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I was raised Catholic. I wanted to raise my children in the faith as well. Although I no longer was a practicing Catholic, I wanted my kids to go to a Separate School to gain the same foundation of faith that I had.

But when we moved to a home in the country, the bus ride for my little ones to attend a Catholic kindergarten would be an hour long. Too long!

Instead, I registered them at the local public school and started to look for some faith-building activities at the local church.

The church was called Millbrook Christian Assembly. I liked the name. It was a place where believers got together. They offered a children’s program on Wednesday nights called Boys and Girls Club.

At this program, they played games, sang songs, danced, and learned about God. Exactly what I had wanted for them.

On the nights that I would bring them, I noticed they had a Bible study in the sanctuary upstairs. It made more sense for me to stay and listen in on the study than to drive back and forth to home.

So I stayed.

And I loved it.

My faith grew. My knowledge grew. I felt comfortable asking questions and having them answered. I began to get to know other members of the church.

They invited us to church on Sunday.

I hadn’t been to Sunday mass since I was a teenager and attended with my parents. I politely declined. I wasn’t interested in attending.

But my children wanted to go. They wanted to see their Wednesday night friends on Sunday morning. So I agreed.

The Sunday service was different than what I grew up with. The music was upbeat and fun, the sermon was interesting, and the people welcoming.

I loved it.

I felt like I had “come home”. We stayed with this church for over 10 years until we moved to another community an hour away.

What started out as a decision to keep my kids at a local school because of a long bus ride led to my return to church and a restored fellowship with other Christians through Sunday service.

(First featured on Medium platform April 7, 2020)