We are the newest members of the Noonday Baptist Church family!!

Sunday was a wonderful day in our family! After visiting Noonday Baptist for over a month, we joined with this amazing body of believers! We are so excited and overjoyed!

We have learned so much about what it is like to be a visitor at numerous churches over the past 4 months. What amazing lessons we will take with us.

We have learned how important it is to have signs! Yes, we went to many churches where we couldn't find the right entrance or anyone to help us find our classes. As we drove up to Noonday, there were several wonderful signs that helped us to the right entrance, along with smiling faces all over the parking lot greeting us and helping us along. Then, as we entered the door to the children's area there were numerous people dressed in Noonday shirts to help us...very easy to find someone to help you and always with a huge smile!

We learned how important it is as a teacher to be on time to your class. We visited churches where the teachers were gone for 10-15 minutes from the children's class...while children ran around! We were a little worried about that!

We have learned how truly important it is to go beyond just a smile and a handshake. At Noonday a wonderful couple took special interest in us and always talked to us, made sure we didn't need anything, asked us to dinner, etc. Those kind of people are so valuable in make new visitors feel more like family!

There are too many things about Noonday that we love to list for you, but here are a few!

We LOVE that our service begins with a call to prayer at the altar. The worship team, staff, and all families are called to the front to cover the service together in prayer. What a way to focus and prepare for singing, teaching, and giving! We find that we feel such a unity and presence of the Spirit at Noonday! We know it is because they don't just rush in and begin the service with announcements and greetings...they begin by humbling themselves before a holy God and welcoming Him! Awesome!

We LOVE Steve the worship pastor. He often reminds us he's not the "music guy", he is a pastor. He takes it very seriously and his heart is amazing! He is candid, open, humble, and brings a freedom of worship I find so refreshing. There is not one Sunday that I haven't felt the tangible presence of God in that place. What a blessing to feel the freedom there!

Our pastor Billy really encouraged me when he shared about memorizing scripture. He puts it on a sticky note in his pocket so all day long the Word of God is literally STUCK to him! I love it!

The last thing that I want to share is how they opened their new facility about 3 months ago. They began on Monday before they were to have the opening on the following Sunday with a full reading of the entire Bible. It went on every day in the new facility...until they ushered in Sunday at 12am finishing the ENTIRE Bible! What a way to start a new phase of their church's life!! I was blown away and totally pumped about that kind of desire and passion for God's Word...with zeal and excitement!

All that to say we are THRILLED to be among the family of Noonday! It is such a "fit" for us. We are blessed to call this our home. Our girls love AWANA, Sunday school, and the worship service we attend together as a family. It is something the girls look forward to! I am in awe of God and the great grace and love He gives us each moment...I'm about to bust!