I Call It Church
By Betty Wambui, Kenya
I was born into a Christian family and, to say the least, church has always been a central part of my life.
Having grown up in Sunday school, I have some fond childhood memories of participating in memory verse quizzes and performing in the Christmas cantata.
On top of that, my Sunday school teachers were the best! They taught us songs and valuable lessons that I still remember. And, it was always fun to be rewarded when you recited Bible verses accurately.
I remember clearly, during the Christmas cantata, I played the role of the angel Gabriel. It was a role I really enjoyed because I was the bearer of good news. In addition, I had the angel wings, which I would flap! Also, I loved to see my friend’s stunned reaction (she played Mary) when I told her that she was highly favored by the Lord and that she would give birth to Jesus.
Most of all, there were these beautiful costumes that we got to keep after every cantata!
With all these activities and very helpful teachers, I loved church. I ate, drank and slept church. Through the eyes of a child, I had a perfect church.
However, when I grew up and became more involved in various roles of leadership in different groups, my eyes were opened. Conflicts and misunderstandings were everywhere—from the pulpit to even the children’s ministry people were unhappy with each other.
I used to wonder if I was the only one who could see these dysfunctions. When I asked my mum, she told me that because we are created different, we would always have challenges and misunderstandings among ourselves.
I couldn’t fully understand this.
Church to me was the one place where everything was supposed to be okay. People were supposed to get along and God was supposed to come first above all else. This really was a wakeup call.
I decided, then, that I would set out to find my “perfect” church . . .
**Download the full article here.
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