Faith Stories

In 2016 the Diocese of Truro launched an initiative called Journeying Out.
One of the particular aims for 2016 is to have 2016 faith stories, throughout the diocese, short answers to the question So, why are you a Christian? Our facebook page LiskeardPrayers published a different faith story, from a past or present member of the congregation of St Martin's, every day during Lent. You can find them all below.
If you are worried that you missed your chance, you haven’t! Please email your story to liskeardprayers@gmail.com, with a photo.

“Why am I a Christian? Because I failed as an atheist! It was clear to me that a world would be better without politics or religion. Look at all the problems this world goes through because of them. How could there possibly be a God, if he allowed all this...?”

“I was nineteen when I sat on the balcony of our Church in NW London and quietly asked Jesus to come into my life. I didn't feel anything at the time, no flashing light or heavenly choir, but I was part of a loving caring Church and gradually my life began to change...”

“I had a privileged upbringing, not in a worldly sense, my dad was in and out of work due to poor health and mum helped to make ends meet by cleaning, piecework and selling home-grown fruit. My privilege was that I was loved...”

“Things that feed my faith are seeing beauty in nature, answered prayers, seeing good change come into people’s lives as they encounter Jesus...”

“I have always believed in God, but from an early age I have struggled with eating disorders and addiction...”

“I guess the hymns, which I sang to earn 3d (about 1p) a service in the Church Choir, did a bit of work; certainly the sermons didn’t because that was ‘time off’ in the service...”

“Everyone likes a bargain – 20% off, 50% off or buy one get one free. I got the best bargain ever when at the age of 17 I was challenged in my church by the claims I heard at my bible class...”

“I had always followed a Christian path, from the Church choir at age 10, confirmation, and attending Church after marriage. Everything was going so well, all the trappings of success. Then everything collapsed around me...”

“As might be expected my Dad’s sudden death in Bristol on Christmas Eve in 1983 had a huge impact on my life. There were all sorts of family problems and I desperately needed help to sort everything out. There was nowhere else to turn...”

“Some people believe that a ‘Christian Experience’ is something instant. It can indeed be. However for most people, I believe it is a gradual experience, often over an extended period of time...”

“In my teens I read a book that really explained what Jesus had done for me, and that it needed a response, and so I made a commitment for him, and truly became a Christian. But at this stage my faith was still very private....”

“When I was asked to do this a few verses from an old hymn by Joseph Addison sprang to mind...”

“Believing in God adds a depth, a purity and an honesty to the meaning of life for me. We not only have the most loving and caring Heavenly Father in our God, but also The Awesome Creator and Almighty side of God...”

“Why am I a Christian? This is never something I have really asked myself, as it is huge part of who I am. I was brought up in a Christian family, went to a Free Church Sunday School and 2 of my schools were Christian schools...”

“Dear Father, I have never done anything like this before, but I feel that I now have this opportunity to tell you that I first heard about Your Son Jesus when I was only seven, only a child but as the years have gone by…”

“The year of 1998 proved to be a challenging year for our family. My husband Les had to make a move to Scotland for business purposes...”

“Actually, my story is pretty ordinary. No flashing lights or anything to spice it up. To be honest I’m a tad reluctant to write it because I’m sure there are many others which are far more interesting! However, here goes....”

“Why am I a Christian? Because my faith is too weak! Too weak to believe that all we can see or imagine in our universe... resulted from the chance behaviour of sub-atomic particles billions of years ago....”

“I don't remember a time I didn't believe in God. I was brought up in a loving Christian family, went to Sunday School and attended a Church of England Primary School. To me the bible stories I heard were fact, I loved hearing about God! And then…”

“Why am I a Christian? Well, here are a number of reasons, in no particular order. 1. I saw Jesus in the love, care and devotion of fellow Christian students at university over 40 years ago...”

“My walk with JESUS began when Wendy and I were invited by Roy and Shirley Wilton to St. Martin’s Church in the late 80s. We met the Rev. Derek Davey, who was a wonderful blessing...”

“I was brought up in the Church of England - baptism, confirmation, Sunday school, youth group… So many seeds were sown in that time - though some would take years to bear fruit...”

“‘I know a lot about Jesus, but I don’t have a personal relationship with him,’ was the disturbing truth I had to face when I went to a school friend’s baptism and heard her story...”

“At age 16 I was invited by a friend from church to go on a Christian youth camp with an organisation, now known as Venturers. I thought ‘why not?’ and said yes immediately. So, off I went...”

“Some years ago I was returning from a retreat weekend and driving back home I came to a familiar roundabout and thought, “I do not know which exit to take”. No, not the one leading home, but on my faith journey...”

“I was privileged to be brought up in a Christian family in Bath with two older brothers. A large part of my life was Sunday school at the Baptist Church two miles away, and then the youth club...”

“My interest in God was fuelled by two things even as a small child – my love of nature and creation and my distress at suffering and inequality...”

“Dear Lord - help me to write my testimony to your Glory for your unconditional love, Grace and Mercy, Forgiveness and faithfulness...”

“As a family we attended Spring Harvest and New Wine, we prayed before meals and I knew plenty of people who'd had various medical conditions miraculously healed, sometimes on the spot, by the power of prayer...”

“Through my primary education, I saw the Bible and its lessons as a fundamental part of my education; I guess in hindsight this was the beginning of my journey as a Christian. Not only this, but the lessons I learned dramatically influenced the person I am today...”

“my family and I all went to St Martins Church for a lot of my childhood. Bizarrely, some of the best memories from when I was a kid was Dad and I walking to Church on a Sunday and him singing remarkably tuneless and lyric-less songs...”

“I remember driving home from work one day when it hit me how far I’d walked away from God (even though I still sang songs to him and about him from the front of the church)...With hindsight I’ve learned that this was one of the greatest moments of clarity on my journey of faith...”

“A light came on. Christianity was not about rules and regulations. It wasn’t a religion; it was a relationship. A relationship with a God who allows us to be ourselves...God, who designed the whole universe, still wants us to have fun!...”

“I always felt that God was there helping me. In 2000 we sailed our homemade boat across the Atlantic (and back). I was completely out of my comfort zone and don't think I have ever prayed so much in my life...”

“The bottom line is I'm a Christian because I think it's true. What convinced me, and keeps me convinced, are the gospels. When I read them they strike me as honest and real...”

“Quiche; tea; biscuits; cake; sausage rolls; more tea; cake; biscuits; more quiche; pasties; sandwiches; Chris Hallam’s ‘Julie’s Dessert’; yet more tea...”

“It was after I got married to Linda and we moved to Hayling Island that things began to change. Our three daughters started Brownies at the local church...”

“I have increasingly marvelled at the variety, complexity and wonder of creation... it’s been satisfying to learn that it’s OK for a Christian to believe in the Big Bang and evolution ...”

“I was born above a stable, not in it! My family was steeped in church life: a grandfather who was a lay reader, a mother who was the organist, and a father who was the treasurer....”

“I wanted to marry in church and I wanted it to mean something, not just be a pretty backdrop for my photos. I started to attend my local church, St Hilda's, regularly and I went to confirmation classes to learn more about Christianity...”

“I don't feel I really started my Christian journey until I went to METHSOC (the student Methodist group) when I was at college... to meet with students from a wide range of backgrounds, and different denominations, widened my Christian experience greatly...”

“When I was 14 years old... quite simply, I met Jesus... I met him on the Thursday, and on the Friday I knew enough to ask him into my heart and my life, and that’s what happened. The rest of my sometimes rollercoaster, sometimes rowing boat life has been a partnership: Jesus ‘n’ me. ...”

“whenever I do something for another, it is to do it as if I were doing it for Jesus. That way, you know others will receive the love through it; the love that does not come from Man but from Jesus alone...”

“I always knew there was a God, but we didn't talk. I lived a totally self-centred life, addicted to adrenaline and the next big rush, surfing big waves, snowboarding off piste, sailing in a storm, fast motorbikes...”

“the biggest turning point for me was going away with my school (and boyfriend) at the age of 15 to a Christian Union weekend, led by Mike Pilavachi. It was during this weekend that I was filled with God's spirit...”

“In adulthood I have developed and refined my belief. I find that I can accept all the modern discoveries of science and understand God through them... Jesus’ resurrection is what the scientists call a ‘singularity’...”

“Our mother contracted TB when I was 8 and went into a sanatorium and died when I was 10. This coincided with our father being discharged from the navy at the end of the 2nd world war. Up to this point I had never been inside a church...”

“I got Christened and confirmed at the age of 33...In one of our visits to New Wine, Jesus told me to 'look after the children'. This brought me into fostering. When looking after so many babies and children, when cuddling them, I felt the feeling of Jesus’ love, and knew this is what he wanted me to do....”

“When Renée came to live in Liskeard she loved to sit in Church with Joan and they would help each other walk to the Communion rail, to the consternation of health-and-safety minded individuals. A spirituality blossomed in this period owing more to old hymns and new friends than brilliant sermons....”

“You know, Father, that it hasn’t always been an easy walk with you.You have called me to do things that I would never have volunteered to do but I have hung on to your many wonderful promises...”

“I had parents and grandparents that not only told me about their faith in Jesus and what it meant to follow him, but they also lived it! They practiced what they preached...”