The church I visited yesterday, the United Christian Church, has been on my list for a while.  They're an Open and Accepting (ONA) congregation which means they fully accept gay Christians.  The congregation is an amalgam of two formerly independent churches from two different denominations - one from the United Church of Christ and one from the Disciples of Christ.  The UCC is a part of the Calvinist Reformation movement and the Disciples of Christ are part of the American Restoration Movement (the same movement that spawned the Church of Christ.) 

Overall, it was a good experience for me.  I felt that I was participating in a genuine and joyful worship service but the oddness of many aspects confused me.  A paradoxically good thing about the service is that I cried.  I wasn't crying in response to the message being delivered (it was actually a lighthearted and sometimes humorous sermon) or anything else said during the service.  I think the tears are part of a healing process.  When I began attending the Austin MCC many years ago, I cried for the first five or six services - usually during communion - and later on I found that I could be in the right frame of mind without bursting into tears.

Good:

• Gay friendly.
  
• Easy to get to, not too far to drive
  
• Very friendly people, including the pastor
  
• Pastor is a great speaker and I feel he's a person I can genuinely like
  
• Happy, joyful service
  
• Women included in service, in several aspects*
  

Bad:

• Catholic liturgical calendar
  
• Instrumental music.  Not only was there instrumental music during this service but according to their website they sometimes have a Jazz service.  The horror!
  
• Roses for sale?  There was a tent set up in the parking lot selling roses.  I don't know for sure if it was for the benefit of the church or not.  I really like to see the church as a place where commerce is totally absent.
  

Could Get Used to It:

• Choir
  
• Unfamiliar songs - couldn't participate in congregational singing
  
• Lack of familiarity was distracting
  

Verdict:  This one is a "maybe" on my list.  The positive aspects of the experience aren't enough for me to keep coming back but are enough to give me hope and keep the search going.

When I was driving home I noticed that a non-denominational church, Crossroads Community Church, now meets at a nearby middle school.  I checked out their website but I didn't get a feel for what goes on at their services nor did I find any information to indicate if I'd need to be in the closet there.  I sent a quick note with some questions to the contact address on their website.  I hadn't received a reply as of this morning.  I'm dreading the reply, frankly.  Just anticipating that some stranger might be mean to me (even through the impersonal medium of e-mail) because I'm a gay Christian makes my palms sweaty.

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*I want to point out that allowing women to participate in the service is a big departure from my Church of Christ background but of all the breaks from those traditions, this is the one I like the most.  I like the egalitarian aspect of this.