When Dan Horner stepped inside of St. His family had brought him to be baptized as a child, and he had attended worship with them. He also had been a student at St. It also led him to reach out to others in his family to mend relationships and invite them to church. Dan began his school years in a public school. But by the time he was in second grade, he was enrolled at St.
Dan still remembers his first teachers and their approach to teaching. At St. It was more hands on. He ended up back in public school for his ninth-grade year, and it was a struggle from day one. Weighed down by not fitting in, Dan started getting involved in groups that were different than the ones he had during grade school. As a result, Dan got into trouble with the police and ended up behind bars, serving time for being associated with the crimes.
However, he did connect with a pastor from St. The visits were helpful for Dan, as he felt lonely at the time. It was hard to settle into a relationship, and Dan drifted through one difficult situation after another.
At one point, he and his girlfriend at the time had a son, but the child died before he was baptized. Dan found it difficult to carry on, and his relationships with family members grew more strained.
Spiritually, he identified as an atheist. Still, Dan longed for a steady family life—to get married and settle down. He continued to drift in and out of relationships, which led to fathering children but no steady commitment. He saw lessons on evolution that contradicted what he had learned about God creating the earth.
