Our Stories
Neither my husband nor I grew up going to church. After our first child was born, we decided we wanted her to have an understanding of the Bible and religious traditions. Our own parents felt it was better to expose us to no particular denomination and let us decide as adults if we would be church-goers. We felt our children needed a basis on which to make their own decisions, so we tagged along with some neighbors and attended a United Methodist Church in the city we were living in at the time. Over the years, along with attending worship services, we have served on committees, been worship leaders, taught and attended Sunday school, been members of small groups, gone on Mission trips and church retreats, attended potluck dinners and picnics, game nights, movie nights, talent shows, and taken Bible study classes at church. I met my best friend at church when we were serving together on the Family Activities Committee. We began a Brownie troop that we led for many years.
Our 3 children were baptized in the church and have participated in youth handbells and vocal choirs, been members of the youth group, acolytes, gone to Sunday School, summer camp, CROP walks, Vacation Bible School, mission trips in the US and abroad, Youth 2003, lock-ins, swim parties, and mystery trips. Their membership in the church has allowed them to meet kids from all over town and from different schools and social groups, as well as adults of all ages.
When we announced to our friends and co-workers that we had decided to move across the country to Columbia, Missouri, someone asked if we had family here. Our answer was, “No, we don’t have any relatives in Columbia, but we belong to a connectional church where we will be welcomed when we arrive.”
Before we even set foot in Columbia, we found MOUMC’s web site and decided we’d visit it first.
Our intention was to visit all the United Methodist churches in Columbia for one Sunday, and then decide which would be our church home. The weekend we flew in to go house-hunting, we attended MOUMC. The first person who talked to us in Whittler Hall after the service was Caryl Bryan. We felt comfortable right away. After our move was complete, we attended MOUMC for the second time, and the boys decided to attend Youth Group that night.
Sheila, who was the leader at the time, and the other youth made them feel so welcome and accepted that they had no qualms about going the next week.
Shortly after we moved, Nancy Franklin called and invited us to dinner. I thought she must’ve had to work awfully hard to find out “that new couple’s”
phone number! When our youngest son was due to be in the confirmation class just a few months after we arrived in Columbia, we were nervous about finding a sponsor for him. Our worries were unfounded—Russ Jones just appeared and offered to sponsor Paul.
Well, we never “shopped around” at any other United Methodist churches—we knew MOUMC would be our new church home. When I think about it, it seems as if we have lived normal, uneventful lives with no big tragedies and no more than the usual challenges to overcome. But being part of the church really has shaped our lives, and the lives of our children, in more ways than we know. That is what MOUMC means to us.
~Jane
