Yesterday was my second-to-last Sunday at a Parkview Community Church service. I’ve mentioned before on this blog that Maggie and I will be moving into the Logan Square neighborhood of Chicago in early May. On May 11 I will begin my new job as Pastor of Community Life at New Community Covenant Church.

Yesterday was strange mostly because it was so normal. I had a good meeting with some of our amazing volunteers… arranged a ride to a job interview for one of our homeless members… talked with some Parkview folks I hadn’t seen for a while. The weirdness of the morning was knowing that after this coming Sunday Maggie and I won’t be around. And after being around for almost 8 years, that feels pretty strange.

As I’ve thought about these last few Sunday services, all the thing things I love about PCC have bubbled up. This week I want to share three of those. I’m not sure if these are the things that have been most significant to me or not… but they are the three that came most quickly to mind.

The first thing I’ll miss about PCC is the eclectic and diverse make-up of our community. I’ve not visited too many other churches in the western suburbs, so this might be normal. Regardless, I think it is so right that on any given Sunday morning I will have conversations with folks who slept on a park bench the night before and with other folks who are rushing to the airport to catch a flight to an important business meeting.

One of the ways this diversity has changed me is making me see that we all see, hear, and interpret in such different ways. At times when we’ve sung a worship song that I really don’t like and I wonder why we are wasting our time. Almost every time I have this thought someone will tell me how significant that song was to them, how it connected with where they are.

Mmm… humble pie.

I believe I’m finishing my time at PCC with more humility because of those who make up our church. Every week I am reminded that the world is an wonderfully eclectic place, and my opinions and desires may not matter all that much. What may be way more important is that this community has welcomed and accepted me.

I’ll miss that.