I grew up as a preacher’s kid. I was in the church building every time the doors were open and sometimes even when they weren’t. I know all the Bible stories and can recite all the right scriptures. However, growing up as a PK, church was just something I had to do. My faith was my father’s, not my own. I was held to unreasonable standards of living just because of whose daughter I happened to be. I was always being watched. I couldn’t wait to get to college and be free from the microscope that I was always under. I came to Murray State thinking that I was just going to take a break from church for a while. Then I found Murray Christian Fellowship.
I walked into MCF hoping to just slip into the background, unnoticed, and to continue to live my life the way I wanted. When I walked into the house on my first day, I was met with a very different scene. Every person in the room said hello to me. Within five minutes of being there, I felt like I had found what I had been searching for my whole life; somewhere to really belong.
I have been apart of MCF for almost two years now. I am a member of the leadership team and I am a regular attender. My faith has become more than just my father’s. It is mine. I am able to be, for the first time in my life, more than just the PK. I am still held to a higher standard, but it is because I proclaim myself as a Christian, not because of my parents. I have a support system full of fellow believers who share the same love in Christ that I do. When I struggle with daily life, I have people who want to share in my struggles and help me through them. I belong.
Knowing that I have people willing to help me through any obstacle in my life is a great feeling. Murray Christian Fellowship gave me a family and a home when I can’t be with my family. Through this group I have gained lifelong friendships and relationships with people I never would have expected to be close with. I have a deeper faith that is my own. Church isn’t something I have to do anymore. It is something I look forward to doing. Wednesday night is the best part about my week and it’s all because I took a chance on a small group of college-aged Christians known as Murray Christian Fellowship.
