A Cambridge God Adventure 24) Just as I am!

Sharing in the momentous prayer meeting which focused on 50 new members in 1981 was a relative newcomer called Ray.  In his mid-forties, a bachelor, he lived not far from the church and walked past its doors every day on his way to work.  One Sunday morning earlier in the year he stumbled into church because, as he put it: 'All I do with my life is earn a living, dash home for a bite to eat before going down to the pub to play my favourite game of darts. It's working, pubbing and darting.'  Actually, he also played bowls to spice up his life-style.

He came into church on his own,driven both by frustration with a life that felt increasingly empty and (though he didn't know it at the time,  by the Holy Spirit).  When he met Jesus for real during a Sunday service he requested believers' baptism so that he could share his faith and new life with the world.  The date of his baptism on January 18th 1981, was firmly in our prayer agenda.

Baptized alone he shone with transparent joy.  He wrote a congregational hymn specially for us to sing that day. As he was baptized the full congregation sang the first verse of the hymn 'Just as I am'.  As Ray left the pool I challenged anyone in the congregation who felt that Christ was calling them to make a commitment to come forward as we finished singing. There was movement in the aisles - one, two, three people were coming to stand in front of the baptismal pool.  Four, five, six, seven.  As I looked into their faces I knew that God was really at work.  Seven new disciples. Some were students and others included a formidably built ex-rugby player.  Ray's testimony was his story.

You can imagine the worship exhilaration in that evening' service and the days following ...we were praying and God was truly at work.  Ray couldn't believe it. 'Who would think that me on my own could lead to that?'  Who indeed!