3 years ago when I decided to attend the Canadian Mennonite University in Winnipeg, Manitoba, my dream of having a mailbox at Foothills was shelved. “Why should I have my own mailbox when I’m not there for 8 months of the year?” I said. My decision to stay in Winnipeg this year and work with the Federal Government over the summertime helped subside the feelings of mailbox disenfranchisement at Foothills…until last week when at Bethel Mennonite, the church I semi-regularly attend in Winnipeg while I study at CMU, gave me my own mailbox after I made an off-hand remark to their Senior pastor that I wanted to get a little more involved by attending Adult Bible study.

I went from mailboxless to mailboxed after my first conversation with the Senior Pastor of Bethel Mennonite. After taking my name and phone number into his pocket address book he said, “If you’re going to be around in the summer, I’ll get you a mailbox.”

All of a sudden I’m back in that awkward moment in elementary school when you’re passed the “Do you like me?” note with the multiple choice answers, “Yes, No, Maybe”. You’re not sure what “yes” all entails. You don’t want to put “No”. But “Maybe” isn’t any better. Damned if you do. Damned if you don’t.

I now have all these strange feelings concerning my 3cm by 15cm mailbox in the foyer of Bethel. I mean… I didn’t ask for it! The thought of having one never even crossed my mind! Am I ready for a mailbox in a church that I am not even a member of? What will this do to my membership at Foothills? What will my pastor in Calgary think?!
Alright, alright…perhaps I’m being a bit dramatic. But I had always envisioned my first church mailbox being given to me in some sort of ceremonious way. Perhaps an unveiling or some sort of announcement on a Sunday morning. Apparently that’s not how mailboxes are handed out at either Foothills or Bethel.
Considering how I’ve always percieved mailboxes to be a permanent sign of one’s membership in a particular church, and the fact that I’ve been waiting for one in my home church for so long…I’m sure you can understand my cocktail of emotions.

On the one hand I like my new mailbox in this new church. I mean, if my home church can’t give me one the church where I attend on a semi-regular basis, at best, offer me one then why should I not accept it?

On the other hand, I don’t want to be confused as being a member of Bethel when I am not. Despite my lack of mailbox, I love my home church in Calgary.

Is there any sort of mailbox etiquette/unwritten rule/code of conduct that I’ve just violated? Should I keep my Bethel Mennonite mailbox a secret? (That being said, I guess it’s too late now, huh?) This is where I need some advice from the bottomless pit of wisdom that is the YAR. If you feel so inclined to comment, please do. I need all the help I can get right now.