(last updated December 2008) My name is Chris and I am 54 years old and I have two sons, 22 yrs and 29 yrs respectively. I was raised within a Christian family in the UK. On 17th October 1971, at the age of 17, I was baptized, by full immersion, as a believer in Christ. My faith could not have been strong enough for by the time I was 18 I left home to stay in a flat with my friend Janice and also unfortunately left the Church as well. I did return home after a period of 13 weeks but did not return back to the Church at that time. In 1973 I met Alec and six years later we were married. Although Alec had been raised by his parents to go to Church when he was younger, he was not a Christian and the only time we even entered a Church was for either a funeral or wedding. I couldn't say that I ever stopped believing in God but I certainly was not committed at that time to live my life as a Christian. Sadly in February 2000 Alec passed away after being ill for a few years with Emphysemia. However through Alec's death I then, unknowingly at that time, began a journey back to Christ through various circumstances in my life. In April 2000 I bought a computer and subsequently was connected to the internet. In July of 2000 I answered an ad in a newsgroup for a penpal and when I got my first reply it turned out that this lady had lost her husband 7 years previously, although she had since remarried. However the main thing that stuck in my mind was her mention of the fact that their faith got them through the difficult times for the period prior to and up to the time of her husband's death. I suppose it was upon reading this that I began to wonder whether God was trying to tell me something. As time went on we started to communicate more and more about the Church. My penpal was my strength in those earlier months after Alec’s death and I truly believe that God was reaching out to me through her. Since then there have been times when she has needed my help and I have been able to reciprocate. At the end of the day however the important point is that we are both here for each other unconditionally - as God is also there for each and every one of us. In September 2000 I began to attend an Alpha Course at Sandcross Lane Church Reigate (the Church I attended as a child and where I was also baptized) after my brother John had told me that there was going to be a course.(for those that don't know, this is a course for both Christians and Non-Christians to learn more about God and the Church). Even from the first Alpha session I had no idea in which direction my life would be going - to be honest I actually felt nervous. However by the third session I felt strongly that I did want Christ back in my life and it was on that night that I first recommitted myself to Christ. Up to this time I had been a smoker since the age of 18 years of age but suddenly made the decision to quit one Friday in November 2006. I had mentioned this to my sister and her husband and my brother-in-law asked me if I would them to come round and pray with me to which I agreed. Well they both came round that night and prayed with me – it was only for ten minutes as they were on their way out to dinner. Anyway to this day I have not smoked another cigarette and know beyond a doubt that the Holy Spirit played an important part in my quitting smoking. I started to attend the local Church, Christ the King, in November 2000 after meeting a lady up my road who already went there. Since attending this Church I had been made to feel very welcome and everybody was so friendly. In December of 2000 I strongly felt the need to be confirmed in order to reaffirm my baptismal vows of 1971 and apparently my Church were holding Confirmations in May 2001. Christmas 2000 was a year to remember for me as this was the first time I had gone to Church on Christmas Day since I was 18, so this date will always be important to me. In March 2001 I started attending classes in preparation for my Confirmation and I was finally Confirmed on 13th May along with 30 others in the evening service. One thing that made this even more special to me was the fact that my penpal Karen came down specially to be here for my Confirmation. I also had the privilage of meeting the Bishop of Croydon and having a photo taken with him after the ceremony which is shown at the top of this page. All in all it was a wonderful day and one I will never forget. I think it was more special to me as I was not only being Confirmed but I had returned to Christ after having been away for so long. Since May 2001 I know I have got even stronger in my faith and that it will get me through any situation that may arise in the future. I have had a great deal of support from the Church over the past few years when things haven't always gone as I would have wanted them to. It is the ongoing support from Christ the King that I find an important issue and that we are encouraged to share our burdens and to seek help. Of course this is easier said than done and occasionally our own pride can get in the way of common sense and we try to sort out our own burdens by ourselves. Right from the start I knew that I wanted to be involved within the Church but I had no idea in which direction this would take me and I have continued to ask God to point me in the right direction. Since being at Christ the King I have been involved in a number of activities ncluding evangalising door to door which I really did enjoy as I found it an excellent way to express to others and to witness about my faith. I would also like to get involved with people with learning disabilities as I feel that they have so much they can teach us, but whether this will be God's will is another matter, I will just have to wait and see. I feel strongly that there need to come to know Christ as their Saviour is just as important as ours. In 2002 I began to explore the possibility of training to be a S.P.A. (Southwark Pastoral Auxiliary) by attending a Vocation Guidance Unit at St. Matthews, Croydon in February of 2003 in order to help me to discern in which direction God was wanting me to go. Well during my day there God certainly gave me something to think about and I returned home unsure at that time whether I should go forward for S.P.A. or Lay Reader training. I had to admit though that I did feel that I was being led more to Lay Reader Training but attended a selection day for both training courses in the hope that the answer would be made clear to me. Anyway I was accepted on both selection days so that still left me with an important decision to make. In the end and after an awful lot of prayer I went ahead with the Lay Reader training which commenced on 18th September 2003 one evening a week for a period of three years during term time. I was naturally nervous whilst also excited at what the future would hold for me during and after my course but alas only God knew the answer to that question and I had to be very patient. In the years that followed throughout the course I was challenged in many ways and there were also a few times that I so nearly quitted the course altogether. I am pleased to say that I did in the end persevere with the remainder of the Lay Readers Course and successfully was accepted as a Lay Reader in June of this year and was duly licenced in October 2006 at Southwark Cathedral . It was an exciting and scary time for me but I have to remember that my main purpose as a Reader will be to teach and preach within the church. Our Church began to be involved in introducing Cursillo to the congregation and at present we have approx ten people, including myself who have what is known as a Cursillo weekend. If you want to learn more about Cursillo please go to http://www.ukcursillo.org/whatiscursillo.php. All I will say is that being a part of the Cursillo is a wonderful experience and I personally have learnt so much from it but especially the importance of prayer in our daily lives and of sharing our love with others. If you ever get the chance to go on a Cursillo Weekend I would definitely recommend it. Since becoming a Reader I have preached several times at Christ the King, which I have foung very rewarding for myself and I have had a great deal of encouragement and support from the congregation from the start of my ministry. However little did I know that my life was going to be turned upside down in October 2007 when I suffered a mild heart attack, without any kind of warning. I was then in hospital for a week, during which time I underwent an angiogram which revealed that I required a double heart bypass. I was told that this would be done within two months but I was, at least, allowed home within that period while waiting for the operation. I was finally called for a pre-assessment at St. George's Hospital in Tooting on 5th December 2007. To my surprise on 7th December I was contacted by the hospital to inform that there was a free slot on Monday 10th December and whether I could free to go in on the Sunday for the operation on the Monday morning. Although, obviously, nervous I did agree as I knew that this was something that had to be done and it wouldn't go away. My friend's husband took me and my sons up to St. George's on the Sunday morning - my sons were going to be staying in accoommodation on site at St. George's while I was in there. Well Monday morning finally came and I was feeling unusually calm. At first this puzzled me but then I knew deep down that the calmness I was feeling had to be through all the prayers I knew were being prayed while I was in hospital. The operation was successful and I was back home on 15th December being waited on by both my sons as I was not allowed to do any lifting or heavy work for six weeks. I have to admit those were very long weeks but thankfully my sons bought me a Nintendo DS together with a Brain Training game, which did help to eleviate the boredom I was feeling at not being able to work or do a lot of the things I used to do. I gradually got stronger after going out for regular walks and then I began physiotherapy at East Surrey Hospital, which was the next step to my recovery. Further along the line I attended our local Y.M.C.A. Gym as part of the rehabilitation and I have since joined the Gym within what they call a 'Fit for Life' Programme, that caters for people who are rehabilitating. I went back to work at the end of January but only on reduced hours to start with and by the middle of February I was working back to normal hours. Since joining the Programme at the Y.M.C.A. I took part in a charity Fun Run in May 2008 and raised over £300 (the money this year was for Heads Together a councelling service for 14 - 25 year olds), although I walked more than ran being so near after my operation. I found this very rewarding and it didn't matter to me that I was last but one. I would like to join in their event next year so watch this space. Well it only remains for me to say that I know I have been given a second chance and things could have turned out so different and I may not have even be here today. This in itself has made me look at life so differently and I went on my very first aeroplane flight on 10th November for a day trip with my sister and her husband. I loved it so much that I booked another day trip for a couple of weeks later on 26th November and went by myself. I have already booked another day trip for the end of January, which I am really looking forward and intend to make the most of any minute of my life from now on. In fact in August 2009 I am going to Austria with my sister and her husband for two weeks which will certainly be the highlight of next year and yet another achievement. I never thought I would ever fly in an aeroplane and had I not had the heart attack and subsequent heart bypass, I honestly don't think I ever would have made that extra effort to do so and Austria certainly won't be the last flight I will take, if I have anything to do with it. I thank God for giving me the strength I needed to get through the operation and the recovery period, which could have been so stressful. I would love to hear from anybody with their testimony and providing permission is given I would like to include them on my site if possible. There is one Psalm that has become a tower of strength to me since returning to Christ. It was originally portrayed to my penpal when she was in turmoil and I also find it a great comfort in times of trouble. It is Psalm 121 and I would strongly recommend that you read it. God Bless Chris If you feel you would like to share your Testimony with others and have it included on my website please email me and put "Testimony" in the subject |
 |
| MY TESTIMONY |
| This photo was taken of me, with the Bishop of Croydon, after my Confirmation at Christ The King Church in Salfords, Redhill, on 13th May 2001 |