Woodmen Valley Chapel

Real People, Real Stories

Nathaniel Maendel (Rockrimmon)
I grew up in a Christian home with family values, but I didn’t understand what it meant to be or live as a Christian. I simply went through the motions of what I thought was the right thing to do. It wasn’t until I was 17 years old that I really got a picture of what is involved with serving Christ and being a Christian - it is all about a personal relationship with Christ. It also took a near-death experience (auto accident) to get my attention. The difference is that I really don’t see my life as my own anymore. I belong to Jesus now. And I strive to live for Him, not me. I wish to be baptized as a public proclamation of my dedication to Christ and desire to serve Him wholeheartedly.

Russ McKeehan (Woodmen Heights)
I now realize that my whole life has been a testimony. I have worked in some very dangerous positions and had a quite dangerous lifestyle. I many situations, I shouldn’t have made it through. I always thought it was my luck that got me through the dangerous times. I now know it wasn’t luck but God keeping me alive to be able to tell this testimony. For several years I have been very sick. I recently have had special friends pray over me and I was granted a miracle, a Miracle from God. God had done something that no one on Earth could do. He has saved my life by removing a tumor from my brain. On one MRI scan the tumor was there and on the next one it was gone.

Trish McKeehan (Woodmen Heights)
I was born into a Catholic family, baptized as an infant and followed the ways of the Catholic Church through marriage. My marriage grew and children became a wonderful part of our lives, but my husband and I were becoming separated by the Catholic faith as my husband was not a Catholic. I realized that it was going to be up to us to teach our children about God and I really didn’t know God. I knew ABOUT God, but did not have a personal relationship with Him and I desired that for our family. I officially accepted Christ in 1996 with a dear friend. Through the grace of God, our family has battled death, serious illnesses, financial devastation, and marital stress and we have persevered. I want to be baptized to show the world the I’m committed to God, as He has shown His commitment to me through the years.

David Miller (Rockrimmon)
I accepted Christ when I was about eight years old and remember very little of my life as a non-believer. When I was eight, my parents hosted a five-day club at our home where I heard the gospel message. Afterwards I talked to my dad about what I heard and that day he led me in a prayer to accept Christ as my Savior. From that day forward I remember having a strong assurance of the reality of my relationship with Christ and a certainty that heaven is my home. I believe that through the prayers of others and the presence of Christ in my life, I was able to endure many trials and wanderings throughout many years. I wish to be baptized because I have been deeply convicted for many years that I should, in obedience, follow Christ’s example.

Heather Miller (Rockrimmon)
I grew up in a Christian home and have always known Jesus; however, I did not fully understand what that meant. I lived my life for me and still did the “church thing.” I so missed the boat on what Christ wanted for me. I was so worldly and self-pleasing. After college I started to understand that I needed more and wanted more than what I knew about Christ. I moved to Colorado and found a group of Christians and saw the life I wanted. I completely surrendered and have never been the same since. My life changed and I have a personal relationship with Christ and my worldview has changed to be Christ-centered. Now the thing I would like the most is to be baptized as a statement of my faith.

Lacey Miller (Rockrimmon)
I was raised in a Christian home and accepted Christ at a young age, but this didn’t really change my life. I went to church because that was what our family did. I believed in God, but I didn’t really know Him. As a complacent child who never liked conflict or disappointing people,  I didn’t cause trouble or do anything that was considered “bad,” and I did what was expected of me. I thought that because I had accepted Christ into my life, because I went to church and because I was a good person, that it was good enough; I didn’t need to do anything else. My third year of college I began to understand how important it was for me to develop my own relationship with Jesus. My parents’ move from Michigan (where I grew up) to Colorado turned my world upside down, and I felt abandoned, angry and afraid. I had always identified myself by where I came from and my relationship with my family, not my relationship with the Lord.  It was during this time I learned to depend on God instead of my family, and began making my faith my own by reading my Bible and praying more. I knew the best way to get to know Jesus was by making an effort to pursue Him. In truly surrendering my life to Christ, I have found security and courage in Him alone. The lessons I’ve learned about trust, security and faith continue to be reinforced today. I want to be baptized to be obedient to Jesus. I am excited to take this step in my journey of faith and continue moving forward with my Lord.

Jim Myers (Rockrimmon)
As a lifelong church-goer, I thought I had my life right with God. I grew up always singing in the choir at every church I attended. After having two beautiful girls, I joined my wife’s faith as a Catholic so that we could be consistent in how we raised our girls. But all the while, I was living as a sinner in a rowdy, fighter pilot environment. When I turned thirty, God put several men in my life who patiently loved me and taught me and I finally gave my life over in the Spring of 1992. Since then, Christ has patiently walked with me and allowed me to come back to His throne time and time again. As I’ve grown older in my walk I’ve come to realize there was something missing – baptism.

Sarah Myers (Rockrimmon)
My life before Jesus had an emptiness. I had lots of questions that couldn’t be answered. I knew there was more to life than I was living. I grew up in a Catholic home. I was baptized as an infant but the reason never made sense to me. In college I was very active in the Catholic Student Center on campus. I really wanted to know more about Jesus and go to a Bible study but church didn’t offer any. In the spring of 1978 I attended a Campus Crusade gathering and accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior. Accepting Christ as my Lord and Savior gives me a Godly perspective on life. I look at the world through God’s eyes. The old has passed and the new has come. The Lord is my compass. I seek Him in all I do and think. It brings me great joy to serve Him by serving others. I want to be baptized with water as an outward sign of my faith and commitment to my Lord and Savior.

Ryan O’Rourke (Rockrimmon)
I wish to be baptized because the Lord has been working in my life in so many ways since I was very young, but I have never publicly shared that. There have been times when I tried taking control of my own life but things just didn’t seem right with my spirit. I have learned that the only way to true joy in life is through the Holy Spirit.

Douglas Peak (Woodmen Heights)
For thirty years, my wife prayed that I would become more than a “lukewarm” Christian. As a direct result of Woodmen Valley Chapel‘s teaching, I reached a point of surrender to Christ’s rule in my life. The transformation over the past three years both amazes and humbles me. It has been three years – it is time to obey.

Carmen Phelps (Rockrimmon)
My life prior to Jesus was filled with loneliness, a sense of feeling out of control, and a worldly perspective. I was a stockbroker for five years and found myself worshipping money over God. On Nov. 4, 2006, I dedicated my life to Christ and watched the relationships in my life flourish, especially to my fiancé Nathaniel Maendel. Nate and my best friend, Sharie, have encouraged, challenged and helped me achieve the close personal relationship with Jesus that I have today. I want to be baptized to show, outwardly, my deep love and obedience to our Lord. I have left my career as a stockbroker and have started to really live my life now.

Charles Powell (Woodmen Heights)
I can’t remember when Jesus wasn’t in my life. I stopped going to church forty years ago, but I didn’t stop my faith. I would go to church and pray, converse with God and think. The term “born again” wasn’t used back then. Ten years ago I realized if I was a believer then I really should really believe and not just half way or by convenience. I feel as if I’m on a path and I’m brought to tears at times by His greatness. The feeling fills me. I feel called to be baptized, the same way I feel called to be a member of this Church. I can’t put into words how good it feels to give up control!

Sharon Radspinner (Rockrimmon)
My life before Jesus – I was lost! I was baptized as a baby and grew up in the Catholic Church. I knew Jesus, but really accepted Him as my Lord and Savior though a Billy Graham Crusade. The difference Jesus has made in my life is knowing I am forgiven and have eternal life in Heaven. I also want to live in God’s will. I have hope because Jesus died on the cross for me. I want to be baptized because I want to make a public proclamation, as an adult, that I know and love Jesus.

Colleen Rafferty (Woodmen Heights)
I grew up in the Catholic Church with actively involved friends and family. I heard the name of Jesus and the story of His death and resurrection all my life but it wasn’t until I was twenty-six years old, during Pastor Matt’s series on the Apostle’s Creed, that I understood the implications of Christ’s shed blood on my relationship to God. I had memorized this creed as a child, so it made an impact on me to hear how these particular words showed me that Christ’s work is finished. He’s already paid for my sins and there is nothing I can do to earn God’s favor. Now I have a personal relationship with Jesus. He is my Friend and Savior. I wish to declare my acceptance of His work and let others know He is my King!

Ben Rikli (Rockrimmon)
I accepted Jesus at a young age, so I don’t remember much about my life before Christ. I do remember wondering why I needed to obey my parents. I prayed with my dad one night before bed and asked the Lord to wash away all my sins. The main differences in my life, after Jesus came into my life, are that I want everyone to go to Heaven and that I obey my parents better. I wish to be baptized because I believe that it’s important to make a public profession of my faith and show my love for God.