Changed lives in Kirkintilloch

It’s been great to see how dramatically God has been changing lives lately here in Kirkintilloch. The main service at the church has grown considerably in recent months, and its done so not so much through bringing people in from other churches but through the addition of previously non-churched people coming into our midst and seeking God’s grace in their lives. And God has been granting what they’ve been seeking in some dramatic ways.

A couple of months ago, a young man came into our midst who was going through a terrible crisis. He had recently been in prison and had since experienced a double-tragedy in which two people he loved died violently. I just happened to be dropping by the pharmacy where he was getting some medication when the owner of the pharmacy told me there was someone there who could really use somebody to talk to. I sat down with him, and we talked about how nothing is impossible for God. He perked up and got really excited about the possibility that even his life was not an impossible thing for God to change. He started coming to church and soon came to faith in Christ.

The same young man brought two friends with him, and they also soon came to Christ. Then another young man came into the church through the Teen Challenge ministry that the church is involved with, and he gave his life to Christ on the same Sunday as they did. All four of these people are coming from rough backgrounds of drug-addiction, but it’s been amazing to see how dramatically their lives have been changing over the past couple of months.

We invited all four of these new Christians to have lunch with one of the families from the church on Sunday afternoons and then started having a “coffee chat” after lunch. The “coffee chat” has become an informal chat over coffee and tea about life and the things of God, and it has given us a great opportunity to help these new Christians to begin to grow and to begin to find some answers for situations they face in life.

One of the four brought a friend with him, and she expressed after the first coffee chat that she was really moved by the things we were talking about. On Wednesday afternoon, she came to the Coffee Corner, which is the coffee afternoon we have at the church in which the church is turned into a coffee shop for the afternoon and people from the community come in to visit. We had a talk over coffee, and she asked Christ into her life.

Now there are others who are starting to come into our midst from the same kinds of rough backgrounds. On Wednesday night I stopped by the church to make some photo-copies, and a young man just “happened” to be passing by and see the lights on in the church. He walked in and began to share about his need to get his life right. He said he’d come to church on Sunday.

Then today, which is Saturday, I was working on sermon preparation in D’inisi, my favourite local coffee shop, and this same young man “happened” to come in for a cappuccino. We had a great talk about God and about his life, and he went away excited about coming to church tomorrow and about seeking a new beginning in life.

Also, on the same Wednesday night, I met another man who was standing in the parking lot of the church as I was leaving. He asked, “What do you do in that building?” I explained that it was where a church met. He said, “Really? That’s interesting because I was just thinking that I need to seek God and try to get my life right.” He asked if we could help him, and I expect to be seeing more of him as well.

In addition to all of these people who are coming from the background of addiction problems, a number of other new people have come into the church lately as well. It’s exciting to watch as they grow in the realisation of God’s love for them and to see their lives changing day by day.

It seems that the foundation that has been laid over the last couple of years here is starting to really bear fruit. My prayer is that when I leave here just before Christmas, we will have everything in place for all these precious people to continue to be helped and encouraged in their faith in Jesus Christ. I believe that we are working well in that direction as they seem to be relating well with the people who are being prepared to continue working with them in the year to come.

As I prepare for yet another new beginning in my ministry at the end of the year, I am thankful for all the people who have been experiencing a greater new beginning in their lives here in Kirkintilloch. All the glory belongs to God. “He who began a good work…will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:6b)