I’m not much of a traveler. When I was growing up my family didn’t really go on many trips unless we were going to visit family. So consequently, I really hadn’t been to many interesting destinations until l was older. Even as an adult my trips were mainly church trips or mission trips. I had not been to many diverse places.

When my wife Lori retired last year from 30 years of teaching, she wanted to go to New York City as a retirement trip. This was her trip and I’ll have to admit that I wasn’t as excited about it as she was. New York City was never on my list of locations that I wanted to go visit. But, this was her trip and I was glad to go and celebrate with her. She had planned for us to attend a couple of Broadway Musicals and booked several sites for us to see while there in New York. Like I said, this was her trip and she made put the itinerary.

Well, I’ll have to admit I had a great time. We saw two musicals, went to the top of the Empire State Building, went to the 911 Memorial and Museum, saw the Statue of Liberty just to name a few of the things we did. It was truly a great time. New York City was like something that I had never experienced before. I was amazed at so many things. The complexity of the city and yet the ability to use the subway system to navigate this concrete jungle to get masses amounts of people to their destination. And there were massive amounts of people there from all over the world. It was one of the most diverse places I had ever been to!

One of our cab drivers was from South America and the other was from a small country in Asia that I couldn’t pronounce and definitely not able to spell. It was a very different place than Arlington.

The people I saw were from very different backgrounds. It was the most diverse place I had ever seen. Few things I saw and experienced while there reminded me of FBCA. However, the diversity did remind me of our church. The children I see attending Sunday School come from a variety of backgrounds. We see a mixture of cultures, economic backgrounds, family structures just to name a few things that make our church a diverse place. I love it! I think our diversity helps to make us a healthy church. What I love the most is that our church is a place where people from different backgrounds can come and feel welcome. I hope that never changes.

Well, as grateful that I am that Lori planned this trip and the fun that I had while there, I am so glad to be home. I am grateful to be part of such a diverse place that makes up FBCA all gathering together to learn about God’s love for everyone.

PS: Each Sunday our children (grades 1-6) meet for Sunday School at 9:45 and then have the opportunity to come back after the 11:00 worship to JAM. Come join the fun as we eat lunch together and then learn about God’s work in a fun and exciting way. The Children’s Ministry is one my most favorite diverse places!