New Life

Mike and I were both raised in the Catholic church, went to 13 years of catholic school, and were married in a catholic church. For both of our families Catholicism was more than just religion, it was our culture. Every child had a baptism and first communion, each followed by a large party, and every couple was married in the Catholic church. However, it just never felt like home for us.

About a year and half ago we started to question whether our current parish was the best place for us, and it was about that time that we joined a large nondenominational church. We both felt as though the sermons were really speaking to us, but that we were just one of hundreds, often lost in the crowd.

When we moved to C’ville last summer, we decide that the large church wasn’t worth the drive, since we never really felt connected, so I started researching churches in C’ville, and we stumbled upon New Life.

The New Life website spoke about how church should be a fun, and safe place. This made us a little nervous, because we weren’t sure what this church’s idea of fun would be, but we felt right at home from day one. The mission of this church is simple, they want to reach out to normal people, and give them the practical application of God’s word, without the formalities and judgment of their parents’ church. It was just what Mike and I needed. We wanted a practical message, something that we could apply in our real lives, and we wanted to finally feel accepted somewhere.

Back when we were attending Catholic church, on Saturday night, before going to bed we would debate about whether we felt like getting up the next morning for church, and the answer was typically no. Now, there isn’t even a conversation, the alarm is set without second thought, and we are both disappointed when we are out of town on Sunday and have to miss a service.

Not everyone is our families has been accepting of our choice, but it is not up to them. It is very likely that we will be moving again next summer, and will once again be on the search for a new church. Though it probably won’t be a Catholic church, I am not closed to the idea of ever going back. Through all of this, what I have taken away is that it is okay to question and to search for a better fit. Worship is not something that has to take place in a specified form, it just needs to take place.