Christian Friends part 2 Carol Daugherty
Christian Friends!
The previous story explained about the move from Alabama to Florida in search of a place where a woman and her family could feel at home. This is the rest of the story.
For the past two Sundays she and her family, brood of youngin’s, attended the First United Methodist Church (FUMC). She had tried the Baptist church, but it reminded her of her childhood; one of complications, new locations, and difficult times. Since her mother, brother and his family attended the Baptist church she felt obliged to attend with them. The two or three times she attended, she felt out of place. So, she and her “brood” began attending the FUMC.
She would sit in the balcony with her boys and relax, listening to the choir, the congregation, and the Pastor. She felt her stress level decrease as the tension in her shoulders subsided. She felt as if the whole of the Angel Choir was attending, hovering in the ceiling, looking down, enjoying the flow of positive energy and friendship.
After the service, a few members of the choir came up to her and welcomed her and her boys to the church. She was introduced to several other church members and when people started leaving, a man named Bill, his wife Claudia, and their friend Connie, came up to her and asked if she would like to join their “dinner party”. She asked for clarification, and they explained that every week eight members of their “party” would travel to the next person’s house and have dinner. So, they explained, every Sunday the party would travel to another members’ house and that they rotated through the membership every week. Would she like to join? Of course she would. Upon giving her answer, they explained that dinner would be at her house the following Sunday! Oh…kay! She could do this! No one from her previous church family had ever asked her to come to her house for dinner before. She was a little worried she could not do it, but the positive still lingered in the air and she decided to give it a try.
This was the beginning of an amazing journey that this woman is still on. She and her husband met many new church members and enjoyed many dinners with them all. After twenty years friendships are still going strong. Some friends are in Heaven, some have moved in with their children, and some are closer than ever. Just this week she and her husband will meet with Bill and Claudia, two of their closest friends. Dinner and conversation will be on the menu.
{This special couple just celebrated their 58th anniversary and 20 of those years have been spent with her and her family.)
God bless Christian Friends.
Selah
Carol Daugherty