My Journey of Faith
Read 1 Samuel 16:6-7, Acts 15:12-17
I am honored to be asked to write about what my faith and this congregation in particular mean to me since there is no doubt that both have played a huge part in who I am today.
From the outset I need to say that I am not a person who has unshakable, unquestioning faith. Rev. Giguere once said that one should always be open to questions to grow in faith. Well, I certainly have no problem with that. In fact, there have been times in my life when I have openly rejected the church and all that it stood for.
Furthermore, I have always tried to understand the beliefs of other religions. A Jewish proverb says that he who knows only his own religion knows no religion. In this search I have always been struck by the commonalities between other faiths and Christianity.
For example, last summer I attended a Sikh temple with one of my students. After the service, the priest asked me what I thought of his sermon, which was about the road to a closer relationship with God. He said that God is not so interested in the acts of a person. That is, God does not have a clipboard keeping track of those acts. Rather what is important is your fundamental attitude toward God and others. In response to the priest's question, I said that his sermon sounded very Christian; probably not exactly the right response, considering that I was a guest in his congregation. But I was grateful for and challenged by his message nonetheless.
In summary, I view faith as a journey. When you stop for too long on this journey, that is, when you stop questioning, you will never grow in your faith.
I have had a priceless opportunity to raise our children in this church and have been thankful for the nurture of this congregation. The church has been there for all of us for the rough as well as the joyful times in our lives.
I thank God daily for this congregation and its mission.
Gratefully,
Vivian Anderson
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