SUNDAY - WHY I GO TO CHURCH

SUNDAY - WHAT I LIKE ABOUT CHURCH

Before I joined the Mormon church - my mother a fourth generation Mormon - married a Lutheran. Somehow they worked out that we would go to the Lutheran church on Sunday and the Mormon Primary, which my grandmother Park had in her home. I can still remember Johnny Jump Up (Jump up and help your mother), Grandma taught us about. Grandma Park taught me about the Mormon Church.

Grandma Zipperian taught me about the Lutheran church. Her favorite scriptures were stories from the Old testament. To this day, I enjoy the old testament because of her. The story of King David has brought me a great deal of comfort.

Living this way caused a lot of conflict in my mind very early in life, but I learned to pray and decided I was going to learn for myself. So, I was President of the Methodist Youth Fellowship in our town, played the music at the Lutheran church, went to the Episcopal Church with a friend of mine, and also went to Wednesday meetings of the Christian Science Church. Later, when in college I was very much in love with a Catholic young man - (he managed to contact me after 50 years, his wife had died, and I found I still loved him as much as I ever did. Don’t think you can love just one person in this life. You can love many. Dad told me when I was a teenager, that you can love anyone so look for someone you like and not just love to marry. I did and I still like him even though sometimes I hate him, love him, or want to kill him. It has been a great ride - like being on a roller coaster!)

I went to Catholic Catechism to learn about the Catholic church so that I could marry a Catholic man. In those days I would have had to sign a paper saying that I would raise my children Catholic. The more I thought about it, prayed about it, I realized that I couldn’t teach my children Catholicism, because if I were tying their shoes or something and they asked me about God, I couldn’t tell them the Catholic teachings. The priest asked me when I planned to join the Catholic Church, and I said never. I can’t give up what I know to be true about God for your teachings. That ended his interest in me. Therefore, I broke off the engagement with this man after 3 years. Later, I had many Catholic friends and learned that most of them don’t really believe in the trinity either.

Now, I happily go to the Mormon church, it gives me the strength to handle whatever comes my way. My whole week is better when I go to church. Even though I have many friends in numerous religions, there is a kindness, laughter, companionship, caring and concern in Relief Society, I haven’t found elsewhere. Can’t say I always felt this way, but age has both its compensations and difficulties. I have had years when I didn’t go to church, I have had times when I had to force myself to go because I wanted to have more in my life. Even when I didn’t go to church, I prayed. Praying alone didn’t cut it. I learned I needed the support you get from being in church every Sunday. Singing the hymns brings comfort to my soul so I sing them in my mind when I can’t sleep, and it is almost as good as a nights sleep.

These are the reasons I go to church. Comfort, friendship, better week, more joy even in sorrow, and I love the Lord with all my heart.