If it is Sunday, This Must be Christ Church, Bangkok

There is something comforting about being a member of the Anglican community. Wherever you go in the world, you can find a family ready to welcome you.

There are two reasons why I think that my father (Hi, Daddy!) would like Christ Church. First of all, the service was full of music and congregational involvement and wonderment. Second, they seem quite attached to the animals of Bangkok.

I was late arriving to church - only by a few minutes, but that was enough to make sure that the only seats available were near the front. (For my non-Anglican readers, the back pews of the church always fill up first, perhaps so that the priest can't see people when they nap during the sermon.) I was able to sit near a window and was distracted by a little cat sitting under a bush, hot and apparently paw-sore. One of the greeters had noticed her as well, it seems, and was soon next to her with a cup of milk. (NOTE: I know that cat's are lactose intolerant; this is not the point of the story. ;) ) He put the cup down and waggled his fingers at the cat, trying to get her attention. She was meowing loudly enough that I could hear her in the church. He moved the cup closer and waggled again, but she kept meowing. When she tried to get up, it was obvious that her paws hurt. So this wonderful, kind, elderly gentleman - a stranger in a strange land if ever there was one - poured some milk into his hand and held it out to her. She lapped it up gratefully, and then it was time for another song so I had to look away. When I looked back, both man and cat were gone, with the cup being the only evidence they had ever been there at all.







The pictures are a touch blurry, perhaps, but give you an idea of how lovely the church is. And her people were doubly so! Thank you all, congregants of Christ Church, for opening your worship to me!