It started when the Appalachian Mountains began to fade into more gently rolling hills.  Next came the brutal jolting of abrasive roads that apparently have not received DOT attention since 1986.  The final indication was the heat wave that blasted me as I stepped out of my car, despite the clock saying 8:00PM.  Yes, I had finally arrived.

Alabama.

Birmingham, to be precise.  Despite my issues with the roads and the temperature, it is a beautiful city.  Here I will spend not one, but two (2) months.  You see, a kink in my plans – pardon me, a “hitch in my giddy up” – meant that I had to find a church for September rather last minute.  Already having connections in Birmingham, it was surprisingly easy to make arrangements for September to serve the youth group at a fairly large United Methodist Church in the suburbs of B-ham.  Especially considering that these plans were finalized 3 days before I left New York.

Yes, another Methodist church.  I know, I know, I’m playing favorites again.  But I swear I didn’t mean to.  First, it was just the occasional email back and forth.  Then, we started talking on the phone more often.  Once we realized we were both fans of John Wesley, it was too late.  One thing led to another, and I don’t know, it just sort of…happened.

In all seriousness, I think this will be a great opportunity for comparison between two UM churches in VERY different settings.  One sits in the North, while the other is very decidedly in the South; one averages 79 people on a Sunday, the other 1168; one is located in a small country village, the other is just outside of a major city.  All told, I think it’s time for me to put away my loafers and get ready for a the accelerated pace of a youth group that at times must accommodate upwards of 300 kids.

So, yes, I am on youth group duty for the month.  Yet another difference from the last church, which was lucky to have three young folks on a Sunday.  And this new church doesn’t just have a youth group, it has a youth complex.  A big game room with pool tables, ping pong, air hockey, and not one, not two, but SIX video game systems.  Oh, don’t forget the large café area and endless small group rooms.  And that’s just the outer circle of the youth area.  All of those smaller areas encircle the focal point of the whole operation: a large gathering room that converts between  a standard stage-on-one-end auditorium setup to a layout that has the stage in the center with the seats surrounding it.  This is where (I’m told) the youth group really comes alive.

I have yet to meet most of the chill’ns, but from what I have heard, they form a vibrant and cohesive group that makes great use of each young person’s own talents, gifts, wisdom, and insights.  I did get the chance to spend three hours hanging out with 6th – 8th graders in an after school outreach program on Thursday.  It’s basically a way for the church to offer their facilities as a hangout for the nearby middle school students after school, without pushing any religious agenda on them.  Just a way to let them know that the church exists.  I like that attitude.

With that introduction, the only thing I can say confidently about this month after Thursday is that some certain middle school girls and I are going to have to sort out some serious boy problems.  Come on, Felicia, you know Tyler’s not good enough for you!