Jesus, My Saviour Forever!
During the September 30/October 1 weekend, we got to celebrate more than 20 individuals publicly declaring Jesus as their Saviour through baptism! Here are just glimpses of their stories:
MIRANDA TIBBETT
“I always knew Jesus as our Saviour Christ as I grew up in a Catholic home. My dad was Catholic and I attended Catholic school growing up. Over the years, as I have grown, I have learned to put the things I cannot control into the hands of our Saviour. I had my 4th child last August and he ended up needing lifesaving open-heart surgery. It was then and there that I confessed and knew He would carry me through this. And that He did.”
SHILOH KOWALCZYK
“I have been blessed to have grown up in a Christian home and to have good examples of “what it means to live a life for Christ.” There hasn’t been a time that I don’t remember knowing Him. He has been present in my life since the start.
I chose to put my faith in Jesus at a young age because I want to follow His word. Jesus has redeemed me from my sins and I want to live a life that honours Him. He is the perfect example and He loves me despite my flaws.
Isaiah 40:31
“But, those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wins like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not faint.
I want to be baptized to publicly declare my faith in Jesus.”
STEVEN CAMPBELL
“As a young kid or even as an adult, when life wasn’t going well and times were tough, I always leaned on Jesus for protection and guidance. 4 years ago, when I met the love of my life who was so faithful to Jesus, it made me realize how important Jesus is in our lives.
I’m choosing to be baptized so I can give my life and follow in Jesus’ teaching.”
Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; iin all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.
XIAODONG CUI
“My grandma, who raised me, is a faithful follower of Jesus. After our family came to Calgary about half a year ago, many Jesus followers at FAC like Grant, Peggy, Paul and Randy … have helped us a lot. They are testimonies and good examples of God’s love. I decided to publicly announce Jesus as my Saviour.”
JAMES SLONE
“I am 52 years old and was raised in a religious home. However, my heart was hardened and I refused to see the light of our Lord and Saviour. Yet over the past several months, I have felt the Lord’s presence moving within me. I have spent weeks reading His words and trying to comprehend why he would ever care for someone like me, who has let him down so many times.
I attended the Sunday morning service at the Deerfoot Campus and I could feel the love and warmth of His spirit moving within the fellowship. I have asked Jesus to come into my heart and wash away my sins; I would like to be baptized to declare my faith publicly.”
LUCAS HAACK
“I was not always a believer; I called myself a Christian because that’s what my parents did.
I had a life-changing moment when my grandfather passed away with dementia and Alzheimer’s. When he was breathing his last breath, he stared straight up as if he had met his maker. That moment made me a follower of Christ and I am ready now to take that to the next level. I began reading my bible and praying daily because I wanted to know my Saviour. I am ready to fully accept my Saviour into my heart.”
GABRIELLE HAACK
“I grew up in a Christian household, attending church and youth group regularly as well as bible camps in the summer. However, I did not have a strong personal relationship with Jesus. I believed in God from a young age and had even accepted Jesus into my heart at Camp Chamisall. One summer, however, I struggled to define what it meant to me to be a follower of Christ as a teenager and into early adulthood.
During the pandemic, a time of great uncertainty and little peace, I felt a yearning to know and be known by the Lord like never before. Therefore, I worked to build daily habits of Scripture reading, prayer, and journaling, seeking to emulate Christ in my words and actions. The peace and love I felt during these uncertain times was a blessing directly from the Lord and encouraged me to continue building my relationship with him. I began to regularly participate in the FAC Online services, rather than being an infrequent attender. I began to listen to podcasts from other Jesus followers and consume Christian content that helped me better understand the Bible, especially within its historical context. These things, along with desiring and truly allowing Jesus to have full control over my life have helped me to recognize that His ways are much greater than mine.
In hindsight, I see the work of his hands in the opening and closing of numerous doors in my life over the past few years. I look forward to continuing my obedience to the Lord and publicly declaring my faith in taking the step of being baptized.
In my 25 years, the Lord has blessed me abundantly and I pray that I will be able to bless others in the way He has blessed me, living a life that closely mirrors the example set by Christ in His time here on earth, ultimately helping others know and accept Jesus into their hearts and lives. I truly believe that the radical love of Christ can transform radically because that is what it has done in my own life.”
NATALIE HEFFERNAN
“I was baptized as a baby and raised in church but I did not have a relationship with God until my 20’s. I have had many difficulties in life and Jesus was always there to walk with me and bring Hope for the future. I have never chosen as an adult to be baptized, but have realized that it’s important to me because I want to continue my journey this way, loving and trusting Jesus.”
ADAM SCHADE
“When I was five, I prayed with my parents and accepted Jesus as my Lord and Saviour. I am thankful that Jesus is always with me and that he healed my dad from cancer. I want to be baptized because Jesus instructed us to.”
My favourite scripture is Joshua 1:9B:
“Be strong and courageous, do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”
EMMA SCHADE
“I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Saviour when I was 5 years old. I prayed with my mom and asked Jesus to be my forever friend. I am thankful that he died on the cross for me.
I want to be baptized because Jesus loves me and he wants me to be baptized. I want to show others that I love Jesus.”
A verse that is special to me is Luke 2:11:
“Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you, he is the Messiah, the Lord.”
ELI SCHADE
“When I was 5 years old in my room with my friends, I asked Jesus into my heart. Ever since then, Jesus has helped me deal with hard times and stress. Now I want to be baptized to show everyone that I believe.
My favourite scripture is 1 Samuel 15:22:
“To obey is better than sacrifice.”
I want to be obedient to God, listen to His word, and live a life that is honouring to Him.”
HERITAGE OGHOLUAMA
“I was born in a Christian home, so I have always known the name of Jesus. However, it wasn’t until recently that I started to make my faith my own. Through reading scripture, going to camp and worshipping at youth I started to feel a change in my life. I started to feel a closeness to God that I had never experienced in my life.
I have really begun to feel the love of God and the Holy Spirit within me. I feel that God is calling me to make this decision now. I have waited long enough. I know that God has a lot he wants to do with my life, and he wants me to take this first step of obedience towards him.”
TERRY MCCAALLUM
“I met Jesus last year and from that moment my life has changed for the better.”
BRUCE HANNAH
“I came to know Jesus as my Saviour by reading my bible and reading the ways and directions that Jesus has planned for us if we follow his teachings. I want to dedicate my life to Jesus in every way and continue to live my life in righteousness, peace and love through Jesus.
Through all my faults, failures, and sins, I have committed I want to be born again and live my life the way Jesus wants all of us to live. He has shown me that if I follow His teachings and His path, I can continue to grow my relationship with Jesus and live a righteous life.
He has shown me through my past that who I was before is not who I am today. Jesus is my Saviour and I want to show him how faithful I can be to Him and hopefully inspire others to build the strongest relationship possible with him. I am so ready and willing to be born again into Jesus’ family and kingdom. I love Jesus, my Saviour forever!”
CHELSEA VAREY
“I was raised to love Jesus and my peers. Over the years, I’ve lost touch with God and only recently have welcomed Him and the Light back into my life. I have children now, and I want them to join me in knowing that Jesus has saved us and that He is always there with us. Jesus has blessed me beyond my dreams, and I want to spend time getting back in touch with the Lord and myself.”
“What is baptism and who can be baptized? What does it all mean?” If these questions sound familiar and you’re looking to get baptized during the November 25/26 weekend, join us on November 21, 2024 for a Baptism Info session to learn more!
You may also be interested in …
- I Follow Jesus! September 2023
- He Makes All Things New, July 2023
- Taking the Step of Baptism, July 2023
