I REMEMBER BEING SO EXCITED TO GO TO CHURCH on Sunday mornings. Believe it or not, it was more fun to go to church than to the movies! That excitement we kids felt about Sunday School—me, my brother, and the other Sunday School kids—is one of my most vivid memories of growing up in Nigeria.
On Sundays we always dressed in our "Sunday best." Whether I wore jeans, Western formal, or traditional Nigerian dress, it was the best of whatever I had. My mother was strict about that, but she never needed to remind me. We all felt a sense of celebration going to church. None of my friends saw going to church as a task, or some big responsibility to have to hang out with church folk.
There was also a great sense of community at our church. Most of us, especially the kids, hadn't seen each other all week. Because we didn't live close enough to one another to walk to each other's places, Sundays were our opportunity to meet and catch up on the latest news. We were a family, and we took care of each other. At church we came together to share our experiences, our healings, and news about other Christian Science churches. And if someone needed prayerful help, they would ask a church member to pray for them.
