Why I Stay at Old First Church
I was inspired to tell you why I have continued to come to Old First after 24 years. I started working at Fairmount Primary Care Center the same year that I joined this church. It was a year of commitments and major decisions that would ultimately shape me into the person I am today. Prior to arriving, I had been dropping into different churches like Goldilocks, trying to see which one was just right. I was raised in a Congregational UCC church, but there was nothing like that nearby that I knew of. My husband was raised Episcopalian but I couldn’t follow what was happening most of the time, and when I was in undergrad at Elon in NC I became a watch care member of an Apostolic church. They were quite lively.
Mom invited me to come to Old First with her when she moved here to help me with Mark and to work at St. Joseph’s Hospital. Geneva Butz greeted us and I immediately felt like I was home. She remembered our names the next time we visited and the greeters at the door were genuinely happy to see us. It was easy to keep coming back because I felt like I was getting an education. The sermons were so relevant to my life. I don’t feel like I’m being beat over the head with the Bible, instead I feel like I continue to learn how the Bible can be used to guide my path and help me to make the best decisions for my life and the lives of the people around me. With each new pastor, that pattern of sermon presentation has not changed, thank God. Michael has a wonderful gift of being able to relate to everyone but makes me feel special at the same time. I have a sense of belonging to something bigger than myself. I taught Sunday school, became and elder, and served as a head usher for many years before the pandemic. I enjoy my companion group that tries to meet virtually every Wednesday.
One of my most rewarding reasons for staying, however, is the outreach ministry. My children don’t come to church but they will help out in the food and clothing cupboard without hesitation. I feel like Old First and Fairmount Primary Care Center have very similar mission statements; Everyone is welcomed.
Ultimately God has directed my path and I am forever grateful. I have never regretted my decision to join this church and can’t imagine worshiping anywhere else.
Respectfully submitted by
Greta Stewart
