I have attended Lutheran churches all my life. Church membership and fellowship with other Christians has held an important place in my life. Fellow Christians and my faith have been there to celebrate life’s wonderful blessings as well as serve as a comfort, support and ray of hope when disappointments have touched my life. I moved to Pineville and did not seek or attend church for a while. Then one weekend, I thought I should make that move to resume regularly attending church again. I visited some congregations and either did not feel welcomed or like I fit in. I was attending a weekly leadership forum at my place of employment in which Theresa Louviere also attended and she was chatting about different connections and activities she had with her church. I thought to myself-“I miss that connection”. A few weeks after that, I attended an educational offering at a Lutheran church and met Susan Frey. She point blank asked me if I had found a church home and my reply was “not yet”. She invited me to church at St. James the next morning. She stated it was a very comfortable place. I accepted the invitation and showed up the next day. I saw Theresa Louviere and a few other colleagues from VA. Since then I have been invited to potlucks, Wed night services, dinners and classes, and the grant musical offerings. Father Fred has been a pastoral figure I respect. I feel a sense of being welcomed and encouraged by his homilies and other interactions to ponder on and off during the week. Dave and Judy Curry have been friendly and inclusive by suggesting/inviting me to other opportunities—adult Sunday School, Evangelism comm. The “new person at St. James” experience has been warm and welcoming. Those I see and meet will often say hello and touch base week after week. I thank St. James for filling a void I let enter my life by not staying connected to a Christian congregation.