Church
Both George and I were sent to Sunday School when we were young. There was never a point of not believing in God for us. Although we had stopped attended church as teenagers, when we were getting married, we had to decide on which church to have the ceremony. We chose the Norfolk Congregational Church and continued attending after we were married. We went for a number of years and became sextons there.
Our religious journey took us to several churches in our 49 years. We discovered we were Baptists at heart. That's where our beliefs fit the most. We were, therefore, baptized as adults in believer's baptism and our kids made that decision when they were teenagers.
In our years of attending churches, we have served as Sunday School superintendent, secretary, Awana leaders, Sunday School teachers, written skits, acted in skits, coordinated a meal ministry, organized a church library. George went for a week in NY to help with the building of a church. He also helped building a local church. Together George and I wrote, typed and printed a several page monthly newsletter. I am sure I am leaving out other volunteer activities we did at the churches.
We did after a while decide we needed a break from serving and we just wanted to sit back. There was a year when we decided to change churches, and I joked to George and said, "Let's just go to a different church every week". Ugh. He took me up on it! So, for a year we went to 50 different churches of different denominations. It was eye opening. We narrowed it down to three churches and revisited them. We decided on one and after a few months went back to a different of the three and we have been there for 12 years--the longest we have ever been to a church. Eight years was our usual max. We don't passively attend, but religiously, pun intended. Praise Christian Fellowship is not just a place of worship; it is our church family. I will admit, it is not a Baptist church, but we maintain our Baptist beliefs and can co-exist with the differences. We agree on the most important issues. This church was a source of comfort when my mother passed away and then my father began attending and he also faithfully attended for the rest of his life.
I still serve at this church on our ACTS team (Actively Caring Through Service). We come up with projects for the congregation to do that will benefit the community and others.
Of all our years of church going, I have to say the sermon that stayed with me the most was one we heard on vacation in Pennsylvania at a Mennonite Church. The sermon was so profound to me that I wrote a blog post about it Christmas Eve 2018. (Debbie's Post: My Thoughts for this Christmas time and New Year). In a nutshell it was about all the lesser mentioned people in the Bible and how they made a difference by doing what they could do--no matter how small. We are all important. I may have to resend that post as my Christmas letter again this year. I think it bears repeating.
The church helps us navigate through this worldly life and gives us hope of eternal life. We know our future is secure.
"And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching."
Hebrews 10:24-25
No comments:
Post a Comment