Our stories: A - I

Abbey McMahon Christianity has always been my way of life, but that was it: a way of life. At university I decided to try life without acknowledging God. A few weeks later I realised how much I missed spending time with Him and since then I have been filled with unbelievable Joy and Peace inside out!

Adam Price Before I knew God, I always wanted to be like other people who seemed more popular or sorted. I rarely succeeded and only got frustrated and upset. Then I discovered that God made me in his image, unique, and wants me to be me - I haven't looked back!

Aidan Schooley There was an apparent void in my life which I tried to fill with many exciting things. None of these filled the void; in fact the void became worse. When I gave my life to Jesus the void disappeared and peace became apparent.

Alex Joiner Since becoming a Christian I have found the Bible contains more than just words and facts about a man called Jesus who lived long ago. What Jesus said is still relevant and life changing and has certainly changed my view of life.

Anna Whitehouse I've known that God exists for years, but it was two years ago when I came to the full realisation of His love for me and made the decision to live for Him. Now I'm aware that God is growing me every day, and although there are still hard times, I can overcome anything with Him by my side.

Carol Williamson God has never failed me. Through good times and bad, I have been aware of God’s presence and love. He doesn’t always answer prayers the way I want Him to, but He always answers them. When I look back I can see that His plan has been the perfect one for me.

Chris Butland God continues to amaze me on a daily basis. His forgiveness, guidance and love have given me great joy, peace and assurance - especially when I feel like I least deserve it.

Chris Frost After being radically saved from a life of hedonism weeks before moving to University, I know without the support and friendship of Gateway my newfound faith could easily have been compromised. Now married and in the work place I’m still refreshed and challenged by committing to this family.

Chris Clifton-Brown I tried lots of things looking for something to truly satisfy me, some seemed to work, but none lasted. Since knowing Jesus personally I can say truthfully that I have a Joy and a peace that I never had. Even facing a life threatening health condition Gods peace has been with me. Philippians 4v6-7

Claire Doidge I'd never doubted that God existed and at a young age made a promise to follow Him no matter where it took me. God has held me to that! He has taken me to exciting, scary and challenging places, but has proved Himself faithful through every experience in my life.

David Lloyd "God is perfect, and i have offended Him"-that was my understanding of God until he spoke to me...he said, "You don't have to be perfect", a life-changing revelation for me. I accepted God, and now live for Him as part of His fantastic church family.

Dave Mullen In my early teens I lived to look forward to things. The next party, holiday or gig was my reason to be happy, my purpose in life. Turning to God I found that there was more. I found a sense of purpose and peace.

David Cole I grew up thinking I knew about God and blamed Him for the mess the world was in. When I was seventeen He broke into my life and the excuses I'd created for ignoring Him disappeared. The God I once thought was distant and cruel is actually passionate about me and graceful.

David Rhodes I gave my life to Jesus Christ 27 years ago. When I made this life changing decision I found the true meaning of life, and peace with God. I do not fear death any more as I used to. Giving your heart to Jesus and becoming a Christian is the best decision anyone can make.

Debbie Butland God spoke to me when I was a teenager and told me He wanted me to be a worship leader. The only way I have the confidence to stand up in front of people and do this, is because I know He is with me every step of the way.

Elly van der Linde For 12 years I suffered with a severe wheat and dairy allergy. In church God's incredible power rested on me: He told me that I was healed and free to eat whatever I wanted. Now I truly can eat whatever I want, whenever I want... life tastes so much better!

Emily Levermore As a child I knew that there must be more to this life than to simply 'be' or exist. To find out that Jesus was that something more was incredible. Living in a relationship with God, where I can rest assured that He will always love, care and provide for me no matter what, is just amazing!

Esther Foster Through the challenges and pressures in life, God's been faithful. More and more I realise that in tough times God's helped me to develop character and grow. It's amazing that God uses anyone who desires to serve Him; each day I wake up excited because of that!

Esther Davy I wouldn't know what to do without God! I get too stressed with work, struggle to budget my money and am generally lazy BUT since God has been the focus on my life He has been faithful to give me courage, provision and motivation to live life for Him, it's great! :)

Geoff Ashton I thought a lot about the end of life, even before I became a teenager. I knew I had genuinely become a Christian when I realised I'd stopped being scared of death. Jesus has answered the biggest question I have ever had to face.

Grace Perryman Even though I've know God most of my life, I've spent lots of it battling with the pains and hurt of this world, but 3 years ago realised that God was calling me to him, that he could and would heal my pain. Now I'm excited at the prospect of what God has in store for me.

Fi Brazil I was a party girl, lived to go out and enjoyed risk taking and shocking people. I thought I was just fine. When I met God at age 24, I realised I'd got it all wrong. His Holy Spirit awakened me, God forgave me, and Lord Jesus gracefully guides me. I have peace and true purpose now.

Heather Cole I am a junior doctor. Since my teens I had a problem with my spine where my upper back was curving forward giving me a "kyphosis" or hunchback. I was prayed for, and God healed me - the curvature is now nearly gone and I get much less pain.

Helen Joiner Over the years I’ve come to know that God is there in the ups and downs of life. I’ve also realised that it’s OK to have questions and doubts – God is big enough to handle them.

Hilary Ashton I used to suffer from low self-esteem, but reading the Bible has helped me understand that God is my Father in heaven and He loves me and is for me.

Hugh Hung I wanted to know: Is there more to life than growing-up, working, raising a family, paying taxes and dying? A friend invited me along to hear a man speaking about Jesus, and I realised that by surrendering to God, He would give my self-centred life meaning and an exciting new purpose.