To Church Or Not To Church?

I've been wanting to find a church lately. Maybe being on the verge of marriage has created in me a desire to get my "house in order"- not just my physical house, but my spiritual one as well. This is especially true as I contemplate motherhood-- not just because of the importance of providing children with strong values, but also because I firmly believe that it does take a village to raise a child. Children are amazing, but they are also trying! There is so much that I want to give a child, but there is also a lot that I expect in return. For example, I expect any child of mine to be kind and smart. What if they aren't? Pardon this horrible analogy, but I think in some ways child rearing is like ordering clothing from the internet-- you may not get what you're expecting. You can take measurements, read item descriptions, check out the fit on the model-- but you just don't know until your delivery arrives. And guess what?? There are no returns!

I want a church home so that I'll be prepared for whatever life throws at me going forward. Life has been tough thus far, I will not lie. The loss that accompanies life has been tough. In the past I was ill prepared for the inevitability of loss. When the trials and storms of life came, I weathered them alone. My excuse for not putting down roots was that I didn't know where life would take me geographically. I didn't want to put down roots only to have to rip them up again. I have a home now, so it's time! I want that extended church family, a network who will be there to support me in my challenges and for whom I can do likewise.

I would like for my new church family to be easily accessible- preferably within a few miles of home. The less driving I have to do in life, the better!

Right now, there are three Christian churches within a few miles of home that have caught my eye. Of course, by restricting my search to Christian churches, I'm assuming that my beliefs are still compatible with mainstream Christianity. This may or may not be the case. If it proves not to be the case, I'd like to try out a Unitarian Universalist church in Palos Verdes. My sister and I attended services at a Unitarian Universalist church in Long Beach, and it was pretty cool. It had many of the benefits of mainstream church-- the only thing that seemed a little strange was worship. It was more a time of enjoying music rather than praising and adoring a Creator/Savior.

The Christian churches in the area that have caught my eye, in order or geographic proximity to home:

1) OceanView Baptist- 0.5 miles from home
2) Good Shepherd Lutheran- 1 mile from home
3) St. Peter's Episcopal- 1.5 miles from home