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FindingThem—I once was lost,Baptism is a spiritual highlight inthe life of an individual and thelarger church community.It is a public testimony of theacceptance of Jesus Christ as personalSavior and the commitment to followbiblical truth. It is also a symbol of anew direction in life and practicallymeans that one now is a member ofthe body of Christ and His church(Eph. 1:22, 23; 1 Cor. 12:13). Throughthe church there is ample provision forinstructing, strengthening, protecting,and organizing the followers ofJesus—so that they will be ready toTheLong RoadHome“Where have you been all theseyears?” Patty asked while staring intentlyinto Paul’s eyes.* It had been a long time—almost three decades. Paul had been anenthusiastic new convert who had pouredhimself into the life of the church. Butsomehow he had slipped away. Over timehe had become disengaged, and eventuallythe church lost track of his whereabouts.Some people would have been offendedby this seemingly nosy question. For some,it would have come across as arrogant,as if to say, “Well, I have my act together,By Glenn P. Hillwhat’s wrong with you?” But that was notthe way Paul took it. Somehow, he couldsense that Patty really cared and wantedhim to come back.During the past five years I have beenserving as the pastor of the ElmhurstSeventh-day Adventist Church nearChicago, U.S.A. Along the way I havewatched people interact with each other,asked questions, and listened as peopledescribed where they were in life and whythey were involved, or not involved, in thelife of the church. Some of these peopleno longer attend our church. Others are ontheir way back after being gone for a while.I wish that all churches could makesome kind of simple change that wouldcause nonattending people to comeback. But it isn’t quite that easy. It is truethat there are things we can do to makeour churches safe to visit—and safe forpeople to come back. But that is only partof the story. Each person is different. Whatattracts one person repels another. Inconversations with nonattending membersI have been startled to hear specific nameslisted as reasons to stay away from church.And then, other people list those samenames as reasons for returning to church.A common theme in those who returnis people who take a personal interestin them. Chiquita mentioned one couplethat “wouldn’t let go.” She rememberedspecific contacts from these individuals:16 Adventist World | December 2012