Carolyn's Story...
“I began to truly know His love….”
Looking back I think I’ve always been a seeker. As a child I was raised in the church, faithfully attending Sunday school, hearing the familiar bible studies, doing “memory work” where I learned the prayers and creeds. Later as an adult I continued to attend church each Sunday and was involved in various church activities.
I knew a lot about Jesus but something was missing. It wasn’t until I came to Reconciliation Anglican Church (formerly All Saints) that I began to really know Jesus. I had found a church where the preaching and teaching, hearing others share their faith, that the missing piece was filled in. I began to truly know His love and trust in Him and this knowing and trusting changed me and the way I lived my life. As with any life there are times of joy as well as heartache…everything from the welcoming of grandchildren to the pain of loss of jobs and especially loved ones. In all of these life events I knew that Jesus was walking with me.
Perhaps this is best illustrated by a recent occurrence in my life. A little over a year ago my husband of over 40 years passed away. He, too had been raised in the church and his faith journey in many ways paralleled mine. Like me, he truly came to know Jesus as we worshiped at Reconciliation. While I feel sorrow at no longer having him as my earthly companion, I find peace and comfort knowing he is with his Lord and this truly is a peace that passes all understanding.
And I know I’ll be with him again. It may seem strange to hear or read, but I know this is true. I know God’s promises for me are true.
Hi. I’m Diane. Church has been part of my life for as long as I can remember. I am a petroleum and natural gas engineering graduate from Penn State, which means this good Altoona girl was not able to build a career in her home town. The oil industry moves people around and everywhere my family and I went we looked for a church to be our family in a new place.
A few years ago, Schlumberger decided to transfer me to Malaysia. Our adult daughter decided to stay in the US with our elderly dogs and thought it might be time to move closer to her grandfather and aunts and uncles. Pittsburgh was the closest decent job market to where our families are located, and we decided to set up our US home base here. Our parental fears were very real, we’d never been more than two hours away from where our daughter lived and our families still weren’t close enough for us to feel comfortable.
After we found Reconciliation Anglican Church (formerly All Saints ) and met the people here our fears were eased. We did have family nearby after all. Our last Sunday in the US before we flew off for our adventure in Malaysia (which lasted 3 years), we were quietly assured by various members of the congregation that they would keep an eye on our daughter and make sure that she was okay. They were faithful to that commitment while we were gone and have been our local family since we returned to the US.
Diane's Story...
