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OUR STORIES
Some of our members have shared their stories of faith and their involvement in New Town and Lenah Valley Anglican. Frieda's Story My name is Frieda and I thank you for the privilege of sharing my
spiritual journey with you. I thank God daily for
leading me to know Jesus and for directing my path to St James. I never doubted the existence of God but was not a
regular “church goer” until my ten year old son expressed the wish to join the church
choir. I delivered and picked him up after the two Sunday services without
entering the building myself. On one Sunday, as I dropped my son off, a friend
invited me in. It seemed to make good sense as it saved me from making two
trips. And so began my spiritual journey.
Peter's Story Although brought up as a Christian, I lost faith in my late teens. I admit that I eventually became a staunch atheist. During my thirties, my analysis of life's twists and turns gave me a hint that I might have been wrong to abandon my faith. I tried it again by attending church with my family. This time I came to actually recognise God's presence in my life, including some strong examples, and accept the message of the Bible. With the passing of time, my faith has supported me in all facets of my life: family, career, assisting others. Although I attended a number of other churches, I have now solely been a member of this parish for twenty plus years. I normally attend with my wife. My son, his wife and young children attend with us as well whenever they can. I have found that my church truly acts like a large family too; always there to help and support its members and others in need. I know because I've been on the receiving end a couple of times. I must say that I feel very comfortable within New Town and Lenah Valley Anglican. Bill's Story My
earliest
memory of Christianity is from an after-school program opposite my
primary
school. I still remember that whenever we went along the leader used to
offer us
“one biscuit or three?” And, of course, we always asked for three! I
was given a copy of the New Testament in the user-friendly Good News
translation.
As I was reading it three things struck me about Jesus. The first
thing was that the Jesus described in the four New Testament Gospel books is
someone beyond human fabrication. Now – years later – having trained as a
historian I can give good reasons why the Gospels should be taken seriously as
history. Back then my reaction was just that I don’t think anyone could have
made up the life of Jesus. The second
thing was the way Jesus treated women and children and the people rejected by
his society. I was persuaded back then, and I am still persuaded now, that this
is because (as one of my favourite historians said) Jesus is “God with a human
face.” The third
thing was that if Jesus really did give his life for me this means the God who
made the entire universe loves me! I have had some periods of doubt but this
knowledge has always helped me through them. I have been a
member of New Town and Lenah Valley Anglican for five years. It is where I get
to meet with other people whose lives are being transformed by knowing Jesus.
The people here help me to understand the depth of Jesus’ love for me and help me
to shape my life around this experience.
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