The next day, he called and asked if I’d like to go to church with him on Sunday. I remember he wanted to make sure I felt no pressure about it.
An emphatic “YES!” was my answer.
“Really?!” He was shocked that I was so eager to go. He had invited people in the past who were less than enthusiastic about it. I, on the other hand, was excited to see what was out there. I had recently been pondering the idea of church-hopping. I didn’t quite jibe with my “anything goes” generation, as much as I may have looked like I fit in, so I wondered what parts of society I didn’t know about yet.
I loved it – the music, the sermon, the prayers, all of it. I had a lot of questions, but overall I felt at home.
He then invited me to his bible study group, called a homegroup. You mean people actually do sit around at home and talk about the bible? Every week? Wow. And I didn’t even have to start it!
Another emphatic “YES!” from me.
I went. I had a lot of questions. I wanted to make sure these people weren’t kooks. I wanted to fully understand what they all accepted to be true. I asked and they answered. Very lovingly. They welcomed me into their discussion and invited me to keep coming if I wanted to.
The next morning the phone rang. “I’m from the homegroup last night and I know you had a lot of questions about Christianity, so would you like to come over to my house on Saturday mornings so I can help you learn how to navigate the bible?”
Wow. What an offer for someone who had always wanted to know more but didn’t know how to do it. I didn’t have to think for too long about my answer.
Another excited “YES!” came out of me.
That very first Saturday, I went to her comfortable, peaceful house filled with the wonderful smells of baking and fragrant candles. She was an attractive, quick-to-smile grandmother in her late 60s, and she treated me like instant family. Her husband liked to work overtime, so he made himself scarce.
For the next several months, she facilitated a crash course in Christianity for me. Every Saturday she devoted four-hour chunks of time to educating me, talking things out with me, and showing me lovely hospitality. In my free time at home, I worked through a booklet that she had gotten as a guide for me, which toured me through the pivotal verses and concepts I needed to know.
As we talked each week through the chapters of the booklet, she helped me understand what Christianity beyond Sundays at church looked like – Christianity developed by personal bible study and weekly communal discussion.
I loved it.
Because we talked about anything and everything, she became a very special friend who not only taught me who Jesus was but showed me how Jesus’ followers live out their lives. Kindly. Warmly. Selflessly. Without judgment. Toward total strangers.
to be continued…
Copyright © 2020 Edee Kulper, excerpt from a book in progress
