Picture
this….you walk through the doors of Vineyard
Community Church of Naples for the first time and you’re feeling a bit like a fish
out of water. A very friendly person welcomes
you with a handshake and a smile, and you begin to feel
a bit less fishy. You walk in and notice that
the shorts you felt unsure about putting
on that morning are commonplace; in fact, there’s not
a tie in sight. You also notice that everyone seems
to be standing around drinking coffee and visiting.
Another friendly persons points you in the direction
of the coffee and donuts and tells you that there is a coffee break
before and after the services. This is great because you missed
your usual morning dose of caffeine! You pick up a
cup and help yourself to a nice cup
of java.
Before the service starts you follow the signs
to the nursery, and feel at ease when you meet the dedicated
people that will be caring for your baby for the next
hour. You continue following signs to the Kids’ Church
classroom and notice how much fun everyone seems to
be having. Feeling confident that your children are
safe and happy, you make your way back to the
sanctuary.
Worship begins and you feel a bit of that ol’ fishiness
again. You look around and notice that some people
are standing and singing, some are raising their hands,
and some are closing their eyes. You look some more
and see that some, like you, are sitting and just taking
it all in. The worship leader finishes a song and lets
everyone know that at Naples Vineyard, you can worship in
whatever way you feel comfortable. That makes you feel
good, and you sit back and enjoy the music.
You settle into your chair, expecting to catch up
on some much needed sleep, but find yourself unable
to nod off. You wonder whether the caffeine has just
kicked in or if this stuff is actually easy to understand
and relevant to your life. Whatever it is, it’s not
what you expected. In fact, this whole Naples
Vineyard Church
experience was not what you expected. As you walk out
the doors with your family, you feel like you just might
be back—and without the fish next time.
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