There were great celebrations at Stag Community Church (Herringthorpe URC) on Sunday 3rd August, as the church had the joy of seeing 4 full-immersion baptisms, outside, at their Cafe-style Celebration Sunday service. The church also had 2 people reaffirming their baptismal vows and becoming church members. A wonderful morning all round!
Here is a great testimony of one of those being baptised:
I was… God did… I am
A story of God’s transforming love – by Debbie Gavin
I was…
I was cynical about other people and their motives. I was doubtful about Jesus and the stories about Him, and also about Jesus’s motives. I was faithless and unable to commit. I was hard-hearted, having been let down many times. I was anxious, constantly overthinking people’s motives.
God did…
God gave me the gift of doubt. Without doubt, there would have been no way to start the journey into faith.
God came into the lives of my two boys. Watching them and how faithful they were to God helped me. There was never any room in their minds and hearts for doubt.
God put people in my life to help me – Christians who were selfless, patient in answering my questions, and who listened to my doubts and fears. I was given a book called ‘The Case for Christ’ by Lee Strobel which appealed to the rationalist in me. The defining moment was reading the chapter on Jesus’s crucifixion. It was detailed and graphic, and made me cry. Why would one person suffer such a horrific death if God wasn’t real? Why would he have suffered so much – and asked for nothing in return? I thought about it for days and came to the conclusion that there are unselfish people – and ultimately God is good! Jesus did all that for me.
I am…
I am grateful! Grateful that God never gave up on me. Grateful for His sacrifice. Grateful for putting light into my dark heart.
I know that there are people who are selfish, but God’s helped me realise it isn’t a reflection on me. I can try to help and if I can’t, I can pray for them. I do still suffer with anxiety, but Jesus is my armour. The joy and peace that faith brings to my life is incomparable to anything. If I had to leave a review it would be 5 stars, and I would definitely recommend!