I always disliked church growing up b/c I felt like my mom "made" me go. When I left home for college, I went to a Catholic university. At first I thought I'd never go to church again (no one could make me now that I was an adult, after all).

But the dorm I lived in provided a different experience. It was the smallest of all the freshmen dorms and was designed as a real community, with staff, professors and priests living among the students. Each week, on Wednesdays, the resident priest would say mass for whoever wanted to celebrate. We'd gather in a small room in the basement. It was informal - some people came in pajamas. But we all came with intent. 

Readings were shared and the homily was less a sermon and more of a discussion. I remember thinking that it reminded me of stories of the early Christians, banding together in secret in Rome when Christianity was still outlawed. Our small group was coming together, learning together in a way that felt like true fellowship. 

I've since drift far away from the Catholic Church for a variety of reasons, but whenever I visit a church or place of worship, I still think back to those Wednesday nights and hope to find a community like that again.