22 years ago when Kim and I moved to the Tri-Cities our first decision was to be where our friends were. We got an appartment in Richland and immediately involved ourselves at Christ the King church in music ministry and with teaching religious education. We found a nice home we could afford in nearby Kennewick and continued to be involved at Christ the King. I didn't even know where the catholic churches were in Kennewick. One Sunday we found Holy Spirit and attended mass because of our schedule. The old Irish priest was sincere and the full/traditional choir sounded nice and we enjoyed receiving communion in a church that from the outside looked more like an Imax theatre. When we left the building Father O'Shea was standing there and introduced himself to us. He made sure to meet our young daughter and spent a little time learning about us. We didn't think much of it and went on with our week. The following Sunday we returned to Christ the King. That night we received one of the oddest phone calls I've ever received. It was Father O'Shea asking why we weren't in church. He invited us to join Holy Spirit since it was close to our home. Kim and I changed parishes and have been blessed ever since. We could have stayed at Christ the King but being at the parish nearest our home has provided many benefits we didn't forsee. It didn't take long for our kids to find school friends at church and we discovered that our next door neighbors and others in our neighborhood attended Holy Spirit as well. Being part of a community where the people around us were not just neighbors but a part of our faith life became a strong way to witness to our children. Our church is part of our family in many ways and provides a place where our family can focus on something together and where my kids are surrounded by other caring adults who also witness to them. Hillary Clinton wrote "It Takes a Village" to raise a child. In our world of larger communities and fast paced society, we can feel isolated and alone even though thousands rush about us. We need something that can focus our hearts and give us an extended family and community in the midst of all the chaos. For us church has done that. I understand what Mrs. Clinton was meaning but I'd change it a little. It should be "It Takes a Church" to raise a family.
I'm traveling for most of July so I chose to do one post with the psalms for the 18th, 15th, and 22nd of July all together. Just a reminder that you can always change the key of the psalm using the scorch plugin at score exchange.
I hope your summer is wondeful.
God bless and travel safely.
Perry
