Why I Belong - Jerome Hobart

A New Family To Belong To by Jerome Hobart

I started attending the Poolesville Presbyterian Church in October of 2008. I had found out about the church by the postcard mailing back in 2007. The reason for the delay from 2007 to 2008 was my deployment to Iraq. While overseas I had some experiences that made me really focus on the importance of having faith in God. The experience left me with the need to learn more about God, Jesus and a structured religious belonging. We chose PPC because it was a small church that looked very beautiful. We instantly were drawn to the architecture and once inside were greeted by very friendly people. I live far from where I grew up and I found the members of the church to be like family. I could ask them for advice and talk to them about what was going on. I felt accepted and not judged. I felt like I belonged to something special when at church and could relax and be myself there. Amelia, my daughter, took to the Sunday School program instantly and looks forward to going and being with her friends. So I joined the church as a member in December of 2009 and was ordained as an elder in January of 2010.

The most important activity for me is raising my young daughter Amelia. She is all I could ever want and she loves going to church every Sunday. I never went to church growing up and it has been great for her and me both to have a group of people I can relax and feel comfortable around. When not taking care of Amelia I am currently the evangelism elder for PPC, am active with the creation of the Connection Cafe, and attend adult Sunday School. Outside of church I enjoy going for walks along the river and helping my friends remodel their houses.

I feel like I belong at PPC because it is a small congregation full of friendly and accepting people that are always there to help. I would like to say it is just the people, but there is something about the brick architecture and the sense of history that really adds to the experience of PPC. I think I also add to the overall diversity of the church with my sometimes unique enthusiasm I put into all I do.