From the ages of five to eleven, I attended Sunday school, getting picked up in a car each week. At fourteen, a friend from my street invited me to Gibson Road Church. I went a few times and felt as though Bishop Dunn was speaking directly to me. However, TV highlights of local football matches soon captivated my attention, and I decided sports were far more important than church.
For decades, I only entered churches for weddings, funerals, and christenings. By my late thirties, alongside my regular job, I began working the doors at local pubs and clubs. The nightlife and money seemed deeply appealing on the surface.
One afternoon, while shopping, I ran into the childhood friend who had invited me to church years ago. He was grown, married, and now a pastor. I congratulated him and quickly moved on. Months later, we bumped into each other again, and he invited me to his service. I offered polite excuses, but deep down, the Lord was dealing with my heart.
By the age of thirty-nine, I realised I needed a drastic lifestyle change for my family and myself. I began reading the Bible again and knew I needed to be in church, but I had no idea where to go. One evening, I prayed earnestly, declaring I would find a church within 48 hours.
In less than 48 hours, I crossed paths with my pastor friend once more. Recognising this divine appointment, I boldly told him, “I’m coming to church—me and my whole family.” We attended, and by the end of 2000, I was baptised in Jesus’ name and filled with the Holy Ghost. The journey from fourteen to forty was a long one, but everything happens in God’s time. I hope this testimony encourages someone.
“Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” (Proverbs 22:6)