KristyWes

Interviewing (Part 2)

In addition to interviewing for jobs, last week I had an interview of a different sort: a membership interview for my church here in NYC. Although I've attended several churches over the past few years, I never officially became a member of any of those congregations, so this is a new experience for me.

The interview was with one of the elders of the church who, in contrast to many of the HR people I've met with recently, did not make me feel inadequate and awkward. We had a great conversation over coffee about faith, my spiritual journey, the role of the church, the role of a church member, etc. Then he asked me a set of 5 questions dealing with basic tenets of Christianity, just to make sure my beliefs were not diametrically opposed to church doctrine or anything.

At all my recent job interviews, my answers to questions have felt canned and phoney - "Just looking for a position where I can utilize my administrative and organizational skills blah blah blah blech..." It was nice to be in a setting where I could answer truthfully and admit weaknesses, instead of trying to cover them up to impress my interviewer.

So, God willing, I will become a member at this Sunday's service. I find that I'm pretty excited about it; already I feel a sense of responsibility and ownership in the church that I didn't feel before. And though commitments usually freak me out, I find that committing to my member-ly duties (regular attendance, service, financial support, submitting to church discipline if necessary, etc.) actually brings me peace and, perhaps ironically but not surprisingly, a sense of freedom.

Though Advent began only just yesterday, I'm sensing that the theme of the season for me this year will be the concept of "home." And thus it seems quite fitting to formally adopt a church home during this time. Thinking of the church, both local and catholic, as home helps me understand the aforementioned sense of freedom: though one's home is often characterized by rules & structure, it is also often the place you feel most free to fully be yourself.