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Testimonies
I believe that there are no other gods but God, the all-powerful and merciful; and that his begotten son, Christ, died on the cross, after a sinless life, as a planned sacrifice to remove our sins; and that the Holy Spirit has been sent to comfort and guide us. I believe that the church is the body of Christ in this world, sharing God's redeeming and liberating love as well as knowledge of God. I have accepted Christ as my Lord and Savior, and believe that He has the power to overcome any fears, resentments, hurts, vanity, bad habits, and defects that I may presently have, if I will hold to a few basic steps, such as making amends to those I have hurt and forgiving others who have hurt me; praying for the knowledge of His will; and praying for the power to carry that will out. I recognize that I hold conflicting beliefs:
- I belief in the inerrancy of the Bible AND grew up loving dinosaurs
- I hold to very conservative views on personal behavior because I believe in the need for meekness and submission to God AND I believe we are called to press for economic and social justice
- I believe that "no one comes to the Father but through Jesus Christ" AND that all those that do the will of Christ's Father in Heaven will be saved.
- Yet I am (again as in my earlier statement of faith) comforted by the knowledge that God does not have to be logical, that He has a sense of humor, that I may be wrong, and that doing His will to love others is more important than deciding which of my beliefs are "right" or "wrong." M. Snell
I was born, bred and baptized in the Baptist church, and later married a Presbyterian who was as churched as I was. At twenty-three I moved my membership and became a Presbyterian, and never regretted the change. The older I get, the more my church means to me, and I love the feeling of peace that greets me when I walk into Immanuel. I believe with all my being in God the Father, Jesus the son, and the Holy Ghost, the omnipresence, the omnipotence and the omniscience of God. There is much I do not understand but my faith is not lessened by the fact, and I continue to grow as a Christian. I believe in miracles and deeply in the power of prayers, in simply talking with God, and in thanking Him constantly for the many blessings as they occur each day. At times I may feel lonely, but I know I am never alone. Jesus is not only my Savior, He is my best, true friend who is always there to guide and comfort when needed, as well as to stir my conscience. How non-believers can face adversity without God’s strength to see them through, I can not comprehend!! Nor how anyone completely alone in this world, without a single soul to care about them, without knowing God's love can survive. Every day of my life I thank God for the blessings He has showered upon me, and ask forgiveness for my sins and for the things I didn't do that I should have done. Repeating the Apostles' Creed at Sunday service is very meaningful to me for it brings a quiet contentment to my soul, and it truly affirms my faith in the Trinity and God's word; and I feel They have heard me. I still fall so short of being the Christian I want to be. One of my many faults I continue to work on for improvement is ".... to be swift to hear, slow to speak, and slow to wrath." M. Dayvault
Psalm 46, V.1. God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. I come from a long line of believers. My great grandfather was a Methodist minister; my grandparents and parents attended church regularly. As I was growing up in Chicago, the Methodist Church we attended was on the same block as our home, and my brothers and I attended Sunday school regularly. We learned bible verses and were awarded small metal bars (that were hung from a pin) for each verse that we committed to memory. My pin, attached up at my shoulder, had a string of small bars that extended to my hip. But I wanted something more. As I got older, I played the piano for Sunday school and played the old hymns: "On Christ the solid rock I stand; all the other ground is sinking sand", "What a friend we have in Jesus; all our sins and grief to bear", "Take it to the Lord in prayer" and many other hymns. That's the life that I wanted to live. Between the ages of 10 and 12, I gave my heart, mind, and soul to the Lord. Later, I had a life-changing moment. In 1954, we moved to Albuquerque and transferred our church membership to Immanuel Presbyterian Church. I had four little children ages six and under. Shortly thereafter, it was obvious that my marriage was falling apart. At the time, June Stansbury was our Christian Education Director. One day, she called, said that she had a concern, and asked if she could visit. I said: "Oh sure!" She parked in our driveway, entered our home, and immediately asked: "Where is Karen" (my oldest daughter) "getting this about reincarnation?" All I could say was: "Oh no; oh no!" I couldn't say anything else. When she saw how distraught I was, she left the house. As she was getting in her car, I looked up and said: "Lord, I can't do this alone". Immediately, the whole room was in a bright white light. I felt a presence behind me. A . man's voice said: "You are never alone. I'll always be at your right hand." A wonderful peace flowed over me. It was a peace so great that I can't even describe it. The experience was only momentary, but it changed my life forever. I knew what I had to do. My path was made easier. Every morning I said: "Lord, be with me today". Every night I crashed into bed and thanked the Lord for His help and for the Blessings that I had received that day. Some days, I say: "I raised my four children alone", but this is not exactly correct. With the help of the Lord, I raised my children. I love the 46th Psalm. God is our refuge and our strength, a very present help in trouble. In my life, He has been my refuge, His loving arms around me. With His strength, I knew that I could do anything I needed to do. He was, and will always be, a very present help in trouble. Thank you, Lord. P. King
My basic faith is very simple and can be found in three scriptures. The first is Psalms 23. My most fundamental belief is that the Lord is my shepherd. As my shepherd, He has taken me to green pastures, still waters and paths of righteousness. While I may not have always successfully followed his lead, I have tried. I have walked through the “valley of the shadow of death” on several occasions, and He has indeed accompanied me and comforted me at those times. My cup does run over with blessings, and I believe that I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. The second scripture that defines my faith is Matthew 7 verse 12. This scripture basically says, “Treat others like you would like them to treat you.” We know this more commonly as the Golden Rule. Finally, James 2 verse 26 is basic to my faith system. This scripture says, “Faith without works is dead.” I believe that it is absolutely essential that we put our faith into action. Faith is about doing. We are how we act, not just how we believe. So, in a nutshell, my faith statement is: 1) The Lord is my shepherd, 2) Treat others the way you want to be treated, and 3) Back up your beliefs with works. B. Clark
I believe God smiled and made me. I believe God made me to see the sparkling stars, the gentle sunrise, the purple mountain majesty, the sunset spectacular. I believe God made me to experience the adoration of a parent’s eye, a husband’s love, the soft skin of a newborn son. I believe God made me for gut-wrenching belly laughs, for tear-streaked cheeks, for hugs that never end. I believe God made me for the love of friends, and to love friends, for holding hands and helping out, for baking bread and brownies. I believe God made me for soul searching reflection, for accountability and adjustment, for the joy of his promises. I believe God made me to listen to his voice, to grow to know him, to follow where he leads. I believe in God because God chose me and gave me family, friends and a church to show how great his love is. S. Christensen
My faith journey has had many starts and stops and my spiritual development in the formal sense is a work in progress, but I do know that through my maturing faith I try to be more caring and loving toward others. My faith and church family has helped me through some tough times, and I feel blessed in being apart of this loving church community. In a spiritual sense, I believe God is within us all whether we truly believe or not. My belief in God is based in the basic goodness of my fellow man, and the infinite beauty of the natural world around us. At a very young age I was taught that we are all apart of a common humanity that binds all races, cultures and religions together. I was also taught to appreciate and care for God's creation. I believe in the message of Jesus Christ which proclaimes love and forgiveness toward all people, and that the mission of all true Christians is to help those who are less fortunate, bring justice to the oppressed, and care for our endangered environment. D. Westerfield
I believe in one God the creator and sustainer of all that was, is, or ever will be. I believe in his Son who, all at once, showed us the true glory of our humanity and the inexhaustible extent of divine grace. While I strive to love my neighbor as myself I know I will fall short and only through the commitment and support of those around me will we be able to be as Christ to one another. Only through one another may we experience the true extent of gods Love. E. Lieberman
My statement of faith begins with a caveat: I do not pretend to understand or accept all that is presented in the pages of the Bible or the subsequent doctrines that have been produced over the past millennia of the church. I choose to think of these gaps in my understanding as the mystery that God presents to us. But I do know that a basic and abiding truth lives in this world. This truth I have come to accept is that God’s love and forgiveness is crucial to me. To paraphrase one of my favorite quotes: “We are all sinners, but God loves us anyway.” To me, this is the kernel of truth that permeates, inspires and directs my beliefs and actions as a Christian. Our mistakes and trespasses have been played out everyday since the beginning of time and yet God forgives us. In his final covenant God brought us his Son, Jesus Christ so that he, in human form might show us the way of salvation. Christ died and rose from the dead so that we might begin again. “So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us.” -2 Corinthians 5:16-19 As a child and young adult I felt God’s presence in my life but chose to not participate in the public and communal worship that church represents. I have lived a life that could be described as needing a lot of forgiveness. I take refuge in God’s grace and have come to experience his comforting presence. As a Christian I understand that my task is to return the favor, so to speak. I strive to act with the compassion and magnanimity of Christ. I fail most of the time. But then I remember God’s forgiveness and renewal and I try again. S. Simms
God is on display everywhere. Our Universe is not random and life is a blessing from God. The beauty of the world and the ability to share it with interesting people is a real gift to me. Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior and he has provided man the forgiveness of our sins and direction for life. I have always been involved in a church. Besides being Christian people serving God, who are striving to develop their Christian lives, the church strives to improve the lives of people within and outside of the church. My faith journey is a lifelong experience, sometimes rocky and sometimes easy. I used to involve God more during the challenging times. I am trying to put more attention on involving him in the normal times. When I finish my career, I am interested in sharing the talents that God has given me by assisting others to live better and to understand what a productive Christian life can do for them. J. Sharp
I believe wholeheartedly in the Apostle’s Creed. If God is concerned and cares about a sparrow falling out of a tree, I have to believe, and have faith, that He cares for me too. I believe that He loves us all unconditionally and this is a great comfort to me. I’ve attended church most of my life, but it was sort of “the thing I was expected to do” so I admit that I didn’t really know God in a personal way and this feeling continued for a long time. Then I became involved in a Bible Study Class, and I began to study and take a real interest in the Scriptures and this changed the way I thought about many things in my life. It was one of the turning points in my spiritual walk. I’m grateful for Immanuel church and its message of inclusiveness. I like that. All are welcome and I hope our members and friends get the message that God cares and loves us all. I’m grateful for my church friends, past and present, who have been a real blessing to me. Above all, I believe in the power of prayer. What a privilege it is to be able to talk to our Lord and know he will answer. So I can sum up this statement of my faith by saying: Loving Savior thank you for dying for me and forgiving my sins. Thank you for giving me faith to call you my Good Shepherd. H. Jones
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