little church on the prairie

I'm a member at Wooddale Church in Eden Prairie and have been attending there since I was 12. I loved it as a junior and senior high student but kind of lost my place there once I graduated from high school. Jay and I attended very sporadically (sleeping in on a Sunday usually won out!) and truthfully, we didn't see much of an issue with it. We figured that we still had our faith and what did it really matter if we went to church?

Then last summer Wooddale announced that it would be starting a daughter church in Shakopee. Hmm. We checked out a launch meeting and next thing we knew, we were knee deep in the planning. I was excited but a little apprehensive--it's been a long time since I went to a small church and leaving Wooddale somehow seemed scary. But we really started enjoying the group that was forming and were excited to see what happened when the church went live.

We went live in October 2008--it is hard to believe it's only been six months! I am totally loving going to church again. It is a part of my life that I didn't even know I missed until I got it again. I never lost my faith but I definitely didn't do much to engage myself in it. Now I feel like church is a big part of my life again. Our pastor, Rob O'Neal, teaches from the Bible but finds a way to apply those lessons to life in 2009. We have a children's program that Ethan runs to every Sunday--it has been so fun to see him involved with it. I have done a little bit of everything there--part of the fun of being at a small church! I do strengths coaching, service leading, children's programs, greeting, Connection Point...it has been fun for me and given me more confidence in what I can offer.

Best of all, I've made some close friends with good women and I feel blessed to have them. Today, three families met for lunch--it was crazy because there were 5 kids but it just felt so right. I have such fond memories of after church lunches growing up. We are also in a small group which is another great experience. Again, there are lots of kids running around but it is great to connect on a deeper level with other people in the same life stage.

If you feel so inclined, please check Brookwood out! We have two services: 9:30 (birth-5th grade programs available) and 10:45 (birth-preschool programs available). We hope to have a junior/senior high ministry available soon.

Here is our website! http://www.brookwood.net/