You can send me e-mail directly at:
Dear friend,
I like to think of faith as a journey. In the early stages of my faith journey, I grew up in a church and in a kind of para-church organization for kids. I'm grateful for what I learned about the Bible and some of the relationships that nurtured me. But there were experiences that disillusioned me in my teenage years, and I left the church for awhile. I over generalized, saying, "Well, if that's the way church is, I don't want any part of it."
Looking back, I can see how God was working in my decision to become a teacher and my commitment as I began my teaching career in an inner city school. I had a calling to make the world a better place -- more just and peaceful, although I wouldn't have expressed it in religious terms at the time. My journey eventually took me to Wellsboro, Pennsylvania, to teach there.
For several years, I'd had a sense that there was something missing in my life, and I'd done a little church-hopping. When I moved to northern Pennsylvania, I happened to tune in to the local radio station on Sunday morning and heard the worship service of Wellsboro Presbyterian Church being broadcast live. There was something in the liturgy that kept me tuning in, and I was impressed with how the pastor's sermons had intellectual integrity and spoke to my life. Eventually, with some encouragement from some people I met who were members of the church, I ended up singing in the choir of that church, enrolling my young son in Sunday school, and becoming more and more involved in the life of the church.
My life changed dramatically as I began to see myself as one of God's beloved children. I was nurtured and encouraged in a small group that met to study the Bible, to pray, to share our lives, and to Grow in Faith Together. (It was called a GIFT group.)
In time, I began sensing a call to go to seminary and eventually found myself at Princeton Theological Seminary. It's been quite an adventure in faith, discerning how God is calling me to serve over the years. I remember how I initially connected with a church through the radio. I hope we can use our website to help people get in touch with their spiritual longings and connect with our congregation or a congregation near them.
We’d like to hear from you. We’d welcome your feedback on our web site, as we try to make it more welcoming and informative. If you live in the metro Detroit area, we invite you to come and worship with us, take part in some of our activities, and find some new friends.
May God bless you in your faith journey!
Fran Hayes, Pastor
You can send me e-mail directly at: |
|
Return to the Littlefield home page