St Matt’s in Cheltenham is celebrating as eight people were baptised into the church family at the weekend. Four young people and four adults came from a variety of different backgrounds but were united in wanting to share their journey to faith.
The range of life experiences is huge – some growing up in a Christian family, some whose childhood had no opportunities to hear about Jesus.
The Revd Richard Coombs, Rector, said, “Over the last twelve months, St Matthew’s and the Minster have grown rapidly, much to our surprise and joy. One of the greatest thrills has been seeing people come to faith from diverse backgrounds – two Muslim Iranians, Ukrainian refugees, people from the Thai and Chinese communities as well as local white British people. Our last Alpha course had forty guests and about half of them have stayed on for ‘After Alpha’ which we are running now. These baptisms are just a sign of the powerful movement of God’s Spirit among us and of the gospel of Jesus to change people’s lives.”
The people who were baptised share their reasons for coming to this decision below.
Esther: “I made the decision to get baptised during a week away at a summer camp called Satellites, during my time there I made new friends and connected with God in a way I never had before, it really changed the way I viewed him and I wanted to really get to know the God that changes people’s lives in such amazing and wonderful ways.”
Katia: “I want to officially declare before myself and the world who I belong to and what I believe in. I grew up in a Christian family. I believed in God but never felt faith (like great joy and gratitude to him). When the war started, I was broken. But over time, God opened my eyes to the real life in Him, for which I am grateful to him and returned and showed me to myself.
“I want to officially declare before myself and the world who I belong to and what I believe in.”
Lucy: “My family isn’t a church-going family and I had all these questions. God and Jesus were just something on the RE curriculum and something I had to know to pass my GCSE, but I had all these questions, I wanted to know more so my tutor suggested to go along to a youth group she helped lead. I went along and really enjoyed learning more but I had more questions! I preserved and was invited to go on a youth retreat for the weekend.
“The retreat was full of icebreakers, talks and singing. On Saturday evening, everyone at the retreat gathered for the evening talk; a lady was due to teach and before she began teaching, she shared her testimony with us. I began to cry. I’ve now been told that this is a normal response, although at the time I felt embarrassed. That evening I was prayed for, and I became a Christian.”
Luke: “I am getting baptised because it will give me a fresh life living for Jesus. The second reason I am getting baptised is to get to know Jesus and God more than I already have. What I think about baptism is that when you go under the water it washes your sins away and when you come back up it is a new start. What I think is the most important thing is to tell your friends and family that you want to be a Christian, don’t be afraid because it is what you believe in. I have told some of my friends that I am getting baptised.”
Reza: “I was an addict for ten years. A Christian friend helped me to quit and I became interested in Christianity, but anyone who leaves Islam is an apostate and the punishment is death. I had to leave the country and five months after, I came to England. I complained to God about why I had to leave my family. I realised that if I stayed in Iran, my life was in danger. At that time, I realised how much God is kind to me and I fully believed in Christ.”
Mansour: “My daughter was sick and I blamed my wife and I was very nervous and confused. I had a Christian friend who told me why don’t you seek help from the real God and introduced me to Christ. My life changed after that and I no longer blame anyone for the bad things in life. I knew it myself and my behaviour with my family became very good.”
Yao: “I grew up in China and didn’t know about God. My understanding of how this earth was made was based on materialism. After I finished high school, I came to the UK to study and my college flatmate, Silvia, took me to a Salvation Army church. My English wasn’t good so I prayed to God and asked him to help me to understand his words. A few years later when I had stopped going to church, I experienced a very sad relationship break-up and felt hopeless.
I prayed, if there is a God, to come to me and tell me what life is all about and two sisters arrived at my door.
“I began studying the Bible with them to know more about God’s words. After I moved to Cheltenham, I explored different churches and got to know more about how God is the Holy Trinity God. I am still on a journey but I’m now happy that I know God and have him to rely on. As 1 Peter 5:7 says, ‘Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you’. Becoming a Christian has been a slow and natural journey but as I put my trust in God, my faith grows. It is incredible that I have turned from being a materialist to being a Christian. God has made this happen. Now, I felt I’m ready to proclaim publicly that I’m a Christian, therefore I would like to be baptised.”
Please hold all these recently baptised people in your prayers. If you’re interested in finding out more about faith, the first step is to contact your local priest. Find your church at A Church Near You.
Want to share your story of coming to faith? We’d love to hear it. Contact ku.gr1762591241o.coi1762591241dsolg1762591241@newo1762591241k1762591241
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