It was almost seven years ago, after I had retired as senior minister from a church in the Hilltowns, that I began worshiping at different churches in Holyoke and Springfield. I knew then that I wanted to find a new church home in Hampden County.

One Sunday, I slipped into a back pew at the Alden Baptist Church in Springfield. I knew it was a church with a long and proud history in Springfield. I was sure I would hear uplifting music and would be moved by an inspiring sermon. What happened that Sunday changed my life.

Because I was the only white person in the sanctuary, my presence as a visitor was obvious. During the welcome, the pastor up front at the pulpit asked “all visitors” to stand and introduce themselves. Two hundred people turned around and stared at me. A deacon came down the center aisle and handed me a mic. I did not expect this. I rose and said I was a retired minister, so happy to be with them for worship, and thanked them for their warm welcome.

Then, to my astonishment, the pastor said from the pulpit, “You are the answer to my prayers.” He then asked people to share in a “passing of the peace,” when folks move through the sanctuary greeting one another. During that time, this young pastor charged down the center aisle, stood in front of me and said, “Who are you? I have been praying for a mentor to help me lead this church.” I am rarely speechless, but I was truly without words at that moment.

That Sunday church service led to a breakfast between the pastor and me, and that led to regular breakfasts together, and my eventually joining Alden, although I am ordained in the United Church of Christ, not the Baptists.

Slowly by slowly, the senior pastor brought me more and more into leadership roles in the church, until one Sunday he said (to my amazement), “Today I would like to call the Rev. Dr. Andrea Ayvazian to come forward and sit with me here in the chancel where she belongs.”

Since that day, I have served Alden as a member of the Ministerial Leadership Team — preaching regularly, serving as a Worship Leader, teaching Bible Study and Adult Sunday School, and offering Book Study Groups.

Alden is my church home. And everyday, I am grateful that this group of extraordinary people of faith lets me serve them.

I have learned so much over the last seven years, far more than could be compressed into one Gazette column. But I would like to share a few of the lessons I have learned during my time at Alden. My reflections will be brief, knowing that the power of my time at Alden cannot really be conveyed.

One thing I have learned and I experience every Sunday is the level of gratitude that pervades the congregation. “Thank you for waking me up this morning” is often said at the start of worship. “Thank you for seeing me through the night” is said repeatedly.

The two most common words used in worship each week are “Thank you.” It is deeply moving to experience the level of gratitude that is said and shared in church. Prayers of thanksgiving are lifted for restful nights, safe children, quiet streets, food on the table, bills being paid, friends stopping by. Week after week, my heart is touched and opened.

Although I have been ordained for decades and am an elder now in clergy circles, I have been deeply affected by the Alden congregation’s profound trust in the Holy Spirit. The belief that the Holy Spirit can and will lead, provide, protect, guide, and love each individual is stirring and sometimes, even now, makes my eyes mist over. The trust in the power of the Holy Spirit that is so present at Alden has changed my prayer practice and my daily life.

A final thought about being a part of Alden  —the sense of community. Sure, most churches foster and enjoy a strong sense of connection and community among members. But the level of caring and reaching out toward one another at Alden is unusual, in my experience.

The nature of the interactions are different as well. In many churches, there is a therapeutic approach to the caring that occurs: questions asked often include, “What happened? Do you want to talk about it? How can I help?” The approach is different in Alden, less therapeutic and more prayerful. People missing from church on Sunday will get one, two, three or more calls from congregants asking if they can pray with them on the phone. The first response when parishioners reach toward one another is to pray, not to inquire about the injury, hurt, affront, or illness.

After I missed a Sunday in church this summer, several people called me and offered to pray with me on the phone. “Imagine I am holding both your hands. Now bow your head and I will pray,” one of them said. I found the calls comforting and the prayers beautifully deep and tender.

I am endlessly grateful that “God ordered my steps” and brought me to Alden. What a blessing in my life.

The Rev. Andrea Ayvazian, Ministerial Team, Alden Baptist Church, Springfield, is also founder and director of the Sojourner Truth School for Social Change Leadership.