September 24, 2025

Pre-COVID, I was feeling stalled in my faith journey and I needed a change to get me out of the rut. Coming out of COVID, I felt I was able to step away from my church family and see if I could find what I needed in another. 

My prior church was outstanding at engaging the intellectual side of my brain. I learned so much about the bible, how it came together, the cultures in which it was written, the history of the faith, and the breadth of what we call Christianity today. I learned how to teach those things to others and bring people with disparate beliefs together to help each other on their own journeys. But I found myself doing the same thing over and over again, never moving forward myself. 

I was missing something but I didn’t know what, so I started looking. I finished up my obligations to my church family and said my goodbyes. They were wonderful about it. I visited several churches in my quest, spending several weeks in each. I tried several denominations. I didn’t know what I had found at Epiphany for *months* but something was stirring the spiritual side of my faith that I didn’t even know had to be fed.

Looking back, it was the liturgy and the music. What I found boring and repetitive in my 20s I now find moving and beautiful. I love the deep meaning behind the liturgy. I love the theology and doctrine embedded in the hymns. Best of all, I made this move without having to give up the service that is such an important part of my faith. For a small congregation, we look outward a lot and I treasure that. I look forward to being part of my new church family for a long time to come, much more balanced than when I first showed up and moving along my path of sanctification.