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David Redding was raised in a Baptist church and was attending a huge mega church that had recently built a sanctuary seating more than 5,000. But despite the huge scope of the church, David felt disconnected. He wanted to be able to talk to the pastor about life and beliefs but didn’t feel it was appropriate or acceptable to do so.
“I am a theological person,” David said. “You couldn’t go in and talk about problems. You had to be better this week than you were last week. I am 60 years old now and I should be really, really good.”
But David had questions, and he was seeking answers and a place to talk about them. “There came a time when I wasn’t willing to just accept what was thrown at me. I wanted something more real.”
David decided to find a congregation closer to home and was looking for a Saturday night service. When he first arrived at Hope, he met the pastor at the door. “I am in exile,” he said. “I don’t intend to become a Lutheran. Can I just hang out for a while?”
David wanted to know what Lutheran’s believed. As a self-professed theologian, he did his research on Lutherans. “Through an internet search, I picked up some hardcore LCMS teachers.” He even purchased and read the Book of Concord which includes the Augsburg (Lutheran) Confessions. “I know less now than I have known all my life, but God doesn’t need me to know the details. I feel I have a good relationship with God and God is willing to work with me – where I am.”
David believes that our only real purpose on this earth is to help meet the needs of others. “God placed us here – God’s work, our hands. I understand that phrase. When we see needs it is God using us to do God’s miracles.”
He also recognizes that his attitude and humanness hinder the execution of that. “I am big on traditions. The thing I came to love about worshipping at Hope is walking in and having confession and absolution. That is a meaningful part of the service for me. There is always some darkness in there and somehow, I have come to believe that God has come to hear my confession and I long for the words of absolution.”
After 8 or 10 months of worshipping, he told the pastor, “I want to be a part of this.” David is no longer in exile. He is fully part of the Hope community, a community where he can ask questions and doesn’t need to have all the answers to know he is loved by God. The full welcome at the communion table and the foundation of building worship on confession and forgiveness have helped David grow more fully along his faith journey.
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