Madison House Christmas Fair

I stopped by the Madison House today. The director let me take pictures of the rooms to get ideas to help decorate, and I got to sit & chat with some of the women. An artist from church did this sweet mural.

Across the street from the house our church was sponsoring a Christmas craft fair thingy, and in the parking lot was a benefit tree sale for the House.
Don't you love the expression on that tree-shopping dude's face?


The craft fair wasn't the kind where people make toilet seat covers and such to sell. It was full of artsy hip ideas for what to make your loved ones for Christmas. People set up demos and gave out instruction sheets on how to do Christmas without buying anything but a few art supplies. I loved the idea and I'm planning on making these microscope slide photo magnet thingies. Don't tell the 99% of my blog readership that is my family.



I don't know what exactly I expect from my church, but I keep wondering whether I'm going to get it there. At the event today I saw about 5 people I know, talked to a friendly crafter, yet somehow I still left feeling absolutely unconnected. The average member of our church is such a cutting edge, young alterna-hippie-portlander thing. In my worst moods, I get pissy and assume they're all pretentious and judgmental, that I am not liberal, young, on-fire, or laid-back enough for them. My sense is that this church is the most politically liberal church perhaps in the entire world. The Church needs a church like this one, so I don't mind even though (SHHHHHHH! They'll take away my blog!!!) I am not liberal. I love the general church sentiment and especially the intentional arts emphasis, the recognition that Creation and Creativity reflect the Creator.

Every time I begin to feel this way, sooner of later I come to the realization that we have missed a lot of services lately. So it's not them, it's me. Unless it is them...

I do wish there was a way for them to be more welcoming to outsiders without being those creepy church people. Maybe they should hand out Peppermint Roca. Seriously, have you tried it yet? MMmmmmmm.