Over my adult years I’ve attended various Christian denominations and have come away with an awareness that each one has its core beliefs. Each one has an emphasis around which their beliefs are attached. Such as, baptism, specific beliefs, speaking in tongues, etc.

I was raised in a Southern Baptist Church – First Baptist Church, Port Neches, Texas. We were literalists but didn’t know ourselves that we carried that label. As a young adult I pulled away from the SBC.

Before I had children, while living in Houston I attended a Methodist Church and even tutored students as part of their program. When we moved to Nederland in 1974, I didn’t attend church. I didn’t concern myself with it.

When my last child, Lance, was born I began to feel the pull of the Spirit. I wanted my children to be raised in a Christian church. I joined a small Presbyterian church in Port Neches.

After the divorce I began attending Cathedral in the Pines in Beaumont. It was an Assembly of God church, but I wasn’t aware of that at the time. The worship services were in a controlled environment. A full orchestra prepared us for worship. There was a singles class and group there that meant a lot to me. It was led by Leora Wagliardo. She was an ordained pastor and a jewel. I appreciated her more than she ever realized. We took trips and had socials. It provided a healthy social life for me. We always went to Dickens on the Strand in Galveston.

When I could see that my children needed to be in a church with their school mates, I rejoined First Baptist Port Neches and it worked out well. My mother attended there and I held Dr. Gaylon Riddle, the pastor, in high regard. The children had a strong youth minister. Once the kids were older, and the boys were with their dad, I returned to the singles classes at Cathedral in the Pines. This is where Sam and I met and continued to attend.

But after the Pastor (Dabney), died in 1994 that church underwent changes and pastors. By 2003 the services were no longer calm and controlled. We didn’t feel at ease there. We left and didn’t attend church again until we visited Calder Baptist (a Cooperative Baptist Fellowship church). Sam loved Jim Fuller, the pastor and he and his wife, Jo, became our good friends.

The next entry will post in two weeks.

I raised three children as a single mother before I remarried. In 2007 I founded SMORE for Women, a nonprofit whose goal is Single Moms, Overjoyed, Rejuvenated, and Empowered. I’m also a Certified Professional Coach and my stories have been published in several Christian books and magazines. My book, Living Learning Loving is available on Amazon.  My Website.