enjoyed it.