We were scared and anxious. Would we be able to make any friends or enjoy fellowship at another church, in another city, in our 60’s no less?!  There were so many unknowns in our future life. We had decided to move to Houston from Memphis, Tennessee, where we had always lived and where we attended the same church for over 40 years. What would our life be like? Were we making a mistake?

With a prayer and a plan we visited St. Luke’s Methodist and quickly knew we wanted to become part of the St. Luke’s family. On our first visit, we were welcomed by greeters outside the church saying, “We are glad you are here!” After visiting for a couple of months we attended Coffee with the Pastor. We then joined the church in September 2017 and enrolled in an Inside-Out Habits class.  Both the Coffee and the IOH class helped us to get to know  other newcomers and also some of the staff of St. Luke’s.  The staff and our class leaders were so welcoming, answered lots of questions, and made us begin to feel part of this family.  We had a desire to be more than just Sunday service worshippers, so next for us was finding a Sunday school class. We visited several wonderful classes and settled on one that we felt was our best fit.  It was threatening to visit Sunday school class not knowing one person, but there was always someone who took us under his or her wing and introduced us to others.  In addition, we joined a LIFT (Living in Faith Together) group in our neighborhood for Bible study and fellowship in a small group home setting. We have been inspired by the opportunities for service here and have enjoyed serving on the Houston Project Committee and leading an Inside-Out Habits group for other new members.  We look forward to continued involvement in our community and helping others in our adopted city.

We were intentional in our decision to become active members of St. Luke’s. What we did not anticipate was the magnitude of blessings we have received from becoming a part of this church. We are amazed at the opportunities for spiritual growth, service and friendship.

We are glad we made the move!