About (Part 7)

Now where to go to church? That was the question before me as a newly saved believer in Christ Jesus.
I looked in the churches section of  the yellow pages (remember them?) and "Evangelical Free Church" seemed to stand out to me. I knew that back in 1985 at least, the word evangelical had the meaning of : a messenger going forth proclaiming the good news of the gospel. I liked the name of that church. Next Sunday I found myself in a small strip mall store space with folding chairs and a makeshift podium and about 30 people ready to worship. No liturgy here, just a few hymns of praise and then the sermon. Afterward I asked the pastor if I could speak to him for a moment.Well that talk must have lasted at least 30 minutes. I just poured out to this young minister all that had happened in my life recently. It was like I just had to speak about my testimony to someone. The man that had cut my hair for the last 10 years gave my wife and I the location of a church that he recommended. He and his wife became very close friends and prayer partners. Little did I know that this man was a believer that had been praying for me over the years. Next Sunday my wife and I attended this church. It was called a "Community Church" and was non-denominational. I liked the idea of non-denominational. I just wanted to be known as a Christian now, not placed into a category or denomination. The pastor preached an incredible sermon. We felt blessed for having come. Unfortunately after the service we found out that that was the last sermon for that pastor at that church. The church's elders had voted in a different pastor! We briefly chatted to this outgoing pastor about where to fellowship and he recommended a nearby Bible Church. God knew that we needed rock-solid biblical teaching and discipleship and He directed us to the right place. Some of the elders and teachers at that Bible Church were quite elderly and they knew the bible backward and forward and were great men and women of God. Some had authored books and commentaries and others had vast experience with missions and the mission field. Learning about missions and talking to missionaries was an eye-opening experience for my wife and I and our children. Never before had we heard of Christians that were currently in the mission fields risking their lives and even dying for being a Christian missionary. We were honored to have a few missionaries stay in our home. We were so blessed by this. That was nearly 30 years ago. That was my testimony. That finally ends "About Me". Your comments are greatly appreciated.