In 2018, newly married to a police officer with a baby on the way, Sarah and her husband, James, were searching for a church experience like she had growing up in the Catholic Church – a place where her kids can take part in the sacraments, while building a relationship with God and increased understanding of their faith.
“You have your friend community, your family, and once kids are in school they have their friends. There is a different kind of community that comes with church,” Sarah said. “That was part of me, and I knew I wanted to have my children have some of those same experiences. They helped guide me and establish who I am.”
One of those experiences came as a teenager, when she joined friends at The Quake, a Lutheran-based faith retreat for kids. “I had never had any faith activity like that before, and it was awesome,” she said.
Sarah remembered that vividly as she and James, whose family had been Trinity members years earlier, began their online search for a new church.
That search began and ended with their first visit.
“We felt totally comfortable and at home, so we just stayed,” she said. “It only took two or three services, and James and I knew this was the right place for us. Everybody was so welcoming.”
Their new church community helped strengthen her faith, something Sarah, a kindergarten teacher, is reminded of every night her husband patrols the streets of South Milwaukee.
“I’m nervous every night in general, and without faith it would be worse,” she said. “I have this trust or feeling that there is a greater being watching over him and protecting him and keeping him safe.”
It’s a comforting feeling for Sarah, who has stayed connected to Trinity during the pandemic through the church’s online service, a godsend as she watches from home with three-year-old, Joe, and newborn, Everett.
“I can’t get over how personable Pastor Denise is,” Sarah said. “I appreciate how she connects her homilies to things that are happening in the real world. There are things she says that I can take and apply to my own life.”
And the life of her family, now re-energized by a faith community.
“I know we’re not alone,” Sarah said.
