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 Renee Hastings – 7-2023   I grew up in a Christian household. We attended church every Sunday and most Wednesdays. We were pretty plugged in at church. I knew who Jesus was but didn’t understand the roles of being a Christian and I never willingly went out of my way to learn more about Christ and what being a Christian really was. On top of that, I’ve grown up a Christian athlete and let sports on Sundays take over my days for church. I was baptized around the age of 8. It was the typical “if you would like to go to heaven come say this prayer and get baptized”.  I was a young kid and of course I just wanted to not go to hell. I didn’t understand what baptism really was back then. A couple of years ago I moved to a new school. From a public to Christian school. I started taking a Bible class in the first semester of my first year. I started getting hungry for Jesus. It really wasn’t until I started struggling with anxiety and depression that I realized how great Jesus is and how much I wanted him in my life. I came to understand and believe that when Jesus died, He paid the penalty for my sins. I started working Him into my schedule willingly and just wanted more of Him. My parents realized how much I wanted to grow as a Christian and began to grow with me. As a family, we have become very open about our relationship with Christ.  I started to rely on Him more and more. I started to overcome my anxiety when I started putting my trust in Him. I increasingly realized how great He is! 

 

 

 Hallie Hastings – 6-27-2023   I have learned that Jesus taught it is possible to have powerful and even meaningful religious experiences in your past that end up fizzling out. You think you are saved but after some time goes by, you just end up living life your way instead of His way. This happened to me a couple of times growing up. Once when I was in the 8th grade and then again when I was 21. Yet, as life progressed, so did my sin, pain and confusion. I began to lose focus about the Lord. Mercifully, the Lord kept putting people in my path who helped me, but my heart was not alive to Him. I appreciated His help, but I was not on fire for Him. I had been raised to believe that Jesus died on the cross for my sins and I believed I believed that. Yet, my life did not reflect that I had any true love for the Lord Jesus. Then last fall, God placed us at GCC, and our family began to experience the Lord in a new way. We began to hear messages on topics we had heard before, but they were new and fresh and meant more than they had in the past. Our family began talking about God and what we are learning at church, at school and on our own. This process began to open my heart in ways that were new and powerful to me. After much wrestling and several meetings with church staff, I’ve finally came to realize that although I’m still somewhat confused about my religious past, I am not confused about this new reality in my heart that Jesus truly did die for me. He loves me and gave His life to save me from His wrath, and my heart is thankful and has been filling with fresh, new love for Him. It’s been tough to come to accept that I had a false conversion when I was younger – but compared to what I’m experiencing now – I see the difference between then and now. Since I believe the Lord saved me this past year, I am here asking to be baptized and become a member of GCC, testifying to my faith in the Lord Jesus as my Lord and Savior. 

 

 Robert Hastings Testimony – 3-2023   I grew up in what I thought was a Christian home. My mother took me and my brother to church just about every Sunday where we attended the Episcopal Church. I was baptized at an early age and knew who God was and what Jesus did from a pretty early age. As I grew older and was able to make some of my own decisions, church became an afterthought which I never looked back until I had a child of my own. Still associated with the Episcopal Church, I went through the same process with my daughter and low and behold, I parented just like I was parented, just going through the motions. I didn’t want that and It wasn’t until my life got turned upside down and my marriage was falling apart that I felt I needed direction from a higher power which was God. I was lost and devastated and sought advice from an employee and pastor friend of mine who led me to words from the Bible. I began to attend church on a regular basis. Through prayer and Scripture, I began to let God in and opened up to the Lord. I came to realize then, that Christ died for my sins. As an adult and it being my choice, I was baptized in the Episcopal Church. I have only been baptized by sprinkling of water so today, I stand before you recognizing that Christ died for my sins, was buried and rose again on the third day and I want to confess that and honor our Lord by submitting to a Biblical baptism.