Church has been identified as a body of people who are joined together by the belief in the same God.  Church is also known as the body of believers who call themselves christians. While I was growing up, I thought church was really the building that the people gathered together in, but now I know that the building is only known as the edifice. 

My grandfather was a Baptist pastor, and I think all his children became christians when they were young.  Consequently when his children were grown they insisted that their children attended church  every Sunday morning also.  This was one aspect of my childhood that I disliked at first.  Like some people, I thought church was very boring.  It seemed the people sang songs that were uninteresting, and the preacher spoke too long, and sometimes shouted unnecessarily.

The worst part is, as I got older I was expected to go to church at least twice on Sundays, that is to the morning service as well as an evening program known as training union.  I would have really preferred to watch television, sleep or visit friends during that time, but I was not allowed to do so.  It was a family ritual to go through the same routine every Sunday.  I could hardly wait to grow up, I thought, I would not be attending church anymore.

I enjoyed summer camps. Camping was in the rural area, and we campers stayed on the camp site for at least a week. I always looked forward to summers, so that I could attend camp. One of the things I really liked about camps, is that we had the opportunity to socialize with other children in our age group, and to do many fun activities together. I can remember swimming with other children, and I would take great pride in showing everyone my skills in the pool (real or imagined). As I look back on those days now, I'm not sure what skills I thought I had, but I know that I had a profound love of the water. The competitions that we had with each other was great. I really enjoyed the team spirit. I always looked forward to hikes, and of course, I really loved sleeping on the bunk beds.

What I really remember most about camp, are the events one year when some missionaries visited. We all gathered together to listen to what they had to say. They told us that we were all born as sinners. We do things that displease God. Jesus Christ came to die for us, so that we would not have to suffer the penalty of our sins. We could become Christians, and Jesus would help us to start living in a way pleasing to Him They continued to say that we need to accept Him as our Savior.

I had mixed feelings as I listened. I thought I was already good. I did not know that God thought I was bad, and worst of all I was a sinner. The name sinner was something I did not want to identify with. I suddenly felt as if I was real wicked and bad. I immediately did what they said I should do. I accepted Jesus Christ as my Savior, and I have never been the same since.

My concept of church then changed. I saw why it was necessary to attend church, but I still thought it was boring sometimes. I did not want to go sometimes. I struggled so hard to be good, and I became so disappointed when I did not succeed. Sometimes I gave up, then I promised God that I would be good, and started all over again.

Despite my struggles, I am glad I made a decision to become a christian then. My belief helped me to stay on the right path as a child. Most of my choices were commendable, and I started to enjoy going to church eventually.

I know people have various feelings about church, and that is why there are different denominations in Christianity alone. I also know that there are various religions and cults in existence. Some readers may not even agree with what I have written, but that's okay. I am exercising my freedom of speech, and I invite you to do the same by giving your comments below. Regardless of our beliefs in God, or our disbelief in Him, one thing I know for sure, is that people who grew up in church seem to have a tendency to be law-abiding citizens more so than others. So it seems that there are benefits for attending church during our youth.

In any case, I will not discuss in this forum who is right and who is not. God gives us the right to choose and so will I.

Now that I'm grown and have children of my own, I see the same attitude I had as a child in them. They dislike attending church. They would rather stay in bed. They all claimed to accept Jesus Christ when they were younger, but three of them are now grown. I cannot really insist that they attend church anymore. I am really disappointed that they have not continued on the path I have led them.  However, I am convinced that they will remember the youthful days and start attending church on their own.

This has led me to look at the advantages of attending church while young. Churchgoing helps children to

1. Acknowledge the existence of God, and give Him credit for all the good things He has done
2. Show respect to our parents and all those who are in authority.
3. Have a desire to spend time with God, reading about Him speaking to Him (through prayer) and maintaining a relationship with Him.
4. Study bible verses that they can remember throughout their lives. This helps them to maintain the right concepts about God, people, other children and life in general.
5. Maintain unity with others of similar beliefs.
6. Make the right decisions throughout their childhood, which will help to keep them out of trouble.
7. Enjoy activities like singing, reading dancing and other forms of fellowship with like-minded believers.
8. Develop standards of morality.
9. Channel their skills and talents in the right direction. Many children join the children's choir, or the children's band, so they get the boost they need to excel in singing and playing instruments.
10. Learn to share selflessly with others, while others do the same.
11. Learn to hold on to their faith and trust God in difficult times.
12. Become more grounded in their belief and less likely to be unstable in life.

I can identify with all the above advantages. If I did not attend church when I was young, I shudder to think where I could be today. For this reason I encourage all parents to insist that their children attend church while they are young. I firmly believe as it has been said in the Holy Bible, Proverbs 22:6

Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.