6 photos
1 video
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The Church Without Walls, Eldridge Campus. Houston, TX |
It started during the epic period of time that will forever remain in history and is a "given" in conversations; P-A-N-D-E-M-I-C !
VFH and I met while sharing an Uber ride along with an RHS Queen at a Red Hat Society (RHS) resort event in Arizona in 2018. We hit it off while mingling with other Hatters from all over. ( My reason for joining RHS: to meet others in my peer group) She lives in TX and I live in AL.
We keep in touch by text or phone. She'd tell me about her sons, grands, church, dogs and the activities of her RHS chapter. She would often talk about her church even before Pandemic. It wasn't "Bible thumping, Come to Jesus," talk. More of an," I'm active in my church and this is the latest that happened." We'd converse about church and Sunday school along with current events and etc.
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Sanctuary at The Church Without Walls, Eldridge Campus Houston, TX |
When the Pandemic hit, like most, their church was forced into lockdown. Sunday School (SS) and Church were held online. VFH invited me to their online SS. Unable to go anywhere or do anything involving other humans I began to tune in sporadically.
The first thing I noticed was that most of the people were somewhere in my age group. 😁👏👍😀 Yay!! I could also tell that the facilitators were knowledgeable, prepared and organized for class. Soon, virtual attendance became regular attendance. I ordered a Sunday School book and would effort to read the lesson ahead of time. I was allowed to take part in the lesson by answering questions put to the class by the teacher and also given sections from the lesson to read to the class. I felt welcomed and comfortable.
After a year, I knew I wanted to meet these people in person but, I didn't want VFH or anyone from the SS to go out of their way for my visit. As a birthday gift to myself I decided to travel impromptu to The Church Without Walls in Houston, TX and arriving unannounced for SS.
The first person I encountered was brother WS who often teaches the class. He knew right off who I was and was surprised as were the others when I met them in class. My friend VFH was extremely surprised since she usually attends SS online but attends church in person. Between SS and after church I was able to speak at length with class members in the flesh that I'd only seen online. The outpouring of welcome, warmth and reception was so satisfying.
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| Members and Facilitators of the "in person" Sunday School at The Church Without Walls, Eldridge Campus, Houston, TX |
After church VFH insisted on taking me to lunch at Lazy Dogs Restaurant. It was a wonderful meal and a great time to catch up.
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| VFH and me after lunch at Lazy Dogs restaurant in Houston, TX. |
I like the idea of them having breakfast and dinner included in the price of the room as well as cocktails.
Having a microwave and fridge allowed me to fix a plate from downstairs, refrigerate it and reheat later if I so desired.
Monday, 10-31 was my day of departure for a 2:00 flight back home. A short weekend trip but, very gratifying.
Monday morning commute in Houston, TX (10-31-2022) Goodbye Houston.
