Alex's Story

Real People; Real Stories

Alex’s Story

Hi everybody.  As you all know I’ve come here for my baptism today.  I was brought up in Stoke in a church for years.  But I didn’t feel like God was with me at all.  So I went off the rails a bit.  Did a bit of drugs and drinks and that stuff.  And completely went off the rails.  I couldn’t understand why God would be calling me.  I felt God’s love wasn’t anywhere.  I couldn’t find it.  I searched everywhere for it.  Still couldn’t find it.  Tried to go in different circles.  Tried to find love from some source or whatever.  I couldn’t find it.

I found myself homeless not so long ago.  And basically through a friend here today called Bob he introduced me to a place called the House of Bread.  And he says to me ‘come here and see what it’s like’.  As soon as I went there I was thinking that would be rubbish; that would be boring and full of stuffy old vicars and creepy.  That’s what I thought.

And then I saw Matt and thought ‘who’s that tall geezer’.  I thought he can’t be a vicar!  I thought he can’t be a vicar, no way!  Then we started talking about football and Family Guy and different things.  And it completely changed my mind.  God’s love is there.  It must be God’s love.  So I kept on going.  And talked to Matt a few times.  And then he said to me one day ‘why don’t you come down to church?’  And I goes ‘maybe’.  And I came down to church and I thought ‘WOW’.  And it hit my straight in the face.  I could feel God’s love straight away.  For the first time in a long time I could see who God was.  I couldn’t believe it.  I could feel God’s love in me.  And that’s why I’ve made the decision today.  How God has shown his love to me through people I want to show God’s love through me.  Become a light to all people.  That’s it.