St. Charles' Episcopal Church – St. Charles, IL
Sunday June 3, 2007 – Trinity Sunday
Ludtke Scholar Homily
Speaker: Damon Heikkinen, 2007 Recipient


As I have been told many times before, the church is a building - it's just a location. And yet, I frequently find myself returning to the same location time and time again. So the question is: why do I come back when the church itself has not made a large difference in my life?

To me the "church" has been a family. I made some of my first friends here. Until this point I have done all of my growing up while involved with the church. I was born just across the street where the hospital used to be. I was baptized on Pentecost and began my life here. The earliest memory I have of the church is from when I was in the nursery. The details are a bit fuzzy, of course, but I know that as I played I was happy. The church provided me with joy and a sense of security. I remember that later on as I moved through the atria, I enjoyed singing and I made new friends. These childhood friendships and experiences were the foundation of my new family.

Since this beginning I feel that the bonds have only grown stronger. There is a certain amount of trauma involved in a fifth-grader's first solo performance, and a receptive audience can make all the difference. I have had a very musical background at home but I'm not sure that my passion for music would be as strong today if I had not been exposed to the music here - the hymns and the songs in the atrium. Having a performance outlet where I know that I won't be judged, has undeniably helped me grow more confident as a musician.

Of course I have grown in more areas than music. As I have since learned a person will soon find who their true friends are when there is work to be done. I happily helped with the spring cleaning projects and in the soup kitchen not because it looks good and not necessarily because it's the right thing to do but because there was a chance to be with friends and with family. Today is an excellent example of my desire to work with my friends. As the senior high group is commissioned on its mission trip I cannot help but feel a bit excited to go with them on my summer vacation to Kentucky. I personally feel that a work ethic, which some may struggle to find in today's youth, is one of the most important things that I have gained from my time here.

Through my family at church, I have been exposed to newer experiences beyond the activities of the church. This particular church is a meeting place for Boy Scout Troop 25. Had I not been a member of this family, I never would have been introduced to all the experiences that I gained through Troop 25- a vital part of my development as an individual.

When you look at it, the church really does resemble a family. There are children, parents, more seasoned individuals; We even all have a father. As a family we do a lot together. We eat together: after the service, in communion, at picnics and dinners. But one of the most important resemblances to a family is that the members of this church are there for each other. We care for the sick and those of us who are in need. This is the one quality, I feel, that makes this church stand apart from so many others. Most of my friends attend churches where there are so many people that the preacher needs a microphone and a television monitor just to reach everyone. At these churches, I cannot imagine that there is the same sense of community that I feel every week I come here.

I feel that I have had several families in the past few years: my parents and blood relatives, a particularly tight chamber orchestra; and I know that I will have many more families later on: possibly a wife and children, and what may come next year in college. I feel that besides my parents, the family I have here has helped me the most in becoming who I am today, and I know that in the future I will remember the lessons that I have learned here.