Schlaegel 1

The Body

I value church, not because attending church makes me feel good inside, not because

attending church allows me to knock out an item on a moral checklist, but because attending

church has always surrounded me with the Church: my brothers and sisters in Christ, the body of

believers described in Acts 2 that encourages each other, holds each other accountable, and spurs

each other on to pursue God and bring others to know His name. Moving to College Station

meant leaving the body of believers I had grown so close to at home and replacing what was

once constant in my life with a giant question mark. From day one, finding a new church home

ranked as my highest priority. Ill never forget the feeling I experienced after trying out the

second church on my list when the service let out and I was left sitting alone in my car with no

plans for lunch and no one to process my thoughts with. I love listening to preachers preach! I

love singing praise! I love worshipping God in prayer! Listen, sing, and pray, I did. Gather with

others, I did not. Sitting in my car in Grace Southwoods parking lot rekindled my appreciation

for my church family back home and brought to mind some of my fondest memories.

Alone in this nostalgic moment of reflection, I also looked ahead to the future. For years,

Ive desired to come to A&M and oftentimes, when asked why I wanted to attend this great

school, I always mentioned the clubs and organizations I so badly longed to join. TAMU

students have boasted of their 1000+ clubs and organizations for ages! I always framed those

organizations in my mind as stronger, better, and more meaningful than anything I could get

involved in back home. But as I sat in my car thinking, for the first time in my life, I truly

understood the unique, borderless, and timeless nature of church. I realized that if I involved

myself in nothing but a new church home, I would be perfectly content. The fear-of-missing-out

I once had in high school, that was somewhat responsible for my over-involvement and
 Schlaegel 2

consequential exhaustion during my four years at Liberty, fell away and my newfound love for

church stepped in its place. Contentment calmed my social restlessness. I thanked God for

guiding me and placing me at College Station, where Christian community abounds, and for the

influence that the friends, pastors and church leaders had on me back home.

Two weeks later, I found the new church home I had been searching for! When I began

my quest, I set out to find a church that honored the inerrancy of Gods Word in its teaching and

programming and as soon as I stumbled upon Declaration, I knew I had found just that. Once

again, I wrongly assumed that simply voicing, I want to get involved! would instantly result in

long-awaited, time-tested, deep-rooted friendships. Of course, this didnt happen. However,

amongst the community at Declaration, I felt at peace. In order to develop the family-like

fellowship I hope to experience, I will serve wherever Declaration needs volunteers. Ill ask

questions and seek the guidance of elders. Ill meet with families and talk with fellow students.

By presence and proximity, service and transparency, as well as prayer and petition, the new

home I seek, I will find at Declaration Church.