Lost and Found Again: A Honest Faith Story of Falling Away and Returning to God

I’ve always been a little envious of people whose walk of faith has been a straight line where they can tell you the date and time when they first believed in Jesus, and they have been following him ever since then. My walk has had its twists and turns. I’ve had my doubts. And God has blessed me and my family many times. I’ve been lost and found a few times in my life.

I was raised a Catholic and, though it took me leaving the Catholic Church to appreciate some of its teachings, my wife and I struggled when the leadership at our local parish was not there when we had some critical challenges in our lives. For a number of years, my wife and I wandered through life without a church or church family. Then, in 1994, at the suggestion of one of our neighbors in Halifax, we joined the First Congregational Church of Hanson. The youth minister there, Allan Palmer, asked me right away if I had ever considered volunteering to work with youth. I said “no,” and before I knew it, I was working with the Junior Youth Fellowship (sixth, seventh, and eighth graders), learning Christian worship songs on my guitar, and attending annual Christian Youth Retreats. I am very thankful for the many blessings that we experienced while attending the First Congregational Church of Hanson for 13 years. Then it was time for a change.

I only knew two things about Silver Lake Chapel before I walked through its doors some 18 years ago. One, my friend Allan and his wife Tina had been attending Silver Lake Chapel for about a year, and Allan was sharing pastoral duties with Reverend Henry “Hank” Belcher there. Two, I had reached out to Reverend Belcher while I was a Deacon at First Congregational Church of Hanson as part of a ministry effort to check on members of our church and other community people who connected with our church. During our telephone conversation, Hank expressed how very pleased he was that I had reached out to him. Further, one of the first things that Reverend Belcher did when I walked into Silver Lake Chapel was to recount again how much my telephone call had meant to him. 

From the moment I walked through its doors, I was absolutely captivated by the kindness and the warm welcome I received when I entered Silver Lake Chapel. I was home! I was found again! And I hope that I never forget how important it is for us to always offer that very same welcome to whoever walks through the doors of our beloved Silver Lake Chapel.