1 /5 Treigh Allen: Iv been wanting to share this for awhile now, and I’d like to remind people that is was my own experience. I grew up in this church and remember taking part in a lot of groups like VBS and such. But my experience was very mixed. In one aspect I had fun and enjoyed a lot of the community in it but as personal interactions I had trouble with. I remember a lot of my realizations with issues was when I was in 7th grade. My parents where going through a divorce and I was looking for acceptance and belonging but all I found in my youth group was fake sympathy and just being ignored. I’ll admit I didn’t sit with the group or really interact because it was hard to really want to get personal. Having trouble at school made me want to keep a distance. All I really wanted was a group of people who liked me but I never got that. My memories that I can remember was being left out of the texting loop. Events, birthday gatherings, and after church meet ups, where I was “texted” about but never got anything. I remember going to one paintball event and being shot down without my mask on while I was in the woods using the bathroom. After that I told my parents who told my youth pasture but nothing happened. After that I felt more distant and more lost, with no one helping me out. I was invited to camp outs, maybe because they would be announced to the Sunday morning meetings, but even at those events I never felt like anyone wanted me around so I made other friends. When I graduated I was told I’d be accepted into the college group, but I never got any notification or anything. I believe a lot of my trust problems come from my experience of being told I was accepted but then being talked about behind my back. I can recall “I would like Treigh more if he wasn’t so weird.” From a argument about my appearance choices from my enjoyment of rock and metal music. After that, I lost all respect for this church. I’m now a devote Catholic in Georgia and hope to never see anyone treated like I was.
