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Person Position Alec Elder/Treasurer It was an amazing day, the day the Lord saved my soul in February 1963 at the age of 23 years. All my life I have been a fisherman and I have known the Lord's care and protection over me in many difficult and dangerous situations at sea. I love the Lord Jesus and seek to serve him as he leads and guides me. The year 1995 was a very difficult year in my life. In March, my brother-in-law and I sold our fishing boat to spend more time at home with our families. About the same time, my dear wife was diagnosed with cancer and six weeks later, the Lord took her to be with himself. A few weeks later, our church came through a very difficult time, when our minister left, taking with him, a good number of the congregation. What do you do when the bottom falls out of your world? This is what it felt like. My working life, my family life, my church (spiritual) life, all in turmoil. We turn to the one who is able to do exceeding abundantly above all we can ask, or think. Family, friends and loved ones were all a tremendous help to me and I can never repay them for all they did, but when you are left alone with your thoughts, the assurance of God's word, his Spirit within and his comfort is our strength and stay. Psalm 46 verses 1&2 God is our refuge and our strength, an ever present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the sea. The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms. Cast your care on him, for he careth for you.. The certainty and assurance of such verses and more, were my strength. we have a great God and a wonderful Saviour. After 4 years a widower, God gave me another lovely Christian wife, and we now serve him together as members of Gardenstown Church of Scotland. We have a great God and a wonderful Saviour. If I had known him as my Saviour, where would I have been in my darkest hour. I cannot tell. If you do not know him, then I recommend him to you. Trust him today for full salvation. Elaine Member/Sunday School Teacher As a young girl growing up in a Christian family, who attended Gardenstown Church of Scotland, I don't remember ever doubting the reality of God being Sovereign. However. at the age of 14, I attended a Louis Palau meeting and saw the need for me accepting Jesus into my life in a personal way. I was very fortunate, that we had a great youth group with quite a lot of believing Christians attending. At 17, I left home, for Aberdeen, to train as a nurse. Homesickness struck, and knowing Jesus as my Saviour was a great comfort. I met a few Christian girls and started attending the Apostolic church, a small congregation of very caring people. At this time, I had the idea that God would call me to be a nurse abroad with a missionary society - however, he had other ideas. I began courting the man who is now my husband, and after finishing my training, we married, and I found myself a Christian mother of two young sons, a challenging role, but with great rewards. Life is full of surprises. When the boys were 15 and 11 years old, we found ourselves expecting another baby. We were overjoyed, but 3 months into the pregnancy, we were informed that a blood test had revealed that the baby had a high risk of Down's Syndrome. We were offered counselling, scans or a termination. we were stunned, but after a weekend of crying and praying, god spoke to me, through a passage of scripture (Song of Songs Ch6 v9), that reassured me that the baby would be well, and beautiful. Lois-Anne was born that October, and has been a great joy to our family. I have found that having two teenagers, I need to pray time and time again for guidance, and knowing that Jesus is there to listen and understand has been a great help. None of us have all the answers, but God is there to help us. We are not alone. With a heart full of Praise Elsie Member It was an amazing day that the Lord came into my heart. It was away back on the 23rd April 1955, I asked the lord to come into my heart and life. I never cease to thank God for being brought up in a Christian home, under the influence of a Godly Father and Mother. From a child, I was taken along to Bible Studies, prayer Groups and gospel Meetings. I knew God's way for my life. I knew I had to ask him to forgive my sins and accept him as my Lord and Saviour, but alas, like many others, I held back. One night, at the age of 21 years, I attended a Gospel campaign. The preacher was Dr Billy Graham. Dr Graham's message came straight home to me that night, and I gave my heart and life to my Saviour. I must confess, since that time, I have found life, at times, very hard. But through bad times and good times, I must agree with the hymn writer "What a friend we have in Jesus". Jesus is always there to help me when I come to him in prayer, and ask his help and advice. Writing this, after 44 years walking with my Saviour, can I invite you to put your trust in my Jesus. i am sure that, like me, he will never let you down and you will never be disappointed. Jesus said "I will never leave you, nor forsake you". He is indeed "a friend that sticketh closer than a brother". Christian Love Jennifer Member Have you ever tried to count your blessings? Yes? No? Never thought much about it? Well, before you start, I can assure you that you'll never manage to name them all! Mine started before I even knew them. Growing up in the village in a Christian family, a family who loved us and gave thanks to God for everything they had, a granny who reminded us daily to "Count your blessings and see what the Lord has done", being taken along to the Gospel Hall hearing the gospel preached and Sunday school every week, I knew from an early age about the Lord. I loved to watch my Dad read his Bible with his notes all around him or listen to my mum play hymns on the organ after we were all in bed at night! At the age of 9 I asked the Lord to come into my heart. I remember feeling very happy and my parents were delighted. Unfortunately, growing into teenage years I began to think Christianity was boring. There were so much worldly pleasures to enjoy. Thankfully, these years passed. I got married, and after a few years, had two beautiful healthy children, family all around me, and a lovely new home. So many blessings, but, there was a void. Something was still missing. I was looking around my new home and thinking 'I should be so happy. What's wrong with me? Am I just ungrateful, selfish, taking everything I have for granted?' After all, there's not many things I've wanted that I hadn't been able to get I began to feel very low about myself. Having been invited to church a while earlier by a friend I often thought about it but didn't really have the courage for a while. One Sunday night, I, my husband, and our children went along. Because most of our friends went to church, we were excited about going and being there too. What I wasn't prepared for was the effect it had on me. The fact that that very first time in church, because of the message that was preached that night, I knew I was meant to be there to 'hear' it. So the next week, for my own interest, I went back. Same again! Did the Minister know how I felt? Had someone told him? How could he preach a gospel so that I felt he was speaking to only me? I realise now that nothing is coincidence, though at first I thought it was. The Bible says "..all things work together ... according to His purpose..." (Romans 8:28). Little things really began to affect me. Certain sermons, someone's prayer, a song sung by friends, the actions of family and friends on a summer holiday and then a book given to me - "The Word for Today". Was it written for me or what?! I began to truly realise how much of a sinner I was, but also how much I was loved as a person. I borrowed a tape of a service I'd missed and, after listening and rewinding over and over again to the words coming through the speakers, in the early hours of the morning I shamefully bowed my head and asked the Lord to forgive me and gratefully accepted Him as my Lord and Saviour. Although I felt so happy inside, I kept my little 'secret' for a few days. When I decided to tell my parents, they were overjoyed. One answered prayer. Little by little I began telling friends and colleagues, receiving every reaction from criticism to embraces of love and joy. Now, every day, I pray with thanks to the Lord for what he has done for me, even the little things I don't realise or think about. I still have to remind myself not to hold on to all my worries or troubles, but lay them all out before the Lord. Imagine having a friend like that, one you can go to at any time for help! He doesn't want us to have worries anyway, that's why it says in Psalm 55:22 "...Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you..." One favourite hymn of mine is Psalm 23 (which I could recite at the age of 4!) "The Lord's my Shepherd" sung by the Group in church to a beautiful tune. It was pointed out at a Guild meeting that "The Lord's my Shepherd, I'll not want" is written out a different way in a simplified version of the Bible. This is a sentence I love to think about and reminds me to always count my blessings and thank Him. The simplified verse says "Because the Lord's my Shepherd, I have everything I need". It does not say "Because the Lord is my Shepherd," I'll get everything I want, but everything "I need". So for all the little things l still think l "need", well, I won't be giving in to submission! I'll keep praying, asking for the guidance I need, always giving thanks, and reminding myself that "Because the Lord is my Shepherd, I (already) have everything I need". With grateful thanks to all my family and friends who, unknowingly, led me back into the fold. Jim Elder As a young boy, I was brought to church three times a day and learned a lot about the Bible. It was not until I was 18 years old that I accepted the Lord Jesus as my Saviour, and have been greatly blessed by him. As he has lead me through life, he gave me a wonderful wife and family, who all love the Lord and follow him. As a young man, I chose to be a fisherman, like my Father and grandfather before me, and the Lord has blessed us in this work. Since retiring early from the fishing in 1995, I attended college to learn a little on house building. I have used this to twice visit Budapest, assisting in building a Christian school, also in London, working with a Spanish church group. The Lord has been so good allowing me to meet so many wonderful people in my experiences through life, and has also given me the opportunity to preach the Gospel in a few places. Bless His Name. Margaret Guild Treasurer each other. We were married in August 1999 and I have moved to Gardenstown, Alex's hometown. This again was God's will, and we are so wonderfully happy. I know God has plans for me here in Gardenstown and is not finished with me, shaping and moulding me into the person he wants me to be. If you don't know Jesus as your own personal Saviour, I urge you to seek him. He is so faithful and will never let you down. Jesus' love is very wonderful. On the day that I was baptized, Jesus gave me the following verse, and it is now revealed to me in a way that i couldn't see at the time. "For I know the plans I have for you. Plans to prosper you and not harm you". Jeremiah 29v11 Ron Member I never in my life expected to be writing here, after all why would I? A church site? Me a Christian? Go on, pull the other leg. Impossible, yet it is true, so what happened? If you take too much drink, or use drugs keep reading. This might be similar the story of your life, or the start of it. My Father had a drink problem, and I had some hard times, as many others have had, I am not looking for pity, for I had a mothers love. Unfortunately at times that love was not enough to keep me out of trouble before my teens, and in later life. When I was a teenager I drank, fought, and broke the law often, and yes, the Police did call at the house. As I grew up I met a wonderful person and fell in love, she became my wife, but there were still pitfalls to over come, again drink and late hours. We have two great children, and we have been blessed with two great and loving grandchildren. For all this, I Praise God. My lifestyle took its toll, I suffered my first heart attack at 42 and had to stop work; work I really enjoyed. I was self employed, and making money was very important to me. What a sucker, it means nothing when you are fighting for your life in Intensive Care and no direction in life. I had bypasses then another heart attack, plus all that goes with it. Man did I hate God for a while, but that is what we do. Do you do that? …….. Do you blame others when things go wrong. It is never our own fault is it? But we know it is. It’s hard to admit. Yet, I have just done so, here, because God has given me the strength to face up to my past. Imagine being forgiven of all your sins. God helps me face the future, not alone, but with Him walking beside me. What a promise He gives us. He also placed special people in my path, and they eventually asked me to see Franklin Graham in Perth. Why on earth would I want to do that? But the strange thing is I did! There, I watched people go forward to accept Christ. Did I go forward? Of course not, why would I? Yet all the time God was slowly working in my life and I never knew? God had a lot planned for me I never suspected, He specialises in surprises. He loves to surprise us and see the results He creates. He loves to see us standing and looking confused, when we wonder which road to take. Just imagine His smile when He sees you take the correct one! On July 10th 1999 at approximately 1.30 p.m., when out for a walk. God decided it was time for me to find Him; it was spectacular in every respect. I ran into a wall of cotton wool, wrapped in warm fluffy blankets, I tried to move but was held there, until a voice inside told me, “You are mine.” So here was I, a sinner completely forgiven, reborn and saved by God’s grace. It was so hard to believe, yet true, my sins were gone. I had a peace of mind and contentment I have never ever known in my life, too wonderful to explain. Praise God! Can I ask you as you read this? Do you want your sins forgiven, or do you really want to carry on as you are, causing trouble to you, yourself, family and to others who love you? Do you know what your life without Jesus Christ means and holds for you? I can tell you that. Absolutely Nothing! Do you really want to spend eternity in Hell, oh yes, it does exist. Sometimes it’s at the bottom of a bottle or every time you take drugs, even when you cause your family hurt. Do I praise God for His saving power? Yes I do, every day I thank Him in prayer, for my fife, my health, my family and the love I have and receive from others. He is still leading me and He is still placing very special people in my life. What’s that you just said? “I always have tomorrow.” But have you, and is it certain? I do not think so. No one knows when there last hour is, take my word for it, be ready to meet God, because it is a fearful thought to meet Him and not know Him. Just ask Him into your life, it is so simple to do and start living again. Just listen to that small voice inside speaking to you and have the courage to act on it. I will even come with you to church, if that helps. I pray I see you standing beside me someday giving your life to Jesus Christ If you believe you are letting someone you love down, or doing some thing that does not feet right. Do something about it. Simply place your trust and your hand in His. I will never regret doing so, neither will you. Shirley Member/Sunday School Teacher Unable to cope with the broken promises and shattered dreams? I faced teenage pregnancy, two unhappy broken marriages and attempted suicide. Happiness seemed impossible but there's good news, Jesus found me and healed me. Psalm 147:3 "He heals the broken-hearted and binds up their wounds." My happy childhood days were spent in N. Ireland. My parents sent us along to Sunday School and often my mother would accompany us to church. One evening while attending a mission I made a profession of faith, at the age of fifteen and my sister who was seventeen at the time also made a profession. However, like the seed in the parable of the sower that fell on rocky ground and withered because it had no root, my faith shrivelled up because there was no depth to it. I soon went into the world and sampled many things including alcohol and cigarettes. At the age of seventeen I became pregnant and found myself in an unhappy marriage. By the age of twenty I had two lovely daughters to care for. The unfaithfulness in the marriage resulted in divorce. I felt lost and alone and tried to take my own life. I had to start over again. I returned to college to train in childcare and after a while I met someone else and before long he had moved in. My mother always encouraged me to take my girls to Sunday School so to keep the peace I started attending church along with my girls. God began to speak to me and convicted me of my sins. I realised that I was 'living in sin' and as I sat trembling in my pew, I thought the minister was speaking directly to me. I knew I had to be 'born again' if I were to enter the kingdom of heaven. I realised I was destined to an eternity in darkness if I did not give my life to the Lord. I didn't realise until I became a believer that it was God who was calling me. I spoke to the minister and he told me now was the time to get right with God, not later. That very night in my own home I knelt down to ask the Lord to come into my life and forgive me for all the wrong things I had done in my life and become my Saviour. Almost immediately all the fears were gone and the peace I felt in my heart was the most wonderful feeling. It is so difficult to describe as it really is "a peace that passes all understanding." I really knew I was healed, I had become a new person. 2 Corinthians 5:17 "Therefore if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come." I had become a child of God, a spiritual babe, a new person, forgiven for my past. I knew I could no longer remain living with my partner so to put things right we were married. I believed this was for keeps. However it was not to be, and after facing difficulties we were parted. I know that if I had not known the Lord I could not have faced yet another divorce. The way is not always smooth but when you have Christ in your life you can face anything. "God is our protection and our strength. He always helps in times of trouble." Psalm 46:1 I felt God was guiding us to move to the village of Gardenstown after having spent a few summer holidays here visiting my brother who has since moved back to County Antrim. I believe that God has brought me into his family of believers where I have always felt very much at home. Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight." Since coming to the village, I have been privileged to be involved in Youth Work. As my girls are now teenagers and enjoy being around their friends I seemed to be surrounded by teenagers, therefore getting involved in Youth Work seemed inevitable. There has been a spiritual kindling among the young people with a real hunger for the word of God and a desire to get to know God better. We are living in a world where our young people face so many temptations and this village is not exempt from this. Jesus can identify with us when we are being tempted. Hebrews 4:15 "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathise with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are - yet was without sin." We need to be rooted in God's word as we cannot stand on our own strength against temptation. It is an honour to serve God, to help nurture these young people. May God continue to strive with them that they may know the joy of winning others to Christ. God gives us opportunities to speak to others about our Saviour. The apostle Paul, when he was writing to the Corinthians said "that God has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therfore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us." In other words we have to go out and tell others, that they must turn away from their sins and they can be reconciled to God. We cannot leave the job to others, we must tell others how they can receive eternal life through Jesus Christ. Have you made the wonderful discovery of knowing Jesus Christ as your personal Saviour? Isaiah 55:6 "Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near." If you do not know Jesus, I urge you to come to Him. Nothing in this world can satisfy you like Jesus.