A Church Has Influenced Me

Since birth, I was raised a very devout Christian: I spent the school week, eight hours a day, attending a private Christian school from Prekindergarten through the 8th grade; I attended church services all day Sunday, and every Wednesday evening; I had to be skipped into the next age range of Sunday school on two occasions because my knowledge and questions regarding the Bible had gotten too advanced for the rest of the class; by the age of 12, I began doing mini-Sunday sermons before my pastor did his; by 13, I was baptized and began speaking in tongues; throughout the course of public high school, I was a member, and then leader of the Christian Club; I was nicknamed “Preacher Boy” by my fellow church members, with aspirations to become a

I often hear people say “I knew I was called to preach the gospel” or “ministry is in my blood.” For many years, even into adulthood, I thought ministry was only about preaching. I did not understand the depth of ministry until I became intimate with God. I realize that those who said they were called to preach are only seeking out a job because true ministry is a lifestyle. My spiritual journey began in early childhood. However, unlike many others who grew up as pastor kids, the long boring years I spent in church services deterred me from wanting to go into ministry. Even into adulthood, I went to church but that is all I wanted to do. I wanted to go to service, listen to the pastor, give my offering, say amen then go home and proceed with the rest of my life. In fact, this cycle and my view about doing ministry continued until my late 20s. As a seminarian looking back on my childhood, I discovered my family’s church habits were the norm for people at that time. My grandmother did not believe women should to wear pants because they were things that “pertain to a man (Deuteronomy 22:5)” and the skirt should always be a modest length. I could not see it at that time, but, unknowingly, while I was grumbling and complaining about my clothes and the time we spent in church, the other believers were instilling biblical values in me that would manifest later in life. My relationship with God between ages 18 and 26 is similar to the people in the last

The church that we used to attend -Wooddale Baptist- was a mega church just outside of St. Paul, Minnesota. Every Sunday, I had the same schedule consisting of Sunday School, snack time, and then “Big Church,” which was with the adults. Due to the unthinkable amount of kids, I was never given the opportunity to make anything more than acquaintances. Every Sunday it felt like I met someone new, plus I only got to know their surface layer identity. Once we started at my new church, Aldersgate Church, my social and religious outlook improved. Starting on the first Sunday, my family and I had made plenty of good friends. We even had dinner plans with two strange families after church that night! Little did we know that these two families became the most supportive and trusted people we would ever meet. Also, the small community within the church and the pastor inspired me to grow in my faith than ever before. I began to enjoy Sunday school, and understand the lessons. Exchanging churches changed the way I worshipped God, and gave me the chance to meet new

The lessons I’ve received from transitioning through the church as a child, youth, and adult member have taught me a number of lessons; patience, reverence, and empathy are all traits I’ve strengthened, and they have undoubtably helped me through my high school career. Taught how to ask thoughtful questions, I’m unashamed of my curiosity. Our faith is not always one of direct answers— even our most devoted

I grew up in the St. Louis suburb of Eureka, where I still live today. If you ever look at me and wonder where that scar on my forehead came from, well it happened when I was roughly 12 months old when I fell out of a moving car. My parents raised me as a Methodist at the Eureka United Methodist Church. During my years attending Geggie Elementary School, every Sunday my parents would force me to get out of bed and go to Church with them. During church, all the children would go to Sunday school while the parents were listening to the sermon. In Sunday school, we had a teacher, sometimes my mom, who would give out fun church related activities. However, I did not enjoy doing that mostly because it involved getting out of bed early and since I did not like the subject matter either, but at that age, children do not fully grasp the importance of attending church and

As I entered adulthood, I had a natural instinct for organization and leadership and I had a strong interest in using those talents to serve the church. I worked with youth groups, participated in WELCA, served on the church council and it seemed there wasn’t a task I would not take on. Many people, myself included, anticipated the next logical stop on my journey would be seminary.

I grew up in the church. My father was a deacon and my mother was a Sunday school teacher. I never remember a time that church was not the center of my life. I experienced great hurt in my young life and nobody knew pain I endured. I would not realize until much later in my life the affect that one event would have on me. My teenage years were turbulent. These years were a time that was marked by poor choices and rebellion. I developed two lives. One I projected in the church and the other outside the church. I never really gave the fact that I was living a double life much thought.

Besides my experience in the National Honor Society, I also serve as a classroom leader in my church’s children’s ministry. My purpose as a classroom leader is to inspire and motivate young kindergarteners and first graders in pursuing a deeper spiritual relationship with God. I am there for the kids and their love for Christ; I wake up early each Sunday to make sure their spiritual needs are a priority. Working with little kids truly humbles me as a person, and it motivates me to put other’s needs before my own

You think just get up on Sunday morning and go to church and preach a sermon; however, there is a lot more to it than that and many side jobs go along with being a pastor. Pastor Eric has to study for his sermon, Sunday School group, and he makes time for his own studies. In between studying, he is dealing with the grief of deaths, marriage counseling, comforting the sick, celebrating new births, visiting hospitals, visiting the homebound to allow them to participate in communion, listening to people and their struggles, helping the community on many levels, participating with the schools, and so much more. Atticus’ quote from To Kill a Mockingbird means a whole lot more to me now that I know what it means to “Climb in someone's skin.” I only had a brief view into Pastor Eric’s life as a pastor but it was very certainly eye opening to see a glimpse of what it is really like. Being a pastor is a lot of work. I learned never to judge someone based on my thoughts, because walking in their shoes is a totally different path than the one I imagined in my head and I would advise others to take this advice as

Every year, my church puts on a Vacation Bible School program to reach out to children in our community and to help them learn more about God. I attended this program as a child and grew to look up to my leaders. Once I entered high school, I began helping to lead the Vacation Bible Schooler’s, teaching them songs, helping them make arts and crafts, and most importantly teaching them about the love

Sitting in church on a cold Sunday in January, the hair on the back of my neck stood up as my pastor preached a sermon that, for once, made me feel like she was speaking directly to me. I’m not an extremely religious person; I don’t go to church every Sunday or pray at night before I go to sleep. I just go through the motions. But this time was different. “The time we spend in between leaving home and finding our way back home is where people gain the ability to grow into their full potential.” Those words spoke to me, and I was reeled in, just like the rest of the congregation, wondering what our Pastor was going to say next.

As I gazed around the church I was able to see love and an abundance of warmth generating from the elder parents to the young within the chapel. The service although I was unable to understand it, promoted an overwhelming feeling of acceptance and respect from those around me as we engaged in the reading of the scriptures, songs being sung and the blessings being given to all those asking. The parishioners beamed with an elation of learning the word of Christ, and did not make me feel as if I were an outcast; those seated around me apologized for their children, and guided me to receive the message from the priest. The emotional response I have for the people of the church was an elated since of hospitality and acceptance, which I thought would not be give; a preconceived idea. From the moment I arrived I was able to feel as if I belonged in the church family, the feelings of inadequacy faded. I found that being engaged within this experience has challenged me as an individual to become more open to those I am the most uncomfortable, have little knowledge, or preconceived images of, in other words judge from the inside not from the outside, take a leap and learn whole heartedly about those I know nothing about. The challenges I faced where to put aside whatever misconceptions and prejudices I have from my personal beliefs, values and experiences and be

Pastors have been instrumental in starting health programs and are sensitive to the needs of their congregation and the surrounding community of the church (Butler-Ajibade, P., Booth, W., Burwell, D., Burwell, C., 2012). Also, the members of the church have always utilized the church and the pastor for spiritual guidance, social needs, and health support or assistance (Ford, 2013). Pastors are also aware of the needs of their community and the community is willing to listen to them viewing them as spiritual leaders as well as educators (Ford 2013).

As a child I was not raised in a “church-going family” but I was always interested in why people followed the Lord and gave their lives to him. When I was around 8 years old I asked a family friend if she would take me when she went the next Sunday, and she said yes. But, for an 8 year old, sitting in a big room with some strange man trying to be funny and using words that I didn’t understand wasn’t very fun. I kept going even though I didn’t enjoy it and I would draw and try to find ways to make the hour and a half pass. Without my knowledge there was a whole other thing going on upstairs, children’s ministry. That’s something I was interested in. So, the next Sunday I made my way upstairs and found where I was supposed to be and it shocked me that I wasn’t the only one who drew at church! There was an entire table designated to coloring pages and more crayons than I could have ever used. After coloring on countless coloring pages we went to “worship time.” It was so fun! We got

Ever since I was a little kid, I have been going to church. Over the years, I have felt like I have come closer and closer to God. Through God, the church has influenced me to become a better person. They put me on the right path, helping me find the light that lead me out of the darkness. God, and more specifically the church, has given me hope and strength. They molded me into a person who looks forward to the future, and what I can accomplish. It is hard to believe that I will be going off to college soon. It seems just like yesterday that I started High School. However, as scary as the real world will be, I know I’ll have my family and friends to help. I know when I begin my work as a Computer Scientist, I will have God at the helm guiding