Sonya Schryer Norris

All Saints Adult Formation Class: Do I have to believe? Part II: Me

The evangelical Southern Baptists of the Bible Belt farming town I grew up in can take a bow. I came to a new appreciation of their impact on my life and my system of beliefs after taking this All Saints class after a month at the church. This process really is a fascinating one. MyContinueContinue reading “All Saints Adult Formation Class: Do I have to believe? Part II: Me”

All Saints Adult Formation Class: Do I have to believe? Part I

I’m finding that my initial plan to visit each new church one time isn’t enough to come to an appreciation of them. Going forward I will spend 3-4 services at each location, assuming I like them. I went to three services at All Saints over the past month as well as one adult formation classContinueContinue reading “All Saints Adult Formation Class: Do I have to believe? Part I”

Easter Check-In

Saturday, March 31: I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned my Seat Buddy at UU Lansing. We met during an intro to UU class and shortly thereafter I asked him if we could sit together during services. His partner wasn’t attending services at UU and Hubby wasn’t coming with me either and I felt a kinshipContinueContinue reading “Easter Check-In”

Reading the Gospel: Matthew

Remember what I said about coming to peace with Jesus? Well, I meant it. He’s never been my go-to prophet but he’s certainly considered one in Islam and the Gospel is a holy text in Islam as well. I think studying him will help me to feel more comfortable visiting Christian churches. So, Marie andContinueContinue reading “Reading the Gospel: Matthew”

Church Visit 1: All Saints Episcopal Church

Wow. Talk about checking every single box from my What I’m Looking for in a Christian Church list. With gusto. This week, Marie and I went to the contemporary service at East Lansing’s All Saints Episcopal Church. This church made the list when they held a diversity and inclusion celebration as an alternative to theContinueContinue reading “Church Visit 1: All Saints Episcopal Church”

Religious Practice: What’s Important to Me?

I want to consider what aspects of religious practice are important to me as I start looking at new churches (the first visit is planned for this week and I’ll definitely post about it). Let’s start with prayer. I pray almost every day, but just once a day. For those of you who consider meditationContinueContinue reading “Religious Practice: What’s Important to Me?”

Exploring Christian Churches: What Am I Looking For?

When I first started attending UU Lansing, I said I was interested in finding a community where I could express kindess in a robust enviornment of good will. And I found that at UU. But after a year, there are some important things missing, too. Namely, a common understanding of God. At the very leastContinueContinue reading “Exploring Christian Churches: What Am I Looking For?”