The Tribune

By ALESHA CADET

Tribune Features Reporter

SOME say it is not about the building itself, their reasons for choosing a church home is simply because of the message and the believers that attend.

Bahamian locals shared their thoughts on why it is important to evaluate and appreciate the church you decide to call your Sunday home.

Carla, a follower of the Christian faith told Tribune Religion that while she is not stationed at a church at the moment, she is in the process of permanently becoming a part of one.

"I am actually in the process of discovering a new church home for me. I have been what I call, church hopping for the past few months. I think the church I would want to become apart of should have a pastor who knows the bible thoroughly," said Carla.

She added: "I can't have someone preaching to me who does not know what they are talking, I just can't sit in a church and listen to something like that because that could determine my salvation. I say that because if your pastor is telling you things that are not accurate in the bible, I can't be apart of that church."

Tamika, a Pentecostal church follower said from the moment she stepped into her church, she felt right at home and that is why it has been apart of her life for many years.

"You want to go to a church where you feel welcomed and at home. I wanted to make a connection where I could receive the word properly, emotionally and spiritually," said Tamika.

For Akeela, a Catholic Church follower, her church home is the only thing she knows from her early days. She was brought up, christened and had holy communion in her church because of family.

"In my adult years I have visited other churches in the Bahamas and internationally but I will say there is none like my own denomination. I can be outside of Nassau and on a Family Island and I have to find a church as close to my heart as my own, and it has to be a Catholic church. Not trying to bring down any other, but I just have to stick to what I know," said Akeela.

Indi, an Anglican church follower added that she too has been apart of her church for many years because of family influence, but it is like a second home to her.

"My parents basically helped to build the church from start to finish. I got married there and still encouraged my very own family to attend the church, it is not only close to our house, it is close to our hearts also," said Indi.

She said she is friendly with a lot of people who attend the church so it feels like family all around. Her church also has a good socializing program, where members have fun outside of the traditional Sunday service, she explained.

Curtis, another follower of the Christian faith said he was born into a Baptist church family but he eventually moved to the Pentecostal church.

"I went off to a Pentecostal church because it was more of a smaller group and I felt more comfortable there. Everyone knew each other and we all felt at one, as opposed to being in a big group where no one is familiar with each other," said Curtis.