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Ben Seibert
Fielding
WRTC 103
1/30/16

Autoethnography Paper

Christianity to me is defined as the religion that follows the teachings

and beliefs of Jesus Christ. This not only means learning about His teachings,
but also forming a relationship with Jesus and serving others to show His
love. Around the age of sixteen I truly started to focus on my religion and
what it meant to me. Christianity has played a major role in my life, not only
in who I am but who I strive to be.

My particular denomination of the Christian faith is nondenominational, this was sprouted directly out of the Protestant reformation
of the church. The Protestant reformation wanted to distance themselves
from the Catholic faith but still practice the teachings of Jesus Christ. Most
non-denominational Christians have the basic mission of showing Jesus love
to others through their actions and words. Another important belief in the
faith is that everyone is meant to have a close relationship with Jesus, almost
as if He is a good friend that you can call on at any time. Many important
beliefs are instilled throughout my church, one of those being how important
community is. We strongly believe that we should reach out to the

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community and be a role model for others. Another belief we have is that
anyone is allowed to have a relationship with Jesus. Not gender, age, race,
nor financial status can prevent someone from having a relationship with
Jesus. The core belief that I have been taught is that I should strive to live life
like Christ. There are not many practiced rituals for my denomination,
mostly we focus on reading the Bible and keeping in contact with Jesus by
praying constantly. Unlike Catholic belief we do not have planned prayers, I
was always taught to pray as if I was having a conversation with Jesus.
Another core practice is that constant church attendance is key, this is where
I was taught new important lessons from the head pastor and were
surrounded by my fellow Christians. All of the sermons on Sunday are pulled
out from the Bible and are given importance by our pastor, most of the time
there are series where a few weeks we focus on a common theme taught in
different parts of the Bible. A lesson that is constantly taught on is that there
are no requirements to come to Christ, or become a Christian. However, after
I committed to being a Christian I was held to a different standard than
others. As a Christian I was expected to strive to be more like Christ every
day, this could range from showing the love of Christ to those in my local
community to just reading the Bible more and praying. Something that is
constantly found through all faiths are hypocrites, those who say they are
practicing the religion but their actions say otherwise. This makes reaching
out to non-believers extremely difficult because of the possibility that they
have already had a bad experience with someone who said they were a

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Christian but acted otherwise. Another problem is the stereotypes that go

along with being a Christian, many see us a goodie goodies or as people
who are perfect. This could not be farther from the truth, many Christians are
broken or lost people who are trying to better themselves! Christianity was
something that just fit for me, I felt extremely welcomed by all and could tell
that this was a cause that I wanted to be heavily invested in.
As a young adult coming into my faith I was limited to what I
could do to serve in the church and help the community. I searched for
opportunities and got connected into the childrens ministry, I instantly fell in
love with what their mission was and what they were doing to help shape the
next generation. I also served with my youth group on mission trips to
Honduras to help families in need. As a young adult striving in my faith I was
held to certain standards, I was expected to respect my elders and look up to
them for guidance when needed. I was also looked as a leader though out
my youth group and was held to the standard as if I was one. I would lead
discussions with other teens about their faith and what it meant to them, and
even had discussions with non-believers about the possibility of attending
church just to give it a try.
Through my time growing up in the church I have had plenty
memorable experiences and I have learned some very valuable lessons.
Serving in the childrens ministry has impacted me deeply and I loved every
second of it. As a childrens small group leader my job was to lead a small
group of K-1st graders through a couple short activities that taught them life

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values and other lessons. On occasion I would have troublesome kids that
did not want to participate, or the kids that did not want their mom and dad
to leave them while they went into the service. It was difficult sometimes
dealing with the kids, but usually they would warm up after ten minutes and
they would have a great time. As a leader for small groups I learned a lot of
important life skills and lessons. For me, my most important lesson was how
to manage small children.
Even though I loved serving in childrens ministry, my favorite
experience was serving in Honduras with my youth group on mission trips. I
experienced so much on these mission trips and truly learned a lot about
myself and life. Experiences such as pouring concrete floors for families,
installing water filters, painting the local school, and other manual labor jobs
showed me how lucky I am for where I live and what I have been blessed
with. I would talk with families using our translators and learn about who
they were, where they were from, and how long they have been living in
their community. It was touching to speak with families and children even
with the language barrier, and even if they had nothing they would offer us
food and drink when we entered their homes. They were so happy with
almost nothing, while at home I was complaining about how I had to pay for
gas. My favorite part of these mission trips were the Vacation Bible School
we put on for the local school. The students would participate in singing,
dancing, sports, and crafts in a week-long event. We would teach them just
how much Jesus loves them, life lessons, and many other fun and interesting

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things. We went to the same school every year and after I came back my
second and third year the kids remembered me and called me by my name.
This brought tears to my eyes and resonated with me, this little week long
Vacation Bible School and it was so hear-warming too see that.
Being a young Christian taught me many lessons and life values
that I will carry for the rest of my life such as being a leader for others.
Learning that I need to care about my own spiritual health, and also others
around me was an important lesson. It was instilled in me to have a strong
moral code and to be sure that I am showing others love. I am truly blessed
for the life, friends, and family that I have and I will be forever grateful for
that.

Works Cited
Stasson, Anneke. "Modern Marital Practices and the Growth of World
Christianity During the Mid-Twentieth Century." June 2015. Digital file.

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