My All Saints story began many years ago when the church was new. I am a cradle Episcopalian, and started my church life at St. Mark’s in downtown Gastonia. My Dad and I started to attend All Saints after he and my mother separated, when I was 13. We didn’t attend every Sunday, but began to attend more occasionally.
I left home in 1973, and pretty much fell out of going to church altogether. I didn’t really start attending church again regularly until after my daughter, Elizabeth, was killed in 1994. The priest, Houston Matthews, was my catalyst.
Since then, I’ve seen All Saints go through several transformations, watched families come and go, watched children grow up, welcomed new priests and interim priests, as well as music directors. Through all this, the core church family has been there for one another through births, trials, sicknesses and deaths. I cherish each and every one of these people.
All Saints is a place that welcomes all who want to seek to know Christ in a deeper more personal way, regardless of race, ethnicity, sexual orientation or social status, and you will see that if you join our congregation to worship. We are all equal in God’s eyes. I have become a much more spiritual and religious person over the years, and my All Saints family has been there to help me grow my personal relationship with Christ through worship and music. Music is my ministry and I play guitar with the Saintly Stringers and sing in the Choir. That also helps me with my spiritual journey because music is a prayer in and of itself. I love the fact that I am appreciated and loved for who I am, regardless of my state of sinfulness. That, in my opinion, is Christianity at its finest, and this is the place that offers it to all.