I came to Metro about 6 months ago. I was desperate to find a church that I could call home, but I really wasn't expecting much. You see, I had grown up in a great church. My father was the pastor and I loved being a pastor's kid. I got special attention from everyone, especially since most of the people loved my dad. But he had a very "different" approach to preaching. He believed that instead of telling a congregation what to do, you should simply show them who God was and what He has done. It's a radical approach to the Bible. You actually have to think about what was said on Sunday mornings instead of just saying "Pastor says I should be nice to people so let me put that into action."

Personally, I thought it was a great approach to the Bible, but with every revolutionary leader, there are those who do not agree. Eventually, there became such turmoil in the church that my father left. My view of a great church was shattered and as I entered my college years, I began to think that there was no such thing as a "good church". My freshman year of college, I tried several different churches, but none satisfied my longings. People were unfriendly, the pastor's sermons were too shallow or I felt just plain uncomfortable.

Finally, I settled at a church near my school. It wasn't a great church, but there was an actor who attended and I liked to go and watch him and his family come to church. I know, I know, It was a horrible reason to go to church, but that's the only reason that I had at the time. Praise at the church was dry and the sermons even more dry. I was there for about a year and a half and not ONE person, not even the pastor ever introduced themselves to me. After about a month there, I went very randomly. I preferred to be sleeping or making money, than sitting in a place that I didn't feel comfortable. I would only go when I felt guilty about something that I had done or when someone dragged me to go with them. I really hated it there, even though I went for so long.

Then, I found Metro through a close family friend. My friend Shameka and I visited and were surprised to see that we felt welcome right away. We even joined the church for lunch after service (something I NEVER do). On the way home, we talked about how we felt that we had been at the church for weeks. We were already getting to know people. That's what made us come back the second time - the friendly people. In the weeks that passed, I loved the church more and more. The praise was simple, but great. Peter's sermons were insightful and filled with emotion and passion. The people were faithfully friendly and I have really come to enjoy the community that I have found at Metro. People are open to share their struggles and their hidden thoughts that hurt them deep inside and we are able to work through things together.

I can't say that my life has been perfect since I came to Metro, and I certainly can't say that I am perfect since coming here. The difference in me lies in the fact that I have a family that holds me up when I'm going to fall, prays for me when I am down and is strong when I'm not. We work together, doing life, knowing that the love of Christ and our love for each other will take us through our less than perfect lives. As we grow closer to each other, we are growing closer to God. The greatest lesson that I have learned since coming to Metro is that God can love me regardless of who I am, what I go through or what I think. I know that I don't have to put on an act and pretend to be a perfect person if I'm going through things in my life that are hard. God has empowered the people at Metro to show love to those who feel unlovely and care to those who feel worthless. Their actions have shown me that God does love me, regardless of what I may think sometimes, and that my church loves and supports me as well. What more could I have asked for?

-Liz