Galashiels Baptist Church

ARTHUR'S STORY

I began life in the south of England near Watford, and grew up in a loving Christian home. Life was very much centred around the church and football, though the later had the edge! I understood everything there was to know (so I thought) about church but looking back my faith was very superficial and I just went through the motions week by week. When I was 17 my father announced his job was relocating to Scotland and we had the opportunity of a new life there. There was no way I wanted to leave my friends, relatives and the security I had in the community and school I attended. My father's company had relocated to Falkirk and we had to move. My mother was concerned about the implications, but she had a strong faith and knew it was right to go where my father's work was located.

The upheaval was great but arriving there we did what we always did on a Sunday - go to church. Falkirk Baptist Church was very different to what I had experienced the past 17 years - people seemed to enjoy their faith and looked as though they loved the Lord with their lives. This made an impression on me and I began to feel at home there. But God never lets us get too comfortable and after several months of making friends and becoming accepted in the youth group there was talk of forming a gospel group and I was asked to learn the bass guitar, which they said would be easy because it only had four strings. The bigger challenge for me was that the intentions of the group was to share the good news about Jesus love with young people in youth groups and coffee bars around central Scotland. This became a great challenge to me and the reason for me becoming a Christian.

Now you may wonder why I felt this necessary having spent my years in church, but I realised that doing church like I had for 17 years didn't make me a Christian. For me to have a personal experience of God's love for me I would have to confess my sins to God and repent and ask for His forgiveness through what Christ did for me on the cross and make Jesus my own Saviour and Lord. After all how could I tell others about Him if I didn't know Him myself - that would be hypocritical! It took a whole night of struggle before I let Christ into my life - I knew He would change me and I wouldn't be the same person anymore - I'd be a follower of Christ and a witness to His name. Since the dawn of a new day and the light of the world broke into my life - I have never looked back. I was baptised later that year and became a church member - and the bass player in the followers (that's why you've never heard of us!).

From that moment God gave me a passion for reaching lost men and women for Him, and He also gave me a passion for His Kingdom and young people. Over my life I have had the joy of seeing Him work in many situations bringing life, hope and transformation into this broken world. In the late 80's, I moved south again with my job, but after a few years working in London He called me into Christian Ministry, and after training for 4 years at Spurgeons College I became minister I my first church in Ipswich. However, I have always had a real desire to return to Scotland and live out Christ's call amongst the people there. During the years of ministry in England the passion to see a welcoming, vibrant, lively, authentic Christian community based on Acts 2:42-47 has steadily grown in me and I have shared this vision wherever I have served Him.

Coming to Galashiels has been a blessing and we have a real sense God wants to do something here in the borders. I hope all that has been growing in me over these years will burst into fruitfulness here in Galashiels. If you are reading this and feel a twinge inside, maybe you would like to join us in building His kingdom here in the borders and seeing the community here transformed by God's love.

Rev Arthur Hembling