My Church Life Through The Years

My earliest memory of church attendance is Sunday school. I remember sleeping over my grandmother’s house on Saturday night so that I could attend church on Sunday morning.

My parents were not Christian so my grandmother was the sole spiritual guide in the family. Being dropped off at Sunday school was an emotional mixture of feelings for me. I had severe separation anxiety and did not want my grandmother to leave my side but once I saw the friendly face of my Sunday school teacher I was fine.

Class consisted of a short prayer along with an offering collection; this is where I would drop my sweaty quarter into an envelope held by whoever had the privilege to collect offering. For some of us the collection of offering was our first church job. As for my offering, I held tightly to that quarter because I didn’t want to lose God’s money. My grandma was emphatic about my responsibility to give God that quarter and in doing so, instilled in me a great respect for being obedient to God.

Offering would be followed by a colorful Bible story. This would be followed by a wrap up of the lesson with an art project. I remember coloring paper doll Jesus’, along with Paul, Adam and Eve many times over and placing them in story sequence with the help of my teacher on a felt board where Jesus miraculously stayed adhered. Then my S.S. teacher would give us all a lollipop as she sent us off to our guardians. This is when my devotion to prayer began as I prayed that I would not get the green lollipop.

Being a teenager isn’t easy for any teen ever in the history of the world. Is this an overdramatic statement? Maybe. But for most teens not understated at all. In my opinion, teens have it hard. Teenagers are in the midst of morphing into young adults and there are plenty of growing pains.

I can honestly say... attending church and having Christ in my life alleviated much of the necessary growth pain. We have to grow, and it is difficult. There is no getting by the need to grow physically, emotionally and spiritually and the journey to maturity can be quite daunting, but I can honestly say being an active member in the youth society of church, distracted me from the hardships of being a teen and growing into adulthood. That is not to say that my teen years were easy, but I had the comfort and the accessability to Christ that made it so much more tolerable.

I remember all night youth vigils when we actually stayed... all night, until morning. We would bring our pillows and blankets, but we would stay awake so as not to miss anything. This was a great time in my life I was witness to miracles,deliverances and prophecies.

There were the youth trips to Great Adventure, campaigns, conventions and other activities that kept us involved and off the streets, so to speak. There were the birthday celebrations, Christmas parties, sneaking off to the church kitchen during service because our hunger pangs kept us from paying attention to the preaching; at least that is what we used as an excuse. You have to be pretty prayed up to resist the smell of home cooking wafting through the vents and into the temple. Estebania's pastelillos and Acapurrias were very tempting.

After the Friday night youth service, the youth would get together at Charlie’s’ pizzeria, until Charlie would kick us out. We were pretty rowdy Pentecostals, but keep in mind we were also teens and still growing.

As an adult, church life, attending and participating ,was a great part of my Christian walk. It was very edifying and needed. As a young mother,wife and a student, church activities had not waned but instead grew as I longed to share my church life with my daughters and set an example of the importance of fellowship. I taught Missionettes, Sunday school and performed solos for the Lord. My husband and I were youth pastors and accepted any other activity that we were called to do, dragging our three girls along.

My church life has not ended, it continues, as a second generation of our family has joined the church life. Church life is just a part of out spiritual walk but an immensly important one. Fellowship is key to any Christian’s life, as we are all part of Gods family, and it should be a priority to get together at our Fathers house.

It is of the greatest importance to hear what He wants to say to us as a whole and this is where it differs from our individual walk with Christ.

We are the church and we need to be united so that we can be in one accord and therefore have the capacity to hear what God is trying to tell His church, His children, as we gather together to worship, adore, honor and serve Him.

Imagine your family, your father, your mother and sisters and brothers united by blood. Imagine gathering together, every member of your family and honoring your parents and serving each other, while learning together about life from your father and spiritual leader of the home. Allowing him to guide you and teach you about life. What a great concept.

Take that very concept and apply it to your church family. It is the same, without Church life, There is no Christian family to be a part of .

Our church family includes brothers and sisters united by the blood of Christ, gathering together, each and every single member, honoring God and serving each other. The church family learns from the Heavenly Father and allows His guidance to lead our paths; His will has to take precedence over all.

My physical church life will end when I have passed away from this earth or when the church is taken up to Heaven via rapture and then together we are with our Heavenly Father eternally.

Then my church life through the years will come to its true realization.

Be Blessed