Testimony

Pat Baker (06.09.26)

Some people think that faith and a relationship with God is easy but you have to figure it out.

I have lived a full life. I have seen joys, trials and sadness and everything in between. I have gratitude, faith, love and memories and today is the most important chapter.

I once lost my faith but I have got it back through coming to this church. Here, I have found God and I have found peace.

God has helped me through dark days of sadness and I know that He is with me and guiding me through His love.

A new chapter of my life is being written right now. Today is a new beginning. I put the past behind me and step fully into the grace of Jesus’ love for me. I know that He is with me and guiding me through His love.

I hope that you will all find Jesus and find His peace, too.

Andy Renshaw (06.09.26)

I grew up on Haworth Road Estate. I am the oldest sibling of 10 other brothers and sisters. Growing up was quite challenging, being born into a big family, and much family household troubles caused me to leave home at 17 years old. This was a time of my life that I started getting involved with drugs, petty crime and party lifestyle, and there were a lot of problems with women. Part of this period of my life was me looking to be loved, belonged and accepted by those around me. I navigated many challenging years: divorce, illness, shunt in my head, prison, drugs, drink, and believe now, looking back, that I made massive mistakes in my life that I am proud of. But through all this, I always wanted life to be different.

I've always had jobs and worked extremely hard to provide for me and my family. I've suffered immense heartbreak at losing a child, but I've also experienced the great joy of becoming a father.

Life has challenges, and I've come to realise it's a journey we all navigate through the good times and the bad times, but through it all, it has made me a stronger person today. I recently rekindled my first love relationship with a childhood sweetheart, Sharon, who had an amazing heart of gold, with such a caring and compassionate side. It was through meeting up with Sharon again that Sharon taught me a different way of life, and Sharon always saw the good in people. It was through Sharon that we would often have conversations regarding God and would watch YouTube videos of Pastor Bob Joyce in America talking about Jesus.

I've always liked Bob Joyce because he sings the Gospel like Elvis, who is my favourite musician of all time. Myself and Sharon would always talk about going to church together if Sharon had been well enough. However, because of Sharon's chronic illness, we would listen to YouTube videos about Jesus a lot.

Sadly, I lost my beautiful fiancée recently and felt such a void had occurred in my life. Since Sharon departed this earth, it has had me questioning life more and more, to where recently I connected with my brother Matthew, who is by my side today and has always reassured me that Jesus is close to the broken-hearted and that the best decision he has ever made is to follow Jesus, who never lets you down.

I decided for myself that I want to follow Jesus, so I spoke with my brother about how I can do this. My brother arranged a meeting with Christopher, who kindly invited us to his house. Upon meeting Christopher on the Friday, I decided to go to Clayton Hall Gospel on the Sunday. We had some great speakers from Good News For Everyone, and I never forget, I had a feeling I have never experienced before of warmth and love, and it is very hard to explain.

My brother recently reassured me that I had an encounter with God, and I have been attending this church ever since: coming to Bible studies, going to planned church events, helping where I can. I am getting baptised because I want new beginnings and I want to learn and grow into what it means to follow Jesus. I am thankful for the help and support of all the people and Christopher in this lovely church.

Archie Greenwood (26.09.25)

I wasn’t raised as a Christian. For most of my life, up until I was 15, I didn’t have a religion, and I didn’t believe in God. In fact, for a time, I even disliked the idea of having a religion. I scoffed at the idea of church and God, and at times, I even mocked it.

But by around the age of 15, I went through a difficult time in my life. It was then that I felt drawn to Jesus in a way I couldn’t ignore Him. It was Him who pulled me out of that rut. I didn’t see a vision or have a dream but I began to sense His presence and His call in my life. I started to feel that there was an all-loving Creator who cared for me and could guide me, even though at the time I didn’t fully understand — but I had been reached by God’s grace.

Over the course of 2024, my faith grew gradually. It didn’t happen overnight, but step by step. By the summer, I started regularly coming to this church. I began reading the Bible and learning more about Jesus, His teachings, and His love for people. The more I learned, the more I felt drawn closer to God and inspired to live in a way that reflected His goodness.

In the last 18 months, Jesus has changed my life in ways I couldn’t have imagined. He has given me hope, purpose, and a reason to live differently and to grow. He has helped me make better choices, develop Christian values and find strength even in difficult moments. I’ve seen how following Him can bring peace, guidance, and joy and I want to continue growing in my faith for the rest of my life.

That’s why I want to be baptised today - to declare publicly that Jesus Christ is my Lord and Saviour and that I want to follow Him, trust Him and live with Him for the rest of my life. Jesus is my refuge, anchor, rock and my source of strength in hard times.