It was the great hymns and potluck suppers that Don Brey remembers best about his days growing up in the Methodist tradition, not necessarily the church doctrines. Don credits his
I was born and raised in the small town of Huntsville, about 60 miles north of Houston, Texas. I was not brought up in a particularly Christian household. My mother had attended Sunday worship services in various faith traditions throughout her childhood, all stemming from Calvinistic theology with an evangelical twist. My father was a disfellowshipped Jehovah’s Witness, who rarely spoke of any sort of faith. So, as one could imagine, I grew up in a rather secular household with some moral standards, but no moral lawgiver.
I had not considered the Catholic Church as an option. From my perspective, Catholicism was not “normal” Christianity. It seemed very strict and ritualistic, with too much pomp and ceremony. It seemed too formal, rather than “Spirit led.” … After some thought, I had to admit that my opinions were based upon mere glimpses into the Church and that I actually knew very little about Catholicism.
I was raised in the Methodist faith in a small town in North Carolina. The only Catholic Church in town was a block away from my house and a large brick home which served as a convent was just around the corner. I would often see the nuns, dressed in their habits, walking to the Catholic school which adjoined the church. Whenever I saw them I felt a great sense of respect. I considered them to be very holy, although, I knew nothing about the Catholic faith.
Growing up in Cincinnati in a typical suburban family, Eric Sammons was raised in the United Methodist tradition. It was a religiously sheltered life, he claims. Not until college would
I was a Methodist from the time I was an embryo, which is my way of saying that my parents were Methodist and both sets of grandparents were Methodist. Although
Dr. Allen Hunt was born into a Methodist family with a long line of pastors. Despite not intending to go into “the family business”, Dr. Hunt did in fact end
My friend, Sean, watched his father, Henry, die. Henry had been a WWII hero, a flying Tiger. Henry radiated Yankee independence, frugality, and self-sufficiency. He built his own house in Connecticut. He loved time in the woods. He raised his children well. But now he was gone.
Sean’s mother, Mary, continued to live in their family home for the next few years, until she chose to move to Florida. My friend, Sean, helped her clean out the decades of belongings and collections from the family home so she could sell it and relocate. Fifty years of memories had accumulated in that old house.
Chuck and Jo Ann Wilson share the story of their journey of faith as individuals and as a married couple. Chuck’s family proudly wore the colors of 13 generations of
My father is a retired Assemblies of God pastor. My parents had a deep and abiding love for Jesus Christ. Their lives expressed who Christ was. I vividly remember being awakened in the middle of the night by the sound of their praying — praying for each of the people in their congregation.
Joshua Johnson began life in Mississippi in a family dedicated to the Baptist tradition of the Christian faith. Experiencing a love for Jesus at a young age, Joshua made his
Matt Swaim started life in the Nazarene tradition in central OH as the son of faithful parents. They instilled within him a love of scriptures. Matt moved to central KY