Indiana

A beautiful Sabbath celebration was held May 14, 2005; the Greencastle Church family witnessed their pastor, Ernie Peckham, baptize Terry and Linda Cox and their son, Colton, and Linda's brother, Donald "Don" Folck. The baptisms can be traced to when Colton, then eight years old, began to ask questions about the Bible. His parents did not attend church, but read Bible stories to him. Colton's grandparents talked to him about Jesus, and how He died on the cross so we could go to Heaven with Him. These influences made an impact on his life.

As a child, Linda accompanied her mother each Sabbath to the Adventist church. She stopped attending on a regular basis as a teenager. Still, she believed Saturday was the true Sabbath.

Terry, raised in another denomination, was satisfied with his spiritual understanding. But when Colton asked questions about God and faith, Linda and Terry started talking about attending church, although they could never agree on which church and which day they should attend. However, not being able to answer Colton's questions pushed them to make a decision toward church attendance.

While Terry and Linda discussed which church to attend, Don, who also attended the Adventist church as a boy, added his opinion. "It doesn't matter which church you go to, just pick one." But Linda challenged him to show in the Bible where the Sabbath had been changed from Saturday to Sunday. Since he could not find Bible evidence of a change, he joined them in attending the Adventist church.

Another factor influencing Don was his diagnosis of incurable cancer. He was told he had no more than two years to live. Don prayed for God to heal him, and many others joined him in that prayer. As an act of faith, he also followed the advice of a physician who placed him on a vegetarian diet, encouraged lifestyle changes, and recommended some natural herbs. Three years later, a MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) showed no evidence of the cancer. God worked a miracle!

As Terry and Linda began Bible studies with Alan Anderson, in preparation for baptism, they prayed Don would also join in their decision. Their prayers were answered when Don decided to rededicate his life to Jesus Christ. "It was the best decision I have ever made," he said.

In response to Colton's questions, Terry and Linda arranged for Colton to study with the pastor. Colton also expressed his desire to be baptized. As Hatti Folck witnessed the baptism of her son, daughter, son-in-law, and grandson, she exclaimed, "It's a wonderful day!"

Bruce Babienco, Lake Union Herald volunteer correspondent