Back in Claremont, my friends at Claremont Presbyterian Church taught me the fundamentals, and laid down a foundation that my faith thrives on to this day. It was so cool as a 16 year-old to be the youth representative of the committee charged with finding a new associate pastor, who would also be our new youth leader. I felt that my opinion was not only respected, but highly valued and thoughtfully considered--- something many teens do not experience. The adults in my church showed me what faith looked like in "grown-ups", and that it really wasn't very different from mine. They had the same fears, hopes, and dreams that I had, and shared how Christ helped shape their lives. The people around me at CPC truly helped shape the Christian I am today.
Day 14: West Hill Baptist
When I moved to the College of Wooster, I had to find a new church. I grew up at CPC, and never had to determine before what was best for my faith, and what I wanted in a church. With a little help from my roommate Éowyn, we eventually found a church that we liked. At West Hill Baptist, I met so many wonderful people, and heard messages that really challenged me. What did I believe about hell? Does love just mean being kind to others? West Hill not only challenged my faith, but showed me a group of people ready and willing to "take me in" in Alethia, their college group. Over the summer of my sophomore year, I was in Wooster working, and really on my own for the first time. While most of my college friends had disappeared for the summer, my Alethia family had girls nights, bonfires, and small groups to keep me going. West Hill made me feel at home, even while away from home, and for that I'm truly grateful.
Day 15: Wooster United Methodist Church
While I was at West Hill, I started helping out with the youth group at Wooster United Methodist Church. My involvement was small in the beginning. However, as that involvement grew I felt called to start attending there full time. My involvement grew into an internship spanning about three school years, including two summers. There are no words to describe the amount of love, faith, growth, and family that I experienced at WUMC. We went on work projects together. I was involved in just about every ministry at one point or another. Financially, my internship made my junior year at Wooster possible. For all I was given, I put my heart and soul into ministry there, and experienced incredible growth because of it. I affirmed my love of youth ministry at WUMC, and now, I want to be a youth pastor someday. My family at WUMC was and still is very special to me, and they'll always have a place in my heart.
Day 16: New Pointe Community Church
As heart-wrenching of a decision as it was, Adam and I moved to a new church after we got married. Sometimes God calls us to new places, and sometimes it can be scary diving into the unknown, but hand-in-hand we entered into our new life together at New Pointe Community Church. Since then, I've continually received affirmation that it was the right decision. I've seen so much growth in the both of us, and we both quickly became involved in ministry at New Pointe. I've been playing for the Middle School Ministry there, and Adam has been helping with sound for the services. We have found so many people to connect with who are all trying to move one slow, arduous, human step at a time towards Christ. We're still getting to know a lot of folks at New Pointe, but the ones we have connected with so far have already impacted our lives significantly. I can't wait to see what God has in store for us there, but I'm thankful for all of the good that we have already experienced at New Pointe.
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