Life on the Road

We made it official two Sundays ago, and asked to move our membership to the church we’ve been attending, First Baptist Church of Homestead.

Last week a sweet older gentleman came by with a stack of information for us, to help us get “settled in.”  It was such a neat gesture, and we are already enjoying reading through the various things.

I was pleased that they had brought a separate set of Offering envelopes for Nick, since he is responsible for budgeting his own money, and does his tithe as an individual.  This church has already shown that they recognize youth as persons in their own right, and I appreciated this proof of that.

(For those of you not familiar with the envelope system…  You may have noticed envelopes stuck in the pews at churches, which is one way to go if you don’t just want to drop your offering in the plate.  In many churches, once you become a member, they give you a box of envelopes all stamped with a certain number.  There is one for each week, plus a few for various special projects throughout the year.  You get a new box annually, so when you join mid-year you may or may not have one until a new year rolls around, depending on the church’s stock.  This way you can prepare your Tithe/Offering at home, and even if you don’t put your name on it they will know it’s yours.  This is nice for the tracking for tax purposes, if nothing else).

I was a little less pleased, and somehow vaguely offended, that they had brought separate boxes of envelopes for Wolf and I.

That’s not to say offended like, “How DARE you!”  Just a kind of nose-wrinkling, “that’s weird…” 

Are we as a married couple so little “one flesh” that not only do we maintain totally separate finances, but can’t even put our two checks (were that the case) into one envelope?  Do we file taxes separately?  Or do we want recognition from man for our individual contribution, knowing that someone in the church office is keeping track? 

And furthermore, even if all that were true, should the church be condoning - perhaps even encouraging it?

Then again, maybe it’s all just my pregnant hormones… 

But I am enclosing a note with this week’s offering letting them know that I don’t need my own set of envelopes for 2008.  It should at least save the church a few dollars that could be put to better use, plus saving a tree, right?