Bethel Stories

Everyone has a story to tell. For most of us in Bethel, our favourite stories are the ones that remind us that God knows us, loves us and changes us for the better. Here are some of those stories. (You might also enjoy some of the stories of our friends, too.)

“Working and drinking — that was my life”

“I realised that I had been born a sinner, and going to church did not make you a Christian”

“If Jesus has done all that for me, I will follow him”

“I did not think submitting my life to God would be the most exciting thing in the world. But now it feels like I’m finally alive and nothing else compares.”

“Life was going the way I wanted it to. I had plenty of money and was very philosophical. I thought if everyone just smoked dope, then the world would be a happier place.”

“Something better than this life can ever offer”

“Unlike alcohol, success or sport, turning to Jesus has brought me true and lasting happiness”

“I started to attend Bethel church and really felt that God was drawing me back to himself. I started to feel happy again.”

Friends of Bethel

“Suddenly a masked man smashed through the driver’s window with an iron bar and began beating Dad to death. There was nothing Dad could do — he was trapped in his own seat, receiving blow after blow. And it was there he died, suffocating on his own blood.”

“'Pan-Am Flight 103 has exploded'… the unthinkable slowly expanded, filling not only our minds but every nerve and cell of our bodies… That’s Helga’s flight.”

“Our Christian faith has helped us every single day – if we hadn’t known that God is with us even in the most difficult times, we would probably never have been able to cope. ”

Alison and Kevin

“I opened a Bible and the words “the truth will set you free” just stared at me. The next eighteen months were the best in my life.”

“I felt that God was calling me to speak out against Robert Mugabe ”

“He tried to kill me — but when I met him, I liked him”

“We set our standards, but when you get there, it doesn't fulfil what you think it will.”

“God has kept me and given me strength through some very difficult times”

Henry Olonga’s story