Back To My Roots

Today I was blessed to be in the presence of people I have seen in years, and I mean YEARS! After well over four years of being away from my home church, I made my return. Well first of all, let's go back a couple of years....

After years of bouncing around churches around the Valley, my family finally settled in at Mt. Carmel United Brethren Church in Fulks Run. For close to five years I called it my home church and planted my roots there. Mt. Carmel was the church I returned to that summer in 2003 when I gave my heart to Jesus and I was baptized in my neighbor's swimming pool (Yes, a swimming pool! The river was completely dried up that year!) the following summer by my pastor. During those five years my spirituality grew like a weed and I began to feel peace in my heart. I absolutely loved getting up on Sunday mornings and going to Sunday School and Church. The church became my family and I'll forever be bonded to those special people.

This morning as I walked into Mt. Carmel, my mind was flooded with happy memories. I started thinking about all my trips down the stairs to my classroom, all of the Christmas plays and songs that I led on the main stage, and all the people that had been there to support me during my crazy middle school and teenage years. I felt like I was going back in time to my childhood and adolescence. The church still looks exactly how I remember it, minus a few minor remodelings and up keeps that have been done. However, the people have not changed at all. There still the incredible people I remember them as. I was showered with hugs and kisses this morning and could not stop grinning.

Besides coming back to see all the people I haven't seen in years, there's another reason I came back on this particular day. My boss and former tennis coach, Neil Summers was the speaker this week. Usually I'm proof reading Neil's sermons at work and have only had the opportunity to hear him speak twice. Come to think of it, the last sermon I heard at Mt. Carmel was one of Neil's.

This past week, after making the decision to visit Mt. Carmel, I asked Neil what sermon he was planning on using. He told me that it was his "hunting sermon". I never asked to see or what it was about. However, as soon as he started preaching this morning, I realized that it was one of the sermons that I had proofread! I'll have to admit, Neil did one heck of a job, and it was much better hearing him give the sermon than reading it :)

Even though I really miss all of the people I left behind years ago, I know that I've found a permanent home at Singers Glen Baptist. When I started going to Singers Glen Baptist in September 2007, I knew it was where I belonged. In a way, it started a new chapter of my life and the start of the new family I was about to have in the upcoming years. At that point, Tyler and I had been together for two years, and two short years later I officially became a part of the family when he slipped a gorgeous sapphire and diamond ring on my finger.

I'm so happy where I'm at and am looking forward to many good years to come at Singers Glen Baptist. However, I'll never forget where my roots are planted.