It was a little over a year ago when announcements began about Adoration starting at the South Church. I knew, and felt, the moment I heard the news that I needed to be a part of this. I signed up and told my family that I felt compelled to do this, and somehow it would work into my “busy” life. At that time, I had no idea what Adoration actually was, or how long my commitment would last – weeks? Months? Years? It didn’t even matter.
The first day I went to Adoration, I wondered how I would know when my hour ended, and what I would do during that time. I couldn’t remember the last time that I actually had an hour to myself. Could I pray for an entire hour? What if I fell asleep? The wonderful thing is that Adoration is so easy, so simple. I feel called to Adoration, I want to be there! When I am in His presence, I have a profound feeling of calm and peace that puts the rest of my life in perspective. I share my thoughts and dreams with Him, and I pray. Sometimes I pray the rosary, sometimes I read the Bible, and whatever I do I feel a better person when I leave Adoration.
My Adoration time anchors my week – everything else works around it. There are times, however, when I cannot make it to my scheduled Adoration time. It is easy to get a substitute for those times. As a scheduled Adorer, I receive weekly email reminders of my time commitment via Adoration Pro. If I cannot attend my scheduled time, I click on a link in that email to “find a sub” – that’s all I need to do. The email program automatically sends a request to the people on the Adoration Sub List, and one of them fills my spot. I receive a confirmation when someone agrees to sub for me, which has taken anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours to happen. Sometimes I even just ask family or friends to sub for me or trade times. Finding a sub has never been a problem for me.
I didn’t really know what I was getting in to when I began attending Adoration but committing to it has been one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. I feel closer to God, and myself.
– Julie Ketelhohn