I am a stay-at-home mom of three children, struggling through a separation with no family support. Due to a bad experience in church, I stopped attending during college. Years later, I knew that my family needed God during this challenging time.
I first tried the Saturday night service, as it felt more casual. The music and singing began and I felt both at home and uncomfortable all at once! Pastor Waybright was welcoming and passionate. He asked us what was weighing us down and told us to lift it up to Jesus. I cried because it felt like a direct message to me. I prayed to God and when I opened my eyes the couple in front of us turned to talk to me and my high school aged daughter. They were Pathways leaders. They listened to me, later sent me small group information and introduced us to the high school youth group leader who prayed with us.
I felt so welcomed and accepted that night. My original plan was to “shop” several churches, but I never tried any other. The next Sunday I left feeling encouraged and assured that God was with me and that Jesus sacrificed himself for people like me. Then I went to the Single Parents group (TIPS) and felt relieved to have found a group of people going through the same types of things I was. I could feel my strength building. The leaders shared a brief parenting lesson that hit home for me. Raising children can be overwhelming especially when you are doing it alone. I thanked God that day for pointing me to LAC and all it has to offer. Afterward, I also went to the Divorce Recovery Group offered by Lake, where I also found a community as well as people who offered me tools for living better.
In the Acts teaching series, Pastors Mattesich and Waybright spoke of creating community, of becoming an inter-generational church, of integrating and opening up our personal lives to each other. I walked out thanking God, thinking “these people have it right, God.”
I have found my church home at LAC after 17 years away. I know the church leadership and congregation are seeking God’s direction and I’m here to say you are going in the right direction. Last Sunday, not only did the senior pastor stop in the Single Parents group to say hello and share a bit of his personal story, but he also came up to me after the service, introduced himself and thanked me for coming. This type of personal experience in a large church means a great deal.
Through the last several months, with the daily struggles I’ve encountered, God has been so good to me and my family. He has answered my prayers for peace in my home. He has given me strength I didn’t think I had. And slowly I am beginning to earn a living again. The inspiration, support, and presence of God at LAC has renewed our hope for a better life and increased our faith in God.