Until now, I have never really felt comfortable writing about going to church. But my blog being my personal blog and telling my story as what it is. I feel a duty to write about my church upbringing and how I now better understand and learn to include religion in my life.

From being as young as I remember; I have attended the same United Methodist Church in the one-square mile borough (that is what we call a town in Pennsylvania). Many pastors and people have come and gone as well as some people have been there all my life, being a part of what has and continues to keep the church going. For the longest time, I along with my mother have not been able to felt the connection with God as we have until last year.

But within that same church that I have been attending from when I can remember is when I went to vacation bible school (VBS) every year, Sunday School in younger years, cub scouts for a brief period, children’s choir for some period and many other things. It is the place that my weight-loss support group meets each week and so many more things have happened in my small community.

It is where I was baptized at ten and since I was not mentally well when it was time for confirmation and membership, I asked for that in my early twenties. While I stayed away from church for many years, I started attending quite a year ago and started attending quite routinely. I am finding  more of a connection with church than I have in some time.

COVID-19 did hurt many churches and mine was no exception. Through that and the loss of many members throughout my lifetime existence, in over two decades we have lost two thirds of our congregation, therefore it is smaller in numbers. There was a part of me that did not want to go back to church after COVID settled early last year and many years of being gone from the church, but I went back and while some things are the same as they were thirty years ago, some things have changed. Without a doubt the attendance has gotten smaller, I have begun to have a bigger connection with the Lord and Jesus Christ and have the desire to attend and do what I can to support our small congregation that I have called home for most of my life.

It is what I have always done and while I have had my doubts over the years, it is the one thing tat is static in my life that has had little change in my life, that I can always count on. I do things that can support the church in my own ways and have even been recognized for them from time to time, but it is never about the recognition, rather it is about the service and being a disciple, of which Jesus Christ has taught us to do.

In the end, I am content and can comprehend church quite well. It is one of the things that I have got used to doing and being a part of each week. It is something that I look forward to each week and love it very much.