Growing up in Maryland, my family had the privilege of attending a small church in Rockville, MD. This was not just any church. This church is the church we compare all other churches to. This church was so special to my parents and us that we drove past a half-dozen other Adventist Churches to attend there. The difference was simple… family. We had friends there that we still, to this day, keep up with. Friendships that are so deep, you can only describe them as Family.
As Traci and I leave North Carolina and move to Kentucky, we both agree (my father does too), New Life Fellowship of Chapel Hill was our “Rockville” in North Carolina. We have friends here that mean the world to us, friends that will forever be family.
The memories I have are many, but here are 11 of my favorites…
- Rafting down the New River, and nearly getting tossed out on the very first Class 1 rapid.
- Moving into Traci’s home, and 10 of my “family” show up to help us move in.
- Playing bass in the praise band every week, and performing with Turning Point (Rainey, Dave, Pam, Laura, Doug, Lettie, and Keith, you guys can never be replaced).
- The race to the alter (Traci and I beat Rainey and Laura by days, so they had to copy us on everything).
- Sabbath afternoon biking trips down Crabtree Creek, or through Olmstead Park.
- Cramming 30 people into our little, tiny house for Potluck or Game Night.
- Dinner out or poker with the guys.
- Keith, Joe, Jayce, Henry, Jason, and I discover, it is possible to score a 0 in Call of Duty 4.
- Hitting my best tee shot on the 9th hole, off the light pole, and bouncing back down the cart path as Dave, Brian, Brad, and I all roll on the ground laughing.
- Friday nights with Doc, Kathy, and Terry just bringing in the Sabbath.
- Matt, Cindy, and Morgan… guys there are no other words needed.
I’ve now been lucky to have my own Rockville, and hopefully this won’t be our last. But I hope that someday, my children will be able to find their Rockvilles, because they are truly special.
Oms Family 