Belonging Matters

What draws young families to a church? Sometimes it’s the welcome in the nursery, the joy on the playground, the sense that children belong. For Holt Edwards and his wife, Alli, it was exactly these things that made Saint Peter’s home. In this stewardship testimony, Holt reflects on what they found here two years ago, and what they’ve come to understand about the promise we make to one another when we commit to a faith community. His words speak to what it means to invest in the ministries that make Saint Peter’s possible.

Good morning, Saint Peter’s. My name is Holt Edwards. And this is Savannah, everyone. I serve on the stewardship committee here at Saint Peter’s.

My wife, Alli, and I started coming to Saint Peter’s about two years ago. Our daughter, Savannah, had been born the year before. Like a lot of young parents, we found ourselves asking some of the bigger questions about what kind of community we wanted to raise our family in. We visited Saint Peter’s. One of the first things that we noticed was how much this church really cares about and invests in young families.

As parents, you notice the things right away, right? You notice whether the kids are welcomed. You notice whether there are other families around. You notice whether a church is willing to embrace the chaos that comes with young children—and Saint Peter’s does that. The nursery matters. The children’s chapel matters. The playground that they did such a wonderful job renovating matters. Those things may seem small, but for a young family walking through the door for the first time, they’re often the difference between feeling like a visitor and feeling like you belong.

It’s something I see every Sunday. I see parents who are trying to get a young child settled. I see children running to the playground after church. I see the friendships that are forming between families. Those moments don’t just happen on their own; they happen because this church has made a commitment to investing in families and in their children.

That’s especially important right now. There are a lot of young parents out there who are looking for exactly what Alli and I were looking for: a place to find community, a place to grow in faith, and a place where their children are known and are loved. Saint Peter’s is that place for us and for so many others. We stood up for Savannah’s baptism last year. We weren’t making promises by ourselves; this congregation was making promises too—to support her, pray for her, help her grow in faith. And that’s what a church community does. And that’s why our youngest daughter, Hayes, who will be baptized in three weeks—will receive.

That’s really what stewardship is about. When we make our pledge, we’re helping make all of this possible. We’re supporting the ministries that serve families today, and we’re making sure that they’ll be a beacon as they walk through these doors looking for a spiritual home.

So thank you for all of you. Thank you for everything that you do to support Saint Peter’s, and for making it such a wonderful place for families like mine.