But when I was about 10 or 11 I was asked to help out at a fayre that re:generation church were running at Collier Row Methodist, which was the church my sister was going to at the time, so I took the opportunity and helped out. The fayre took place on a Saturday and at the end of the day I was asked if I wanted to go along to the evening service the next day and so I went.
After that fayre I went to the evening service on a Sunday every week until we got moved to Gidea Park Methodist, which is where re:generation church is based now.
‘
'committed my life....’
This is what people do
in order to become
Christians. Recognising
that Michael had fallen short
of what God wanted for
him, and realising that he
could be redeemed
through Jesus’ sacrifice
on the cross, Michael
surrendered his life and
his plans to God, so that
God could be in control.
He would live the life
that God wants him to
live, and to live devoted
to God
I had been going to re:generation church for about 6 months when they decided to run a Youth Alpha course in early 2005 and I decided to go along. Every week at Youth Alpha there was a talk held by either Ruth or Jamie and once they had given their talk we split off into little discussion groups, and during the discussion groups there was a chance to get prayer if you wanted it.
So after the talk one week, I took advantage of this time to get prayer and decided at that very moment it was time to give my life to Christ because the talk they had given really spoke to me. I asked them if they could pray for me as I asked God to forgive me for all the bad things that I had done in my life and accept me into his kingdom.
Once I had prayed that prayer they prayed for me and I just felt the Holy Spirit come into my life instantly – it was an amazing feeling. At that very moment it felt like God was sitting on my shoulders and it just felt absolutely amazing.
Since I committed my life to Christ it hasn’t all been easy along the way. I went through a rough patch at one point and found it really hard to believe that God was there, but I kept hope in Him and He eventually touched me: I felt so relieved when He did because it felt like a very heavy weight had just come off of my shoulders at that very moment.
I have been on four residentials with re:generation church now and have found them very exciting as they are a good time to get in contact with God if you have any problems or just to spend time with Him. In the summer of 2006 I went to a huge Christian festival called Soul Survivor and I found that really helpful to my walk with God because I learned a lot from the different seminars that were given by different people throughout the day and also in the main talks held in the massive tent. The worship there was also really good and was a great time to really enter God’s presence.
I have been in the church worship band now for about a year and a half and have found it really helpful in my relationship with God because I have a responsibility to lead others in worship and to really express my passion for God. Also, as I have been in the worship band for a while now I feel that God has called me to lead worship when I grow older so I am looking forward to that and everything else He has in store for me.
In the summer of 2007 I went back to Soul Survivor and yet again it was amazing to see God really move in many ways through different peoples’ lives. But just before Soul Survivor I went through a hard stage were at times I began to question if God was real. Again I remained hopeful that God would resolve my problems and pull me out of the rut that I was in – when I got to Soul Survivor I was still having problems, but on the 2nd or 3rd day in the evening service God really revealed His amazing glory to me and wiped my slate clean, releasing me from my problems. I felt so full of the Spirit and happy that I was a Christian and was reassured that God is truly an amazing and wonderful Saviour.
I hope that you feel encouraged by my testimony and that one day you too will decide it is time for you to give your life to Christ.