Write It Down
At Ooltewah, penning faith stories has lifted the congregation to new heights.
Here are complete versions of the faith stories published in the Oct. 25, 2002, issue of ‘The Call.’
Barry Murray
“My faith story began when I was a young boy. I was saved at age 12 or 13, but I really had no spiritual guidance. There wasn’t any “plan” for growth or Bible study or any mention of a personal relationship with God. After all, this is God. Whey does He need a relationship with me? So without any guidance, I continued on with life and as time passed and years passed I felt myself being drawn into the pleasures of the world. And as I was participating in these, I always felt that I was doing something wrong. I always felt bad the next day because I knew what I had done the night before was wrong. This went on for a number of years with the same feeling. I always thought it was because of what my parents would think of me if they had known what I was doing. I now know that it was conviction from God.
My life started to change a few years ago after we had been attending OUMC for a while and I was looking to change careers. I had tried everything I knew to do and nothing was happening. One night my wife suggested that together we should pray about it. This was the turning point of my faith story. I had never prayed with my wife, and I was so nervous that I couldn’t pray, I just listened. Well, he answered our prayer and got my attention. As time went on he continued to answer our prayers and show his faithfulness. This got my attention even more and intrigued me. At this time I could feel Him calling and wooing me. This started a new struggle inside of me. If I give in, what would everyone think of me? I’ll be a ‘Jesus Freak’ to them and I won’t be ‘cool’ anymore. I can remember my wife saying, ‘God is the one who gave you your personality and made you who you are. He’s not going to take that away from you.’ Then at our revival a few years ago, I met Chris Carter’s parents at a restaurant and was sharing my struggle with them. They told me their stories and that if I kept searching for answers and seeking the truth that I would find it. A short while later I gave in and Jesus took over. Wow, what an experience. I am a ‘Jesus Freak’ but it is so cool. It’s not at all like I had thought it would be. Through the sermons, Wednesday night, and Bible study classes, I have grown in my relationship with the Lord. I now have a thirst for knowing Jesus. As Galatians 2:21 states, ‘I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.’ What a faithful and loving God we serve. I have now lived both ways, my way and God’s way and God’s way is by far greater than my way.”
Elizabeth Wolfe
“ At a tent revival in 1927 I was converted. I was 11 years old and was baptized by immersion. That same year, I joined the Methodist Church.
There were no classes or individuals who gave me information about how to be a Christian. I attended church and watched the members. I listened when people would get up and give their testimonies about their relationship with God.
When I was asked to do something in the church, I can’t remember ever refusing. Whether it was playing the piano, teaching, directing the choir, or youth activities, I got so much from the church while I was young in my Christian life.
I was married at 21 to Ray Wolfe. My husband had great faith in God, with a very positive outlook on life. I not only loved him, I admired him for his devotion to God.
We had three sons: Richard, Stephen and Patrick. Ray was a good father, and the boys still remember his great faith in God. He died in 1987, and I have lived alone since that time.
My faith had a really great jolt in 1943, when my oldest son, Dick, had spinal meningitis. I remember saying, “There is no God.” How could I say such a thing after all the years of being His child? I repented and asked for forgiveness and He forgave me.
Three years after Ray’s death in 1990, I had a complete stroke. I lost most of the use in my left arm and left leg. I was in therapy a long time. I never once thought that God sent the stroke, but eventually I realized He had allowed it, and He could have stopped it. Now, I must reconcile myself to accepting the changes in my lifestyle, and try to think of the things I could do, not the things I no longer could do. It will be 12 years this August since the stroke. God has been with me every step of the way.
During the 1995 heart surgery and the breaking of my hip in 1999, He has brought me through with flying colors. My family, my friends and my church have been so supportive.
He not only has been with me through these major events, but daily He gives me the strength, courage and the will to meet each day. Without Him I am nothing. With Him all things are possible. Praise His name.”
Mary Graham
“I accepted Jesus as my Savior when I was about 19. I was raised as a Christian Scientist and a friend asked me to come to her Bible study. She explained about what the Bible teaches and asked if I would like to accept Jesus as my savior. That I did and I noticed my life began to change. It was many years later when I was attending the Methodist church with my family that I just knew something was missing and I could not find it in the church. I struggled alone with the answer, read the Bible, searched for what was missing, prayed and waited.
One day in my home, as I read the book of Galatians, Paul said what I could understand from my life and experiences. As in agreement with his explanations, I stood up and something spiritual took place. A beautiful language came to me, the ability to see people differently, and joy in the midst of life’s problems. I guess I floated above things for years, probably confused a lot of people, searched for what God wanted me to do. You know, I think now it isn’t what He wants me to do so much as what and who He wants me to be. I guess that will just keep developing as I mature in Chris. I still have a long way to go. Jesus is now not only Savior but m Lord and I strive to honor Him and enjoy His fellowship.”
Fred Linville
“My faith story starts at age 12 when I accepted Jesus Christ as my Savior. Growing up in a small, rural Oklahoma town where most everyone attended church, my faith was ever really tested during my junior high and high school years. Sure, there were the usual boy-girl temptations while dating and the smart aleck-ness of youth, but through my faith in God and good Christian parents, I was able to walk the Christian walk. During college, my church activities were not near what they should have been and my Christian walk acquired some stumbles.
During my Army days, my Christian walk really developed stumbles. My church life was virtually nonexistent. As a member of the 101st Airborne Division, I was required to jump out of a perfectly good airplane many times. Even though I was not attending church, I still prayed to God for his protection before each jump and He never ignored me.
While in the Army I met and married a beautiful Christian girl. My Christian walk began to lose the stumbles. After our first child was born, a son, we joined a church and became involved in their activities. I found out pretty quick that marriage and children can increase the amount of time you talk to God. As the years went by, God blessed us with another son. We stayed fairly active in church through the next several years, but then it became easier to find excuses not to attend church. For several years we did not attend church, but in the back of our minds we knew something was missing. We began to attend a small neighborhood church and our youngest son became active in the youth group, but we pretty much stayed on the fringe of church activities.
My faith wake-up call began in July 1986, when my mother passed away, followed by the death of my mother-in-law in July 1987, followed by the death of my wife in February 1988. I had many questions for God during this period of time. I was angry and hurt that I had lost the three women of my life. As only God can, he listened with a patient ear.
Two years later I married a wonderful Christian lady with two lovely daughters. Three women of my life were gone, but now I have three more. Coincidence? I think not. God does work in mysterious ways.”
Lyle Rhodes
“The time surrounding 1990 was the lowest point in my life. I had lost a total of five family members over several years. My wife was a nurse and working long hours, and my two boys were working and going to school and seemed like they were never around. I was becoming a lonely man, and to add to that, my purpose in life could not be found. I could not find fulfillment in any part of my life. That included my job, material things, activities that I liked to do, and just about anything the world had to offer -- I could not find lasting peace and joy in any of it. So now I was not only lonely but very depressed. I did not want to go to work even after being recently promoted. I didn’t want to go anywhere or do anything, and while I was at home I just wanted to sleep and escape all the fear that I was facing. The only good thing in my life at the time was when Jan was at home with me, but I couldn’t even admit t her what was troubling me, because that would be showing weakness. After all, I was supposed to be the leader, provider, and the protector of my life and children. I felt I was trapped and had nowhere or anyone to turn to. I was a broken man.
As I began to review my life, it really was a failure. I had failed as a dad and certainly as a husband. I had lived a selfish life. Sin and guilt were heavy upon me. I asked God if he would forgive me and help me because I was lonely, scared and life didn’t mean much to me. I accepted Christ by faith and was going to trust in him as Lord and Savior. Hallelujah!
By the year of 1991, all this changed in my life and it was beginning. By the fall of 1992 I knew I had found what I was looking for: God, and I hoped to keep Him in my life forever.”
I have been attending OUMC since 1975, mostly because of my wife and children. I look at those years as wasted and lost opportunities, but these were people who had something I wanted and accepted me. I felt these people were praying for me. I wanted to do the same for others and pass on the joy in my life.
My faith story continues. This last year, 2001, I had to deal with some of my past life which was very difficult and because of it, more healing has come and God has shown me once again that trust in Him has made life better.
As I close in on this condensed story, some of the things I realize, that there is a lot of room for more growth and I have tot try to stay connected to God daily. I want to make things in my life simple, but make God, family and others a priority.
Thanks to God and all of my church family who have encouraged and made a difference in my life.”
Bob Lockaby
“During my elementary school years living in East Brainerd, my family attended Concord Baptist Church. My mother consistently saw to it that my brother, sister and I got to Sunday school and worship most every Sunday. Usually my mother would rop us off at Sunday school, then go home and get ready for church, and join us later for worship. My dad always stayed home on Sunday mornings during my growing-up years, but that changed later in his life when he became active in church, primarily through the choir.
Sunday school was a big deal where I went to church. I knew most of the kids and although my teachers through the years were usually boring and unanimated they were committed, genuinely interested in me and my buddies, and some of what they taught clearly got through. My friends and I were faithful to each other by attending regularly so that we were not stuck alone with out teachers.
When I was 11 or 12 years old, I made the decision to answer the altar call and give my life to Christ. I do not remember the message that morning, but I remember that whatever was said was accompanied by a strong conviction that I need to go down front and tell ‘Brother Larew,’ our pastor, that I wanted Christ to come into my lfie. But there was a problem.
Old Mr. Peebles was sitting on the end of the pew, right beside me, and I was not comfortable asking him to move so that I could get out. So I debated long and hard about how to get out and go down front where I just knew I needed to be. Thankfully, we sang every verse of ‘Just As I Am’ (I even remember the page number: 240) every Sunday (and many Sundays we started working through it a second time before Brother Larew called it quits), so I had time to think.
I finally decided not to bother Mr. Peebles, and I just climbed up on the pew, crawled around behind him, and scrambled out the aisle. As I think back on that walk down the aisle I remember it as being both a very long walk, and yet over before I could think of exactly what I would say to the pastor. He took my hand as I approached, and he quietly asked me if I had made a decision for Christ. I told him that I had, and he asked me if I had discussed it with my parents and I told him I had not. He accepted that at face value, and when we finally finished the last ‘I come,’ I was excited to hear him introduce me, and announce to the entire congregation that I had asked Jesus to come into my life. I have a vivid memory not of my mother’s reaction at church, but of my mother’s joyfully sharing the news with my dad once we got home.
I was baptized by immersion without giving any consideration to the possibility that there was any other legitimate way to take the baptism. If you had asked me I would have confidently told you that since Jesus was immersed (or so I thought at the time), that was the only way to go.
From that point in my faith journey I was taught and nourished well during my junior high and high school years through Sunday school and vacation Bible school. Chapel devotions and courses in Bible in high school also had a significant influence on me, probably more so even than Sunday school.
I was profoundly effected, though, by a particular youth leader, a single mother of a girl in our group who felt that God had called her to take charge of our floundering youth group – and what a powerful way it was that she took charge. We came together as a youth group in a truly substantive way spiritually, and not long after we began sitting down front during worship may adults began to say to us that our pastor had become transformed himself by the leadership our youth group.
College and law school years were steady but not remarkable in my faith journey. I spent most of those years more or less going through the motions. Church attendance was sporadic, but I remained grounded largely because of my somewhat irregular involvement in Campus Crusade for Christ. I must have developed some kind of reputation, though, because not long after our first date my wife-to-be acknowledged to me that that she was a little concerned when I asked her out the first time about going out with a ‘JF.’
After getting married following my first year in law school, I did return to more regular church attendance, but frankly, I had not developed a very full understanding of what it meant to truly be a disciple of Jesus Christ. I had some vague understanding, which most of the time was best described in terms of the latest Sunday school lesson, which I usually rather quickly forgot. Because of my solid upbringing, though, and my regular church attendance during my childhood, college and law school I was a ‘solid citizen,’ mainstream in my behavior, and led a lifestyle that most people would readily acknowledge was consistent with being a Christian.
Then came my return home to Chattanooga, and an invitation from Phyllis Henry, a member of Ooltewah United Methodist Church. Phyllis was a friend of my mother’s from their working together at Dixie Yarns. Mom told me about Phyllis, and let me know that Phyllis needed to have her will drawn. When Phyllis came in for her appointment we spent about 20 minutes talking about her will, and an hour or more of Phyllis telling me all the great things going on where she went to church. At the time Becky and I were irregularly attending First-Centenary – a result of her desire to return to her Methodist roots after our attending a Presbyterian church during law school, and our having married at First pres in Greenville, S.C.
On Easter Sunday not long after my visit with Phyllis, Becky and I drove out to Ooltewah and found the little stone building that was the home of Ooltewah UMC. We hesitated to even go in, first because the church was so small we knew we could not avoid being noticed, and second, we could easily see there might not be a place to sit. But it was Easter Sunday, so after driving around the block a couple of times trying to decide what to do we finally went on into that packed sanctuary. I could not recall every having been in a church so small, and certainly never one that had no outside aisles. The pews went all the way to the walls! As we sat down we looked at each other and both said that this church needed a bigger building. Little did we know the bold move that the congregation had already committed to make in deciding to leave that location and build an entirely new facility.
What a wonderful day of worship that first Easter Sunday at Ooltewah proved to be. We were made to feel right at home, and we never visited any place else. We joined the church within a few weeks, and before long were fully immersed in the life of the congregation. Through the guidance, leadership and teaching of our pastor, Chuck Page, I quickly began to develop a considerably more mature undertanding of what it meant to be a Christian disciple I began to understand that we as Christians are all equipped for ministry, and that Christ expects that we will put those gifts to work to glorify Him and to further His kingdom.
Chuck was the first pastor I ever had who really challenged me to understand this concept of Christian ministry. Chuck would often say to me, as I’m sure he said to others, that Christ had a great work in store for me, and he challenged me to explore what that might be. Of course, with Ooltewah Church growing dramatically, and with the level of excitement that accompanied not only the ministry that was being done but also the planning to move to our new site, there were plenty of opportunities for ministry and for leadership. It was Chuck who challenge me to teach, and in a strange turn of events, it was Chuck’s rather sudden departure as our pastor that left our Sunday school classs, which he started, teacher-less. Although we initially addressed that void by doing some team teaching among several in the class, soon it began to fall more regularly to me to lead our class on Sunday morning.
Following Chuck came Randy Martin, and he quickly became my mentor, my confidant, and my close friend. Randy is uniquely responsible for helping me to understand what it meant to become involved in congregational leadership. Randy was convinced that the success of the local church depended upon the effective leadership and ministry of the laity, a concept that was new to me. I had always understood that the pastor was the one primarily doing the ministry, with church members chipping in by teaching Sunday school and carrying out what appeared to be some of the traditional tasks. It was also through Randy that I came to better know the United Methodist Church and had my first opportunity to attend Annual Conference. I became the local church lay leader while Randy was pastor, and later with his support I accepted the responsibility to become the Cleveland District lay leader.
Remarkably, David Graves, another extremely capable pastor, and one who is truly committed to the ministry of the laity, became our pastor after Randy. David has continued to show me what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ and to more boldly challenge me and others in our congregation to a still greater vision of lay ministry.
What I desire most at this point in my faith journey is to draw closer to Christ, to more clearly understand His desire for my ministry, and to live out that ministry in my daily life.”
Abbie Alosi
“When I was little I didn’t know Jesus but my parents had me baptized and they answered the questions for me. I went to Sunday school and learned more about Him. One day my teacher at school asked if we wanted to ask Jesus into our hearts. I wanted Him to be my savior so he could grow in my heart. Jesus has been growing in my heart, and I have been believing in Him more and more. I am happy I believe in Him, and I have been telling other people about Jesus.”
[Parent’s note: Abbie was baptized again at the lake by Pastor David the day after she wrote this.]
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