How I Joined the Church

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints plays a large role in my life. I've talkted about it a couple times here, and since I was planning on writing my conversion story to a friend of mine this week, I figured I'd put it here, too.

I was raised in a Christian household (growing up Italian-American in New York, one might be able to guess which denomination), albeit one that never went to church too often. When we did go to church, my father never went, and I was so young, I used to just stretch out on the pew and go to sleep. My biggest memory of church services was watching the clock so we could get home in time to watch bowling on TV. I had attended church classes before I was confirmed in high school, but once I was confirmed, I made the choice to stop going, as I wasn't getting anything out of going to church. Looking back, that's probably more my fault than the church's.

I managed to keep church, and for the most part religion altogether, out of my life for a good ten years after that. I didn't have a good relationship with my parents, my father had just passed away, and I was in a romantic relationship that was very unhealthy. I received an invitation from a good friend of mine to come to Tucson, where he was in a band that needed a bass player, and since we had played together before and he knew I was in a bad situation (living at the time in Pennsylvania), he rang me up. A week later, I loaded my meager possessions into the back of my car and took off with no notice to anyone.

Once I arrived in Tucson, I managed to get set up with an apartment and a job fairly quickly. The band was very successful locally, and we were playing shows regularly. I had a decent circle of friends -- something that had been lacking for a few years -- and a fulfilling social life. One might say that I was living the life I had dreamed of for a while: steady income, playing in a rock band, no commitments, no debt... I was more or less able to do whatever I wanted, when I wanted to. It wasn't too bad.

One day, and I don't know what prompted this, it came to me that although I had everything I thought I had always wanted, I still wasn't completely happy with my life. The thought came to me that I should renew my relationship with God. It was a shocking proposition to me, as I hadn't considered myself a religious person in a long time, although I did still believe in some nebulous concept of God. I sat down and pondered which church I should attend. I knew I didn't want to return to my old denomination, nor any of the many denominations spun off from the first, as I felt I wouldn't find the spiritual fulfillment that I was looking for. I looked around online, but didn't find anything that appealed to me.

A chance conversation with a friend of mine led me to know of her being raised in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I had never really heard about that religion before, although I did grow up about 20 miles from where it was founded, so I was familiar with some of the history of the Church (i.e. Joseph Smith found some plates in a hill in Palmyra, NY, and then everybody went to Utah). I knew nothing about the doctrine, though, except that it was a Christian church. My friend was able to explain some of the doctrines to me, and it was enough that I wanted to learn more about it. I did what any good computer geek would do: I went online, and found a website that was operated by a church leader in Appleton, Wisconsin, who had compiled a FAQ list.

What I read on that list blew me away. It was like a list of every doctrine that I knew was true, or wished was true, whenever I thought about religion. Men being accountable for their own actions and not being punished for Adam's transgression in the Garden? Check. God, Jesus, and the Holy Ghost being separate beings? Check. A code of health? Check. I also read about a book called The Book of Mormon, and how it came into existence. I decided, from the few excerpts I was able to read online, that I should get a copy of it. I called the 800 number of the Church specifically designed for this purpose, and ordered a copy of the Book to be delivered to my door by a pair of missionaries.

The missionaries (Elder Aaron Averett from Springville, UT and Elder Richard Stevens from Pocatello, ID) arrived about a week later with the book. They were about my age, which was good, as I don't think I wanted an "old man" explaining to me what the Church was -- it was definitely a good thing that someone whom I could consider a peer was helping me out here. We had some good discussions, and they always left me with an assignment for reading in the scriptures (I went and purchased a Bible, as I had none), and I was always ready to discuss what I read with them. I prayed to know that the message they were sharing with me was true, although by then it was almost a moot point, because I felt so much joy and peace whenever the missionaries came to visit and when I read the scriptures. It was truly what I was looking for with my spiritual quest.

I was baptised a member of the Church on January 16, 2000. I started attending Institute classes and soon discovered that there was a congregation for young single adults. I started attending that congregation, and was pleased to discover many new friends, the best of whom I remain in contact with to this day. It was the only place that I ever really felt I "fit in", and looking back, I know it's where I belong.

In the intervening six-and-one-half years since joining the Church, I've served a mission of my own to France, been married to a wonderful woman and had a beautiful daughter (with a son on the way in September), and been able to serve in a variety of fulfilling callings within the church, the current ones being teaching the 8-year-olds in Sunday School, and working with the 16- to 18-year-old boys in the Young Men organization.

I strongly urge anyone who may be curious about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to seriously investigate it and its teachings. It has brought a multitude of joys and blessings into my life, and has taught me how to become a better person, husband, and father. And most importantly, it has brought me closer to God and to Jesus, and helped me develop a very strong relationship with Them. I'm excited to be able to call myself a member of the Church, and I hope and pray that there is someone out there who will find as much joy in the Church as I have.