Hear Our Stories!

Christianity is about a living relationship with a living God. Here are some stories from people in our church of how God had been at work in their lives.

Our Pastor, Lewis Fry, explains what changed his past scepticism into faith:

"Although my Mum encouraged me to go to Sunday School as a young child, I quickly followed in the more sceptical footsteps of my Dad and rejected my initial belief in God. Even at Primary School I would try to help Christians in my class to see that they were irrational!

As a young teenager, my parents were invited to an "Alpha Course" (where people are invited to "explore the meaning of life" from a Christian perspective). Unexpectedly, both my Mum and my Dad went along (attracted by the promise, "no question too hostile"!). Like most people, Dad had lots of questions and objections about the Christian faith but, to his surprise, he began to find good, solid answers to his questions. To my surprise, both my parents later became gladly committed Christians!

Rather than explore this with an open-mind, I simply assumed that they had somehow been "brainwashed" - I didn't really have any good reason to believe this (especially as my Dad was such a rational, balanced person) but I did nevertheless. Over the following months I argued against my parents' new beliefs, still pursuaded that belief in God and the Christian faith was irrational.

Unknown to anyone, however, I was finding life tremendously difficult during this time and this forced me to rexamine my assumptions. Although, at this point, I was still fighting against any belief in God's existence, I began, firstly, to pray (having nothing to lose if, as I suspected, God didn't exist!). I prayed that if there was a God, he might show me and help me out. Secondly, I began to actually look into the Christian faith more seriously (rather than simply "assuming" that science and evolution, etc. disproved Christianity).

Two things happened as a result. Firstly, when I put my pride aside for long enough to actually consider the evidence behind the Christian faith, I began to see that it was actually very strong. I tried for some time to raise all sorts of objections (isn't the Bible all made up? why would a good God allow suffering? etc.) but I discovered that most of my objections were pretty flimsy, whilst the evidence for the Christian faith was unexpectedly strong.

Secondly, in various ways, God seemed to be answering my prayers. Like a true sceptic, I inevitabely dismissed this as "coincidence" at first - but eventually there were just too many "coincidences" to be a coincidence! I was discovering (in actual experience) that God was real and good and cared about me.

Finally, after much wrestling and fighting against God I wholeheartedly, gratefully and gladly placed my trust in Jesus, accepted God's forgiveness, and began a new and very different life following him. Now I was on the other side of the fence, engaging with people at school who thought I was deluded! But I can honestly say that God radically and wonderfully changed my life - and I was glad for the opportunity to tell other people the good news - that there is a God; he is good; and, because Jesus suffered and died for our sins, we can know him forever."

In her own words, Mareen Cooper writes about her journey to faith:

"I had turned away from the Lord for some 20 or more years. In August 1985 my husband and I became concerned at the amount of time our daughter, Jilly, was spending at church. Jim went along to some services and, after a little time, someone from the church called on me and invited Jim and me along to a "nurture group". I quickly grasped onto the fact that we were off on holiday. They said, no problem, they would delay the start! I was happy with that - thinking we would not hear anymore from them.

However, after our return, another knock on the door. We attended the group and for some 3 months we went out a number of evenings a week on various church events. Jim was much further along the way back than me, really searching. Then on the 28th of November he died of a heart attack.

At last, after many years of not listening, not answering, we had opened the door and invited Jesus in. Certainly it had been just the right time for Jim, and I kept the door open."

'Behold, I [Jesus] stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.' (The Bible, Revelation 3:20)

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