Personal Narrative: Matters Of Faith

I was able to attend three church services at the Athens First United Methodist Church and gain insight on what it was like to be a weekly congregation member. While focusing on the members of the congregation and their mannerisms, the pastor and the way that the congregation was being addressed, and the overall routine of the service I was able to write-up the way that I felt and the things that I noticed while being present. I feel as if the Catholic and Methodist church are different and attending the mass was not something that I was used too. I was experiencing a different religion and church service. I felt like there was a sense of community at each service and I really liked the way that I personally felt welcome each time I went. I am not saying that the catholic church does not have a sense of community, maybe it is because Athens is a small town and members get to know each other very well or what but I felt a strong community vibe. I was able to focus in on the members specifically and the way that they interacted with one another and the pastor. Friendly, is the word that I would use to describe the members. Each person had a smile on their faces on entering and exiting the church. Reverend Robert McDowell did a wonderful job interacting and engaging with the congregation throughout the service. He wanted his people to listen and reflect on the words he was saying not just blankly listen to. Going to the Methodist church was an eye opening experience to me, realizing that going to church and being in college is not a bad thing. It takes up one hour of my time one day a week. This project made me realize the difference between religions and unfamiliar places and how it can be educational and exciting to

When I arrived, I was a little surprised at the demographics of the two hundred people that were in attendance. I had previously attended a Celebrate Recovery meeting a few years prior and the only demography I encountered were those who seemed like they “needed to be there.” However, I was pleasantly surprised to meet the individuals at this meeting as the people seemed like average everyday people. I felt like I belonged, and as though my struggles matter because all those in attendance were seeking after that new life, set free in Christ. There were people from all over, all different struggles and situations that it made the

I attended Celebrate Recovery at Fellowship Bible Church in Rogers, Arkansas on October 7th. This meeting is not for any specific addiction or problem, but spans many issues and therefore was very different than any other support group I have attended. The fact that it is a faith-based meeting was another interesting difference from the Narcotics Anonymous (NA) meeting I visited last semester.

Preparing for the event was very nerve-racking and I felt extremely anxious and apprehensive. The church attendance was all African Americans and mostly low-income with a mix of young and old. The church itself is very old, established in 1787, and sits in one of Carbondale’s poorer neighborhoods. I have been to this church before though, for work purposes to do a homeless count at the soup kitchen, so I was a little familiar with the church in general. Based on the soup kitchen experience the attendance of people in the church was pretty much as expected.

To say my faith life has been completely revamped in the last year would be an understatement. I had views and ideas about faith that seem somewhat vile to me know with the experiences I’ve had. From just lectures to the retreats my spiritual side has gone from that of a holiday catholic to a Campus Ministry Student. From little things to big ethic topics I’ve changed in a multitude of ways, my Spiritual Autobiography looks like looks like someone else wrote it compared to any year before it. I think faith is one of the most important aspects of our life and it took me until last year to realize it.

As I finished reading the first three chapters of Courageous Faith, I found myself to be most identified with Abraham. The beginning of new things is hard and challenging, and it takes great faith and courage for a person to make a decision that can change his whole life. This was what happened with Abram. God told him to leave behind his whole world to move to Canaan. He had to face new and unfamiliar people and environment, but he believed in God and follow His will. Throughout my life, I have met with changes throughout the years. From elementary to high school, I always go to a school far away from the previous with new environment, and all the people there already know each other and are friends. Then I study abroad in the States, this

My classmate and I managed to find each other in church parking lot and made our way through the cloud of smoke and into the building. We entered a large hall filled with people of all ages. There were at least 50 people there; sitting, standing, hugging, talking and laughing. A couple of people were running a raffle in a corner. Coffee brewed in the small kitchen. I grew up catholic and this had the distinct feeling of being a church function.

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

I really loved the ambassador program, because it helped me connect to perspective students and really make some of their first memories here amazing. It was also amazing to keep in touch with them and hear if they were accepted to APU or not. It helped build new relationships that I have kept since I have met them and they still constantly ask me to pray over them which I find amazing. It has also really helped strength my relationship with God and learn more about my beliefs through the questions they was asked. I feel that I had just tried improving my relationship, but never really reflected on the things I are already believed and why I believed them. So through the ambassador program I was able to connect with God on a new level in which I was able to understand my faith more and connect with students were a real blessing to have even if it was only for one night, because those relationships will really last since they were rooted in Christ.

The first cultural event I experienced was going to the non-denominational church with my girlfriend and her family. My expectations were to be going to a church that was more of a cathedral look. I expected to see religious statues and carvings within the church. To my surprise, it was completely opposite. We drove up to the campus and it was huge like a basketball stadium. When we entered the church it was huge with a very modern look. It looked nothing like a church. Then we entered the auditorium where there were floor seats and balcony seats that which looked like you would sit in at a sports event. This was the day I met my girlfriend’s family so not only was I nervous attending a church service in a place so big and different from what I expected I was meeting her family. I met the family everyone was really kind and welcoming. The church service began and it was like a concert. They had drums, guitars, keyboards, and singers. The dynamic was not similar to what I have experienced in the services I had attended back home. It was loud, fun, and people were so comfortable being there. The pastor spoke

When I had first read about this assignment, I was a little anxious to go to these meetings. mostly because I did not want to run into anyone that I had gone to high school, and since I am from a relatively quaint town, I knew that could be a possibility. However, the first meeting I had chosen to go visit was an alcoholics anonymous meeting that surprisingly was being held at my former high school. I had arrived early to settle into the back to make sure I would just observe and not disrupt the meeting. When it had started I was shocked that they started off by praying, I was not sure if all of them were from different religions. However, after I had read more into my readings it made sense to me why they had started off the meeting with a

The event that I attended was hosted by the Academic Success & Tutoring Center (ASTC). It was a one hour program that was part of series to help new students ease into and survive their first semester at Stony Brook University. The particular topic that I decided to attend was Goals and Motivation. I have a hard time staying motivated and getting my work done. I always seem to wait until the last minute to do things and then I break down because I am so stressed out. I'm also having second thoughts on what I want to do in my life and how I am going to get there. Therefore I thought that this topic was particularly good for me and I think that it was actually quite helpful.

If I were to start my own Faith Community Practice I would first plan to sign up for EMU's online Faith Community Nursing Course in order to fully understand what a FCN is and how best to go about establishing my own practice. With that first challenge out of the way once completing the course, I would go about facing my other challenges. One challenge that I would most likely face is where to set up my practice. I would most likely want to start my practice in service to my home church at Lindale Mennonite church. I don't believe we have a FCN practice there and I think it would an amazing opportunity to serve my home church in that manner if they allow. My challenge within that is where to actually set up my practice whether that be coordinating

My journey with God started in February of 1993, when I went to a ladies’ conference in Columbus, Texas. It was while the speaker was explaining that she knew there were some of us out in the audience, who felt guilty about something they had done in their past, and they did not feel that God could forgive them for it. But then she quoted from God’s word; “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, not principalities, no things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom 8:38-39 NASB) The speaker continued on to say that all we need to do is

Humans from my own point of view are God's creation, because the bible makes me understand that humans were created in God's image, and during the creation of man, God blew the breath of life into man to make him come alive. I assume the reason humans are so unique is that they were created like God. The reason why humans are the best of all creation is that they can think, invent new things, and have dominion of all other creatures on earth. Humans are the only living creation that is conscious of their own existence, because they have advanced knowledge and skills to do things, for example, humans can clothe themselves, cook their foods, and even invent numerous technologies. Humans have a well-regulated sense that is able to