A Testimonial from Jeff C.
When Fr Tom asked me to submit a testimonial, I was surprised that my 18-year association with All Saints’ Highland Park qualifies me as a “long-term” member of the congregation. I realized, though, that I have observed two generations of young people pass through All Saints, and now I’m witnessing the third. From my earliest encounters with All Saints—as a volunteer with the food pantry—I was impressed with the presence of young people. Here, I found, the youth engaged their church. Week after week, they came, almost always voluntarily, many times alone without parents or siblings. What prompted them, I wondered, in an age of video games, cellular phones, formidable peer pressure, and the allure of a great metropolis, to find their way to mass on a Sunday morning, to volunteer on a Saturday morning, and to attend meetings during the week? What they had discovered, and what I soon discovered, is that All Saints is a bright star in their lives. It is a place where we are called to walk in the pathways of Christ, a place where we are insistently challenged to be better people and, despite obstacles, to act as people of God in all facets of our lives. At times, we might take for granted these gifts. We might assume that the gathering of people from different walks of life, the vibrancy of the young people, the devotion of the liturgy, the enduring influence of the homilies, the spirit of humility and reflection, the commitment to tolerance, and the shared sense of purpose are replicated in countless houses of worship in Los Angeles, in California, and beyond. But we would be wrong. Far too many people--including me at times in my life--have only a superficial experience in church. Unchallenged by their faith, they have no reason to return their houses of worship except for a sense of guilt or obligation.
As a congregation, we can always do more. We can always learn from the example of others including those whose practicing faith or opinions are distant from ours. Yet from this small but sacred dwelling place, we too have something to share with others. It will remain that way as long as the young people are with us, as long as they grow with us and carry their faith into adulthood, and as long as other generations of young people follow in their footsteps.
