My Life in UECF

In April 1997, I was a 9-month-old baby when I stepped foot into the first service of United Evangelical Christian Fellowship and it’s been my life ever since then.God has blessed UECF with twenty years of life and growth and I am so honored to be able to say I have been attending since day one. The first time I went to UECF, I was only nine months old! As of October 2017, I am twentyone.God has blessed me with a church where I can express my faith and culture. UECF is an integral part of my spiritual journey with God. Over the years, I have been blessed with a plethora of opportunities to use my abilities to praise God.

Sunday School at UECF has really transformed over the years. My earliest memory at UECF was being in Sunday school playing with my friends and my brother Paul while learning about the Bible with Pulipati Ammama, Susan Aunty, and Louis Uncle each week. Every week, there was something new to learn whether it be a new bible story or a fun song.On special services, we would perform songs, occasionally with actions. Learning songs in Sunday school was enjoyable yet hard.The English songs were easy, but the Telugu songs required much more practice. In the end, I was able to learn a whole library’s worth of religious songs. As time passed, we were introduced to Telugu folk choreographies by Sarita Aunty. At the time, I found it boring, but looking back I am thankful that UECF provided thiswonderful opportunity to learn about Indian dancing, thatI wouldn’t experience anywhere else. As I grew older I eventually ended up joining the youth group which was formed with Paul Uncle and Sunil Uncle. We were instructedhow to live for God in a contemporary era and how the stories about God’s people we learned from Sunday School were our examples of how to be faithful to God when others weren’t. In addition, there were more plays, songs, and dances to perform. A lot of time has passed and I am sad to say I am no longer youth group, however, I’m a Sunday school teacher now, along withKavita Aunty, RebeccaAunty, & Pretti Aunty. Songs and dances I learned years ago I am now teaching to a new generation of children. We even started holding our own One Day Vacation Bible school, and each year there has been an increase in attendance. Vacation Bible School is a time when children get to have fun while engaging in Bible related games, crafts, and songs. After that’s all done, the children showcasewhat they learned to the church. In 2017, I directed “Charlie Brown’s Christmas.” For me, it required a lot of patience. It was incredible to see all the children dedicating their talent to praising God. The celebrations at UECF is when the children get to perform. Every year, the children has increasingly grown interest in dancing and singing. Christmas at UECF is the grandest event of the year. Up until the 25th, all throughout December, we celebrate Jesus by singing Christmas Carols at the homes of UECF members. We sing and then some of us (uncles) dance to certain Telugu songs. It’s when everyone dresses their finest. Every year, the children perform a traditional Telugu dance. Without this church, my life wouldn’t have been the same. I would also like to acknowledge how UECF.net has touched people through all the features the website provides such as the wide variety of music, articles, audio & video messages, testimonies, and information. Over the years, UECF has been the trendsetter for other churches in the activities we do, and is constantly evolving every day. I am so proud to be able to say I am a part of UECF.