by Brianna Nalley
6 months ago, my summer job was coming to an end and I had absolutely no idea what was next. I had been praying that God would open a door for months. Nothing. We had less than a month left of camp and I was getting antsy. Throughout the summer Camp Greystone offered morning devotions for the staff. Every time, I either forgot it was happening or had to be in the glass hut. However, the day the director of the Louisville Fellows Program showed up happened to be the one day I made it to the group devotion. As soon as she spoke the name “Louisville” I felt a nudge from the Lord. “Louisville? What’s in Louisville?” I thought. As she continued speaking, my heart beat accelerated. I knew I couldn’t leave without talking to her. Flash forward a few weeks and there I am packing my bags for Louisville, Kentucky. Am I crazy for packing up and moving to a place I had only thought of for the first time a few weeks prior to live with complete strangers and participate in a program I really didn’t know much about? Maybe, but I’ve learned that God’s way is better than mine. He always seems to surprise me. His goodness made it easy to say yes.
Growing up in small towns, first in the mountains of North Carolina and then surrounded by cow pastures in Georgia, saying that moving to Louisville was culture shock would be an understatement. First, the roads. Where I come from, it’s relatively common for a cow to somehow end up on the wrong side of the fence and be blocking the curvy two-lane road you’re trying to drive down. Here, there are exits on both sides of the road and pretty much every road I drive on has a minimum of 4 lanes. Then, you have the closeness of everything. I didn’t realize how nice this was until I went home for Christmas and the closest gym was a 30 minute drive compared to my now usual 7 minute commute. My first big shock though, took place the day after I arrived. I have been blessed to grow up in a Christian household. My dad sings Southern Gospel and my mom was a Sunday school teacher which means I was in church every Sunday morning, most Wednesday nights, and even some Friday and Saturday evenings. However, the Baptist and evangelical churches I was used to are drastically different from St. Francis. Sunday mornings at Newspring, the church I attended in college, consisted of a dark sanctuary with lighting and a full band dedicated to being the frame for Jesus to minister to His bride rather than the picture in the frame. St Francis is the complete opposite with a big bright room covered in floor to ceiling windows, choral worship with string instruments and an organ. Instead of colorful lights St. Francis has candles.
Although shocking at first, I have grown to love this place. Generally the other Fellows and I all sit together at the 9am service each Sunday. Last Sunday, however, I was running late and ended up alone at the 11:15 service. I quickly realized that I was not in fact alone. I recognized so many faces. People who have welcomed us into the sweet family of St. Francis, people who have loved on and poured into us everyday since we arrived in August. I felt a peace sweep over me and felt the presence of the Lord stronger than any Sunday since arriving in Kentucky. Part of my journey has been wrestling with the idea of scripted prayers and liturgy. The differing ideas surrounding baptism and other topics which have always been foundational to my faith have been challenged by the Anglican tradition. I don’t have all the answers. Honestly, I probably have more questions than I started with, but I have learned that God is at work and very much alive in this church and in Louisville.
Last Sunday, I witnessed two beautiful families dedicate their children to the Lord through baptism surrounded by the congregation. It was the most awe-inspiring ceremony I have been a part of and I saw Jesus in every single moment. From the godparents who vowed to support the children and their parents in this endeavor, I was reminded of my own godparents and the role they have played in my own life. The next layer of support comes from the grandparents and close family friends who came to be a part of the celebration. Then, the congregation. We surrounded the family and vowed to help raise these girls up in Truth. This is extremely different from any other baptism I have seen, yet so beautifully filled with Jesus.
The way the congregation surrounded and vowed to support these two young girls in love and truth, is the same way that they have surrounded us as Fellows. I came into the program with an expectation of being thrown into community with the other Fellows, but did not expect to fall in love with the larger community of St. Francis and even larger Louisville. I was listening to worship music this afternoon when a song lyric stated, “People come together, strange as neighbors, our blood is one.” This is truly something I have felt since coming to St. Francis. Thank you for loving us so well and showing me new layers of Jesus each week.