A Place to Be Real
After moving back to Dallas from UAE, Efua was not looking for a church to attend. Although she grew up in a Christian home, her faith faltered after her father passed away during the pandemic. She shares, “I found myself really slipping away from the church” during that season of her life.
Despite her heartbreak and distance from the church, she continued to pray and ask God for guidance. After one such prayer she received a text from a friend to attend brunch with some people from HP Pres. Efua had been longing for a community of people whom she could grow alongside during this season of her life and the text from her friend felt like an answer to that prayer. She still was not ready to attend church but felt that she found a group of people she could trust.
When one of the group members invited her to join Alpha, she took a step toward rebuilding her beliefs. Through the Alpha course, her faith rekindled, and she decided to attend a Sunday morning service. Efua felt immediately welcomed and decided to attend again the next week. In the following months, she got more involved in the Young Adult ministry which opened her heart to leading a Community Group. She shares, “Every single person goes through some kind of struggle. Our Community Group gives these women a place to be real and peel off the mask in a safe place.”
Since Efua’s own faith was renewed through her involvement in a Community Group, having the opportunity to create a space for others to experience growth has been a huge blessing to her. She shares, “Having a group of girls that you grow to know and grow to trust to send prayer requests to has been so important. We all bring different world views to the group, and I’ve learned so much.”
She encourages the girls in the group to ease into opening up because she knows that trust takes time. Their group has shared laughter, prayers, group chats, and retreats together over the years, encouraging the women to build connections with each other and a safe community of support. Efua shares, “Staying isolated is never a good thing. Community Groups are so important because it’s a safe place where you can share what you’re going through. I’ve never regretted going. Not one time.”
No matter where you are in your faith, there is a place for you to grow in community with other Christ-followers. Join us at the Community Group Launch on Tuesday, Aug. 26 or visit hppres.org/groups to learn more.
