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| I was born and raised in the Roman Catholic faith, but for various reasons, I was unhappy and felt spiritually empty. I didn't want to stop going to church, so I prayed to God that He would show me a church that I could go to. My husband's father was Lutheran, and I had also heard that Lutherans have some similarities with Catholics. I emailed the Pastor of Resurrection Lutheran Church and explained my situation. She called me on the phone and we had a good conversation. She invited my husband and I to worship with them the next Sunday. Pastor Meissgeier never once pressured us to join Resurrection. In fact, she said that if the Lutheran faith was not for us, that she would help us to find a church that we could be comfortable with. I wanted to learn about the Lutheran faith, and Pastor lent me "The Book of Concord" and another book that compares the Roman Catholic faith with the Lutheran faith, and answered any questions that I had. It was important to me to be able to accept the beliefs of whatever church I chose. This turned out to be the easy part, as I believe the Lutherans put more emphasis on Christ's Word than on rituals and rules. God is now a big part of my life, and not just on Sundays. I even find myself actually picking up my bible and wanting to read it. Pastor Meissgeier truly cares about the members. Anytime that I've needed to talk to her, she's been there for me. It's easy to see God in the Pastor and the members of Resurrection. Their love and concern are genuine. I feel free to be myself, as I am accepted for who I am. After Sunday Service, the members don't rush out of the church and hurry in their cars to get home. Instead, we have a "Friendship Hour", where we have coffee/tea and some sweets. But most importantly, we have conversation. I am truly happy here at Resurrection and consider the congregation to be my second family. If I have any regrets, it's that I didn't join sooner. I sincerely believe this is where God wants me to be. M.M.H. |