My husband and I were both raised Southern Baptist. His church was much more conservative and traditional, and mine was more moderate. When we were first married and living in Denver, we decided on a church that was Methodist and felt that the Methodist church was a good fit. When we came back to Texas, we were looking at churches and there was something that struck us about this church. It had a sense of tradition and yet it didn’t feel like it was stuck in the past. A lot of the other churches we visited around Austin were a lot smaller and we felt that they were slowly dying out and that there were no other faces that looked like ours in our age range with similar backgrounds.

What we heard from the pulpit let us know that this church had a grasp on what’s going on right now with social justice issues. Chad’s biggest concern was the choir. His positive memories of growing up in the church were related to music and I think that the music is what made it spiritual for him. And the choir here is great.

What we saw right away was the diversity of opportunities to get involved. I’ve heard that we try to do too much as a church, but at the same time I think that our church draws people from such diverse backgrounds and different points in their lives. I know we have some people who have not been a part of the church at all and many who have not been Methodists for their entire lives.

When the church offers so many activities and groups, I think we help people not feel stuck in what they are able to do. And so I feel that I’ve been able to choose what direction I want to go in a different parts in my life.

For a couple of years, I was a member of the mission outreach committee, which does a lot of different kinds of work in the community, with the homeless and other disadvantaged groups. I was able to grow in my leadership skills.

I’ve also been part of the Something More Sunday School class for the past several years. The class has grown quite a bit. It’s mainly made up of people in their late twenties to late thirties, groups of young families with young children. We also have several couples beyond that age range, so it’s good to watch the group grow and change.

I also took a Disciple Bible Study class. I was looking for growth and a spiritual connection as well. It wasn’t just about learning about the Bible, but it’s trying to incorporate it into your life because you’re reading it every day and meeting every week.

As a parent of a four-year-old looking at it from her perspective, I have to ask, “Is she going to have a positive experience at this church?” Over the past few years I’ve seen a lot of growth in the children’s ministry. There are still things that can grow and change, but I think I’ve definitely seen very good growth, and she has a very positive outlook on church.

We’ve been a part of the homeroom group, where different families from the same zip code get together once a month to have a meal and a devotional. So that’s really nice to feel like you have that home base with a small group closer to home. Something that my daughter said is, “I want homeroom to be here!” That’s something that she really wants — the children that visit have really gotten to know each other.

I would advise new people to come and try different worship services to see which one they like – the music is different throughout the month, and different pastors preach. Visiting a small group would be my other advice. I know that’s hard in terms of a visitor sometimes, but I think it’s good to try a small group ‘cause that’s where I’ve found the heart of the church. Just feeling welcome and a part of the church.

I think that actually my primary source for support has come through the church, and that’s something that had not been the case throughout my life. I’ve been active in churches before, but I think that as an example with my pregnancy right now, being on bed rest, I think I told one person, and then all the phone calls we had, a lot were from the church. And there were many people who came to visit and bring meals, and I think within the first few days I had DVD’s and books and magazines and folks checking on us and calling. They even took our daughter to Vacation Bible School every day because we weren’t able to drive her because of my condition. I think our friendship network has come through the church, and through the homeroom group because we live close to each other.