My grandmother was the spiritual guide in my formative years.  Although she lived an hour away and we rarely saw each other, at least when I was growing up, she always checked on me to ask if I was attending church.  My parents didn’t attend church so it wasn’t really encouraged by anyone else in my family.  Still, I felt a certain pull to be there on Sunday mornings.  I walked there each week and sat in my little pew in the very back. Week after week, my faith grew in those moments.  My church leaders helped me in small ways such as paying for my church camp fee or giving me $1 on my birthday.  When I attended a Christian college, my former minister sent me a few cards of encouragement.  I felt strong in my connection with God.  My faith became part of me.

In the book Stepping Out In Faith by Mark Gilbert, a consistent theme was the disconnectedness felt by those who shared their stories.   The book is compilation of situations where former Catholics converted to Protestantism.  Having lived in a predominantly Catholic area for many years, I can imagine the life change this must have required.  I still think of Friday Fish days from elementary school, even though that was decades ago.  Many of the stories are from individuals who lived in Australia.  I wondered how different the stories might be if it was a collection of stories from Americans.  It’s amazing how one little invitation can completely change someone’s life!  My church family has always felt like an extension of my own.  When my children were born, our church held our hand through the tough moments of my bedrest, doctor’s visits, and those early sleepless days.  People who I’d never really gotten to know came over with food and held my babies while I ate.  The connection of this church family is a striking contrast to those in the Stepping Out In Faith stories.

I mentioned that many of the stories echo a disconnected chord between the individual and their faith.  As the individuals moved to a more direct relationship with Christ, the stories almost always resolved in a feeling of belonging.  Reading this book leads me to a more active role in evangelizing.  For me, not sharing Jesus as my Savior is a bit like keeping all the best desserts for myself.  It always tastes better when I share it with others.  Knowing that it might make a difference in someone else’s life is enough to make me want to share that gift.

Author Mark Gilbert grew up as a committed Roman Catholic, but despite this, did not hear the Gospel until he started University. He trained as a Doctor before retraining as a minister, and has served in Anglican churches since 2000. He currently works as an Evangelist on the Northern Beaches. Mark’s role at ENC is to help build a network of evangelists throughout Sydney. Mark has published a number of resources to help people share the Good News about Jesus with people from a Roman Catholic background including; The God Who Saves, The Road Once Travelled and Stepping Out in Faith.  You can find out more about the organization Mark works for at http://www.newchurches.org.au.