By Jennifer King

I was greeted by a warm smile as I walked through the doors of St. Mary of the Mills. The months and months of planning we undertook for the Discovering Christ course and filming was about to pay off. After walking through the door, we immediately got to work: making sure the coffee pot was on, getting the cameras in position, testing the audio, lighting the candle centerpieces, and setting out the name tags.

Discovering Christ was about to begin.

I sat down at my table with a delicious plate of spaghetti and began meeting the people in my small group. Our facilitator had been through Discovering Christ several times. One of our small group members came into the Catholic Church the year before and was looking for community. Another was a religious sister interested in learning more about the Discovering Christ course. A couple came hoping to meet more people from the parish. One person admitted that this Discovering Christ course was the first time they’d stepped foot in a church in ten years.

Each talk provided new insights for the small groups to discuss. As the course progressed, our reflections became more personal and insightful. It was a gift to be welcomed into the lives of my small group members through these discussions. There were also fun opportunities to see the competitive side of my new friends, including an epic 100+ person game of Rock-Paper-Scissors.

But the peak moment of the course for me was the Holy Spirit prayer time, when I was given the humbling opportunity to pray with several people who (re)committed their lives to Jesus Christ.

The Discovering Christ filming wasn’t only about making sure the production was perfect or that the course itself ran without hiccups (though we hoped those things would happen)—it was about creating a place where the people walking through the door had an opportunity to encounter the living God and being present to them.

Yes, the set and decorations looked nice. Yes, the worship was beautiful. Yes, the food was delicious. Yes, the talks were powerful. But what I am most thankful for is that the people sitting around our tables encountered the love of God and made the life-changing decision to commit their lives to Him.