Over the last several years, I have examined my own journey of faith through the lens of my mother’s experiences.  I watched as my mom progressed from being a sometimes church-goer to becoming an usher, an Elder, and a participant in a bible study group at her Presbyterian church.  Mom preceded me on her journey by a couple of years but I was paying attention. In 2011, I was fresh from attending the Adult Inquirers’ Class and intending to join St. John’s Church, so I asked my mother why she became a Presbyterian. Mom answered that it was the only church she visited where she was greeted and made to feel welcome.
Recently I was in route to St. John’s. The cab driver asked why I didn’t attend church in my own neighborhood. “St. John’s is the only church where I have felt at home,” I heard myself say aloud to the cabbie.
During this Lenten season, I am challenging myself to welcome others in the same way that I have been warmly greeted and welcomed into St. John’s. Someone may be beginning her journey….

-Sandra Hackworth