December 01, 20xx
To Mrs.Fong,
I am sure you’re not aware but I started going back to church again. I can’t believe I haven’t been to church since I used to go to yours. While normally I wouldn’t have sent any kind of letter you, but to be honest, you were a big part of the reason I stopped going and turned my back on the whole idea of church.
I wanted to let you know exactly what brought me back, and hopefully maybe change some of the methods of your own teachings. I could never connect with your beliefs and teachings, I think partly because of the rigid nature of it. We were never permitted to question the books or teachings. If we wanted to step outside the box with our ideas we were punished and cast aside and looked down up by others because we were not in your good graces. I remember before being forced to go to your church, I used to read the books every single day. But that passion was vanquished and lost for such a long time.
I went on with my life without a connection to the church, trying to further my life but disregarding everything I had learned from the lectures and church. I felt I was going in circles though, and I could not find the same joy that I originally had in my heart. After being in such a dark place for a long time, I considered there wasn’t going to be any light at the end of my tunnel. But one day, after trying all my options in life, I stopped looking outwards and started looking inside myself for answers.
I went to check out a new church, in a different area to see if maybe I could find some hope. I couldn’t believe how much I was able to connect with this new church to the point, I feel I have finally found my place in life. Not only have I found the passion that I once lost, but my outlook on the future has completely changed. I would have never imagined myself, not only coming back to church but I have also been working with the church for some time now as well. I love being able to assist the church in many of the projects they have for the local community and ideas they have worldwide. A lot of those in the church have recognized my passion, and understand the journey I have made to get to the point I am at now, that I have been asked to think about joining and becoming a part of this church in the future.
I would have never thought I would want to spread the word of the church to others, not just including those who may be lost as I once was, but also to those already receiving the word from the book. I want to make sure in the future, the passion I lost, does not happen to others. I want to do what my current church has done for me, but for others from the start. My church actively seeks ways to improve their teachings and how they connect with the people, and this is the part that speaks to me the most. I want to make the experience of going to church, just as enjoyable for all as it is for some, improving the methods and ways. While this is my future, I do want to address my past. I do not want this letter to come across as looking down upon your church or style, I actually want to thank you. While I may have turned away from the church because of you, I am at the point in my life also because of you, and if I had continued with my false sense of self, I would have been aimless in my path. A church needs to be a place for everyone, and all ideas, it is up to those who preach to reach not only the devout but also the lost. I would like to reach out and come to speak at the old church sometime if you would allow me your blessings.
Thank you again, Mrs.Fong, my Grade 11 Art Teacher.
(PS: I’m not sure why my auto-correct is changing school into church, sorry about that)
[If you are still confused by this, this was inspired by a story presented in a sociology course about “The Sacred Rac”, a study about the Western Civilization’s reliance on cars but changed so that the reader thinks they are reading about an ancient tribe and their dependence on a fictional animal called the RAC (Car backwards)]