I am on a mission to discover the stories of each one of us in this church. I am asking 5 simple questions :-

Rob's Story

Was there a time when you didn’t believe in God?

I always believed there was a God but I never went to church or read a bible. When I was little I had a newspaper round and after it on Sundays I would sneak off to a Sunday school. I won 2nd prize for attendance – a book telling the story of Noah’s Ark! I also enjoyed the fudge they gave us! The vicar was very kind to us kids and wasn’t just a “Sunday” Christian and he had quite an effect on us kids.

When did that change and how did it happen?

My girlfriend, now wife, Georgia, had become a Christian. I would see her on the weekends, as I was in the Army at the time, and she would ask me to drive her and her friends Esther and Jo, to South West London Vineyard Church. I thought Christians were weird and the church too extreme.

Then I was posted to Macedonia which was scary. Georgia had said that we couldn’t go on if I wasn’t going to become a Christian. That hurt.

Then I was posted to Colchester and then to a tour of the Falklands which was difficult as there wasn’t much to do there. I carried a red bible with me but didn’t read it much as I’m not a reader. I read The Lord of the Rings and the Harry Potter books and became aware of good and evil which made we wonder. People would come and talk to me and pour their hearts out to me and one day a guy came and said that his 3 mates had been killed in a car accident and he was in a state. We walked to the chapel where someone was at the piano playing vineyard songs. He asked if we wanted to be alone but we said no, please carry on. I prayed for him and placed my arm on his shoulder and had a fantastic experience of God’s pleasure and that I was doing what He wanted me to do. I’ve never forgotten it.

What difference did it make and how has it affected your choices and decisions since?

My priorities changed from then. I WANTED to be with other Christians and learn more.. We got married and went to Soul Survivor Church and ended up living in Golders Green. We then discovered there was a Vineyard Church in North London and so we came.

Do you have a story of healing or an answer to prayer for a difficult situation?

I have prayed for others to be healed with some success.

What has God gifted you in?

I’m not sure and will have to do the 5-fold ministry questionnaire again soon. I love helping people and always wanted to be a hero when I was a little boy. In my job now, as a policeman, I not only deal with criminals but also get to help victims which is good.