I had the privilege to be able to be raised in church from a young age. I was able to see my parents doing mission trips, volunteering, and attend Sunday services and Sunday School with my parents and siblings from when I was in elementary school. In college now, I still go to church on my own and I love it. I have been able to learn so many things from church, not even all in a spiritual context, and I would like to share those things because I think there is so much that people can learn from church even if they do not necessarily believe in everything taught.

The first thing I have learned in church is how important it is to serve and volunteer. I have also learned and been surprised at how much joy it can bring. It is so important to find your gifts and talents, and the things that you are passionate about. You can learn that from serving in church because there will usually always be something that you are more inclined to, such as children, hospitality, cooking, tech, etc. There are also many ways that you can bring your gifts into serving, such as sports, knowledge of other languages, singing, etc. Using these gifts, strengths, and passions to serve others can make you come alive in so many ways. Serving and volunteering brings so much joy and is so good for growth. A mindset of serving others and having humility is so good for everyone and this is great to be learned in church because church brings so many opportunities for serving.

Another thing that I have learned in church is the beauty of community. All of the churches I have attended have stressed community a lot. By this, I mean being in relationship and interaction with other people and doing life with them in all different ways. Many churches emphasize bible studies a lot. I believe that bible studies can be so growing as well because it gives an opportunity for deep fellowship and vulnerability and growth with other people and this is so good for everyone. It is extremely important to have community in your life that you can turn to, talk to, walk with, and trust in. Having a good community is especially important. The church has given me such incredible friendships that have done things for me that I never imagined anyone ever would. It is such a blessing to be able to have and now because of church I value good friendships and good people so much.

I do believe that church can be looked down on by many people because some people have had bad experiences with it. May I reassure you that that is not every church and from my experience, not very many churches actually. Church is a place of joy, acceptance, and security. And I believe that if you allow it, it can teach you so much and grow you into an even better person.