Lake Region

Seven new disciples of Jesus Christ were baptized into the family of God at the Bethel Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan, last May. They were George Chivis, Austin Hawkins, Robert Hess, Carl Strickland, Debra Wilson, Mary Hairston, and Kina Barnes. Each surrendered to Jesus Christ through various means and different sets of circumstances, but all agreed this was the best decision of their life.

Robert Hess was invited to a Bible Study hosted by a church member and Lucille Barnes, the church's Bible worker. The It Is Written satellite series, “Revelation Speaks Peace: Unlocking the Signs,” was being shown in the church where he went for Bible studies. He began attending and thought he was simply going to learn about Revelation. He never missed a service, however, since the presentations were answering all his questions.

After making a decision about worshiping on the Sabbath, Robert notified his employer that he could no longer work on that day. He discovered one of the managers of his company is a Seventh-day Adventist. He arranged for Robert to not have Sabbath obligations, and also came to his baptism.

When he was baptized Robert commented, “I know this is what God would have me do.”

Debra Wilson grew up in Chicago, Illinois, but moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan. There, friends began to invite her to their church. She kept putting them off because going to church on Saturday was strange to her, and it was also a work day.

When Debra finally began to attend, she discovered many new truths from the Bible, which ultimately led her to be baptized. Debra has the gift of hospitality, and her witness is so natural. Since she accepted Jesus into her life, she is so happy and has a new peace.

Austin Hawkins began to realize the Holy Spirit working in his life during high school. He was curious about Bible history and God’s promise of a future life.

At Grand Valley State University, he met Jayne. They enjoyed many doctrinal discussions. Austin attended church with Jayne and took Bible Studies. As he came to understand how important the law of God is, he chose to become a Seventh-day Adventist and was soon baptized.

Today, he and Jayne are married. Austin says, "God is awesome!"

Carl Strickland's life had many ups and downs. He attended various churches as a young man. His lifestyle caused his marriage to finally end with divorce.

When his mother died, he became homeless, but his Adventist aunt gave him a chance to start over. He promised God he would come back and asked His forgiveness.

Soon, Carl began taking Bible lessons and keeping the Sabbath with a sincere desire to always please God. With his baptism came a new love for Christ and a new joy in obeying Him.

George Chivis is an astute Bible student who loves to sing. He is thankful to be back worshiping in church after being absent for three years. His new decision to be faithful to Jesus led to his baptism. Today, he is a blessing to the Bethel Church family.

Kina Barnes illustrates how the Holy Spirit comes into a person’s life and makes it beautiful. Now, her desire is to know Jesus better. “I am studying my Sabbath school lesson each day,” she says, “and I continually pray for understanding.” This will be a blessing in her spiritual walk as she grows into the image of Jesus Christ, her Savior.

Mary Hairston noticed a co-worker who never worked on Saturday and asked why. She told Mary it was because of the Sabbath, and gave her some literature to study. She asked Mary to let her know if she understood it. Later, they talked about the Sabbath, and Mary was referred to the Bethel Church.

Meanwhile, the boss made Saturday work mandatory. Mary felt convicted she should not work on Sabbath and told another co-worker. This person also referred her to the Bethel Church, where she began studies with the Bible worker. The pastor wrote a letter asking Mary's boss not to schedule her on Saturday. It worked!

After completing Bible studies, Mary was baptized by William Lee, Bethel Church pastor. She said, “I love the kind and caring members of my new Bethel Church.”

William Lee, Bethel Church pastor, and his new members, with Bruce Babienco, Lake Union Herald volunteer correspondent