JOIN A CHURCH

Successful Christians have found they need the company of others on their journeys toward God. They need a home for the spirit. Many successful Christians have, at one time or another, cut themselves off from a faith community, choosing to go it alone, sometimes rationalizing that they could be as close to God by themselves as with a group of people.

In certain ways they were right. God comes to us in silence, in prayer, in an inspirational book, in the events of our day. But successful Christians felt a re-occurring need to be part of a larger community so they might be reminded that they are not alone, going about some impossible task.

Belonging to a faith community:

Gives you a vote of confidence that you are doing a good job at work, at raising your children, and at making sense out of your life. Too often you can feel you are going it alone. Being in a church gives affirmation that you are not the only one struggling for truth, integrity, and justice.

May require a search. Don't assume that the closest church, or the denomination of your parents, is the best solution for you. Seek the place where you can best worship God. There are plenty of good churches out there, and there will be at least one that will meet your needs as you grow in your relationship to the Lord. Be persistent if you don't find the right place for you.

Doesn't always look like your parents' church. Congregations meet in huge cathedrals all the way down to family basements. There may be pipe organs or bongo drums. Each is an expression of faith, and none should be rejected because they don't fit your preconceived vision of the proper church. Be flexible to what is offered.

Offers personal accountability. Checking in with others and living a faith that can be viewed gives you courage and the challenge to continue to grow in your faith. It gives you mutual support while connecting you to a larger body of believers, and ultimately to the church at large in the world.

Allows you to share your story...and hear the faith stories of others. To hear others wrestling with the same issues is to realize that life presents a set of difficulties for each person. It is how those difficulties are viewed and approached that makes all the difference. The burden becomes lighter - and the triumph greater - when it is shared.

Can be the center of your life. You don't have to be there every day, but the ideals that the church stands for can radiate out into your life and into the community. Imperfect as it may be, its pews filled with imperfect people, the church is still a beacon on the hill.

Gives you a place to serve. From teaching a Sunday school class to being a part of a group that ministers to the inner-city poor, a church is a place where service is valued. It is in service that you are stripped of all your pretenses to the very essence of Christ's love.

Paul Wilkes, who lives in Wilmington, N.C., has written and lectured extensively on Catholic subjects. His books include Merton: By Those Who Knew Him Best; The Education of an Archbishop; In Mysterious Ways: The Death and Life of a Parish Priest; and most recently, The Good Enough Catholic: A Guide for the Perplexed.

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