Just after taking his last breath on Earth, Pastor Emeritus or Dr. McCray, took his first breath in heaven. I imagine as he walked through the gates he heard the words, "Well done, good and faithful servant." His battle is finally won, and from here on to eternity he'll be praising his Savior. Though today was a sad day for my home church, it has also been a wonderful day. You see, Dr. McCray taught of the importance of having a home church and having each other. He pastored our church in rural East Tennessee for 50 years before retiring to become Pastor Emeritus. One his favorite things to say was, "A Christian person should want to be in church to be around people who are like them." It's in honor of Dr. McCray that I write these words thanking my church family and encouraging readers to find their own.

First, to my church family: Thank you. It has been a wonderful privilege to be "raised" by a community of caring believers. My closest friendships have all been formed through spending countless hours of time at church. Thank you for teaching me how to navigate my Bible, which has taught me to pour my heart out to God, even when I am otherwise at a loss for words. Thank you for teaching me to sing and to sign. I'm still pretty tone deaf, but that's all on me and not a reflection of the fine musical gifts many of you have. Thank you for taking me on trips to various places across the country where I got to see God work in mighty ways. Thank you for the hours of time you have spent laughing with me, holding me while I cried, and praying for me. Thank you for correcting me when I went totally wrong.

Don't get me wrong, it has not always been easy to attend church. There are so many times, especially after I have messed up, that being in the House of God with other believers is the last place I want to be. But Dr. McCray was on to something. Though you can be a Christian without ever attending church; however, the church is meant to be a safe place for Christians. Church is the place where we go to celebrate our triumphs with people who understand. It is also a place where we go to be embraced with love and wisdom to help us when we have stumbled.

The tendency as a millennial is to want to run as fast and as far from everything familiar as we possibly can. We want to feel free to experiment, and though that is okay, we have to find a place to settle down at some point. Dr. McCray settled down for a long period of time, and many of us proceeded to follow his example. No church is perfect. We have our fights and the Devil will use any bit of weakness he can get his hands on to tear the Church to pieces. But we need to stand firm in our faith, and the best way to do that is to stand with each other. As Proverbs 17:17 says, "A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for the time of adversity."