One of Kathy’s favorite pastimes is taking long drives with her husband, Mike, to enjoy the beautiful desert around them. They had driven by Desert Hills Lutheran Church several times, with what Kathy says was, “A sense of curiosity and wonderment to ‘what is it like in there?’” With neither of them being strangers to church life and each of them having a lifetime of church familiarity, they still had memories of experiences in a prior church that put a little reluctance in their hearts to drive into the DHLC parking lot and see what DHLC was all about. They continued with their trips past the church instead.
Kathy shared, “God reaches out to us in many ways. A friend of mine from swimming invited me to her church – it was DHLC! Mike was not ready to take that leap and I excitedly, and maybe with a little trepidation, decided to come with my friend.” Upon entering the church, Kathy joyfully expressed, “The Holy Spirit is really, palpably there with you the second you come through the doors. You feel it everywhere!”
Mike was still not ready to join Kathy, so they stayed away from church for a full year, with Kathy always hoping and praying that Mike would change his mind, but instead, “God changed his mind,” as Kathy relates; “God spoke to Mike and told him it was time to go back to church.” Mike felt that same sense of peace and welcoming at DHLC.
Once Mike and Kathy started attending regularly, they became even more aware of the work that DHLC does to support the congregation and to support the community. Kathy states, “We were very impressed with the scope of the outreach and support given to fulfill the mission of making a difference. This is not just something the church says, it is something they are living out as a congregation.” Kathy is hoping to become involved in the DHLC Health and Wellness Committee, with her nursing background and heart for people leading her to serve in this way.
Kathy also commented on recently participating in activities offered at DHLC, saying, “We recently attended Pastor Craig’s Crash Course in Church and so appreciate Pastor Craig’s wonderful ability to engage the listener. Both Pastor Mike and Pastor Craig have such refreshing senses of humor and relatability. Their sermons and teachings always seem relevant to what is going on in our lives.”
“DHLC has changed both Mike and me. We both feel that before finding DHLC, we were just hanging out and struggling to find our purpose in this life. DHLC has given us a closer relationship with the Lord, a sense of fulfillment, a sense of belonging, a feeling of being loved, and acceptance. We cannot express enough how rare it is to have a church body with such a wonderful sense of community,” Kathy shares.
Is God calling you to Desert Hills Lutheran Church? We invite you to one of our many services or activities to experience the Holy Spirit working in our congregation's daily lives. There is something for everyone.