Les has been married to Margaret for 41 years and they have two children and two grandchildren.  Before retiring this year as Catering Manager at Birmingham City Mission, Les worked in the retail sector including running his own shop in Bewdley.  Here he shares how God has worked in his life.

How it all started

It all started 62 years ago when I was taken by my older sister to a place where giants went who carried giant books and wore Sunday suits and Sunday hats.  A lady with a kind face took me by the hand and told me she was going to make me a sunbeam for Jesus.  Well that sounded ok so I went with her to this room full of children all about the same age as me.  This was the start of the adventure with Jesus, an adventure that is still as exciting today as it was then.

For two years I was being made into a sunbeam for Jesus and this lady who loved and cared and taught me so many things about living a life to please God.  Time then passed pleasantly for me, making friends with so many people and having love and friendship given so freely from the people of the church.  Then came the magic age of 13.  I was old enough to join the Wayfarers youth club.  With between 50 and 60 members it was the place to be.  It was at this time that I started to go to church on Sunday nights and get involved.

Ten Years On

Yet ten years later, through a combination of factors I found myself away from church, with a good job, and a new lovely baby girl, Louise.  For six years I didn’t go to church until Louise, aged 4, stated that she wanted to go to Sunday School!  So back we came to Bewdley Baptist church, to a mixed welcome.  The same love and care from the fellowship that knew us and perhaps inquisitiveness from those who didn’t.

My battle with God

Then my battle with God started.  I’ll bring my daughter to church, I thought, but that’s as far as it goes.  Week on week as this battle raged a voice kept calling me back and I kept thinking no way.  Until one day, whilst we were singing “and can it be” I just knelt down, tears streaming down my face and just simply said “I’m sorry Lord, take me back.”  Then I had a peace I had never known, belonging to someone special.

Jesus spoke to me

As the years have gone by there have been so many times God has stretched out his hand and touched me when I have needed him. When I had my own business things at times were really tough and the financial pressures were enormous.  I was under great pressure to open on a Sunday.  One day whilst these thoughts were rushing through my mind I just knelt down and prayed for help.  Suddenly the fridge motor stopped, the bread oven stopped, there was an uncanny silence.  I turned around and felt a hand on my shoulder.  I froze.  I looked to my left and there was Jesus.  He smiled and said “Don’t worry, I will never leave or forsake you”.  Then suddenly the motors started up again.  Now whenever I doubt or have problems I just close my eyes and relive that one to one encounter with my Lord and nothing seems to matter for I know I am his and he is mine. 

This is my God

So this is my life so far with it ups and downs, good times and bad where I know my faith has kept me going.  This is my church where so much love, friendship, care and lots of prayers have been showered on me and my family.  And this is my God.  Who has loved me, protected me, saved me and died for me.