I was raised Catholic by a very devout Catholic mother and a nonreligious father.  He, in turn, always said he was raised Lutheran even though he went to a Methodist church.  This was because his home town had no Lutheran church when he was a boy.  When I was 14, my mother died, and suddenly it became more important to my dad that I continue going to church.  By my senior year, when it was just he and I at home, we often went to the 8:00 PM Mass on Sundays, always commenting that it was a nice way to end the weekend and prepare for the following week of school and work.  I love the quiet majesty of Catholic churches; the mood of reverence; the art work and architecture.

In college, I began to explore other churches.  I finally settled into a Presbyterian church in a small town near when I attended school.  I found it 'cool' that there was a family in the church who, although unrelated, shared my last name: Hagerstrom.  Not exactly Smith or Jones.  That coincidence alone wasn't enough to keep me going there, though.  I enjoyed the small size of the congregation, and the beautiful bike ride to church on Sunday mornings, especially in the fall.  I appreciated how the congregation made me feel welcome right from the start.

After college, I got a teaching job in rural South Carolina.  One day, at the laundromat, I saw a sign advertising a folk singer who would be performing at a local Methodist church.  This appealed to me, so I made a mental note of the date,a nd attended.  This became my home church for three years.  I loved the southern tradition of the Methodist church; the long history it had in the community; and I became good friends with the pastor's son.  We started a ministry of juggling and illusions together.  We are both still in full time Christian service today.

I moved back to New England when Sue and I married in 1986.  We began attending an Assembly of  God church.  Quite different from anything I've experienced in the past.  The pastor was very good about utilizing our juggling immediately, and our ministry grew rapidly.  I loved the energy, the youth, the vision of this church.

When we moved to Bridgton and started a family, we joined the Bridgton Alliance Church, which is our home church today.  More than any other, we feel like part of a family here.  We love the part play in this local body of believers, and we know that the other members of the body will be there for us when we need them.

So, it is this history that serves as a foundation of how I think about churches, denominations, and the universal body of Christ.  These moves from church to church all had to do with relocation, not rebellion or hurt feelings.  And in making these moves, I've learned a lot and feel we can minister for a lot of diverse groups without being uncomfortable or making others uncomfortable.