Reflection Paper

When I was a young child I prayed the simple prayer to ask Jesus into my heart and be the Lord of my life. This began, obviously, with an elementary understanding of Christianity. As I continued to mature into adolescence, however, my faith changed along with me. Christianity became more than just knowing the answers in Sunday School, taking communion at church, or being able to flip to any Bible passage quickly – it was about developing a relationship with Christ and following His call in my life. As Peter preached concerning Jesus in Acts, “there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved,” (Acts 4:12). And, as is written in the book of Colossians, “as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.”

These developments were significantly impacted by my church experiences. Growing up, my family regularly attended an Episcopalian church. We were actively involved – my mom was the Sunday School Superintendant and my dad was on the vestry. My whole family formed close relationships with others who

I try to express my love in return by being an active member of that community. When I am able to attend my home church during breaks from college I volunteer in a few different roles, which I began when I was in high school. I work on the altar guild, assisting with the practical needs which the services require. I also serve by inputting song lyrics into our computer program, preparing them for projection during the service, and display them during worship. During the summers I particularly love to help with Vacation Bible School. I have led teams of kids, coordinated snacks to go with lessons, wrote and performed skits, and helped with teaching songs as