I was raised in a conservative non-denominational Christian family and grew to deeply dislike religion because I thought my mother’s views (which I disagreed with) represented Christianity in general. I was forced to go to church as a kid; I never enjoyed it, and I found no meaning in it. As I got older and gained more progressive views, I decided I was no longer Christian. I identified as atheist for many years. Recently, I’ve been exploring religion for myself and re-examining my relationship with Christianity. I started to realize that there are different ways of interpreting the faith that are more in line with my views. So today, I decided to go to the Episcopalian church in my college town. I can’t quite express the joy I felt as I sat in the pews and realized that I actually wanted to be there. Everyone was welcoming and kind, the entire service felt so alive and beautiful to me, I couldn’t believe this was possible. The sermon was thought-provoking and meaningful. I met some wonderful people there as well, other students in my year. So I’m going to go again next week and probably every week after that. It’s only the beginning of my rediscovery of faith, but I’m so happy I found this church.