I began attending First Christian Church regularly in July 2007 solely to support my wife, a longtime member who was seeking to reestablish her connection there after a lengthy absence. I was 53 years old and had not been an active member of a church since my mother stopped making me go when I was 15, and I was one whose spiritual search had drifted from one influence to another, whether in literature, mythology, world religions, music, or numerous other alternative sources at which I had dabbled. I had long since dismissed the possibility of my ever belonging to a church of any Christian denomination again.



From those very first Sunday services at First Christian, however, I sensed that perhaps my presence in this church was as much for my own recalling as well as that of my wife. The congregation welcomed me with a comforting interest that was so far removed from the alienation I had previously felt in church settings. The sermons of Reverend Kim Hames were always prepared, always thematically unified, and always delivered with the aplomb of a master teacher. Most importantly, they were a reminder to me of the profundity of the Bible as the primary source of divine revelation for Christians.



This church combined such Bible-based teaching with a vision encouraging individual interpretation of the Bible and an attempt to understand the ways that God manifests Himself in other cultures of the world. This perspective was highly appealing to me as a retired English teacher, for it lent validation to my 32 years of helping my students see the presence of a supporting Higher Power, as revealed in great literature. I felt at home in a church that accepted other pathways to God and viewed them not as a betrayal of Christianity but as friends in a small world yearning for spiritual unity.



That unity, according to the mission of First Christian, starts with a connection born first of love for God through Jesus Christ. This loving connection is next reflected in the love and good works expressed within its congregation, and finally in its outreaching efforts for the human community it serves. As I grew to know this congregation better over these two years, I began to see that the last two parts to the connection were the missing links in my own search for God. I had felt God and Christ with me always over the years, and I felt that in my best teaching moments I had successfully communicated to my students the necessity of that "inner life" offered from on high. When I retired, however, I found my contemplative approach rather isolating, for I had put that element of love and service in my life behind me.



Though I was typically slow to commit, I found myself becoming more involved with this loving congregation. I was still performing the role of supporting companion to my wife, but I was now recognizing my need for connection on all levels of church-inspired spiritual growth. My service during the past year as front-door greeter only endeared me more to those who had accepted me with such grace and patience, and on May 3, 2009, I made the big walk to the front--accompanied by my better half, of course. I re-professed my faith as a Christian and declared my intention of full membership at First Christian Church.



My story is testimony to the gentle yet powerful transformative aura of First Christian Church, yet our congregation is in the midst of a still larger transformational process that will help us be an even more vital, more inviting, and more accommodating part of Lawton and beyond. Reverend Hames has been spearheading this structured process with the assistance of our membership as well as higher-level leadership from the Christian church. We welcome all of you who are searching for that one special church combining worship, fellowship, great music, and service in a way that remains faithful to tradition yet is opening itself to new ways of engaging all generations of the Christian community.