The first time  I went to a Church of Christ, Scientist, I was three years old. With the help of a Christian Science practitioner, my father had just been healed of a condition that doctors had said needed surgery, and the whole family went to church the next Sunday.

I still remember what I learned that first time in Sunday School. I learned that God is good and is always with me. The class of three-year-olds all said together, “God is up, down, all around.” And while we did this, we stood up, sat down, then walked around our chairs. Looking back as an adult, I suspect there was an element of handling wiggly little kids involved in this activity. But as a pupil, this never occurred to me. I knew that we were learning about God.

Church had connected my experience with my community and the world.