I'm not there yet!

by Reuben Pauls

The process of coming to Christ began much earlier in his life than he was aware. He had a godly Anglican grandmother, whose prayers were offered for all her grandchildren. As a child, he would accompany his parents to church. In high school, he met three young men, all Christians, who, in spite of the peer pressure, lived consistent lives: those years would be more significant than they knew, because Ken would later remember their consistent witness.

Ken's wife Pam and daughter Kimberley arrived in church one Sunday morning, having been invited by Sheri. They sat near the front during the service, very intently taking it all in. When I met them after the service, they said a polite "thank you" and left. Next Sunday, they were back, and the next.

Soon the seven-year-old daughter was in Sunday school, practising for the Christmas program. Our discussion with her mother turned towards "Maybe Ken will come to the program." And in mid-December he did!

With his video camera humming, Ken took in all of the events. He seemed to have fun. When the lights came on at the conclusion of the evening, Ken decided to stay for coffee and dessert. As he stood with his wife and daughter, he recognized three high school friends, all of whom were committed Christians within our church. In his mind, the question was racing, "Is this what I admired about them in school? Was it the 'church thing' that made them different, in a positive way, 18 years ago?"

Ken recognized someone else--a man who played floor hockey against him at the College. John was one of the elders in the church, and now he came over to talk with Ken. Ken and his family were one of the last families to leave the church that evening. Next Sunday, they were back. As Ken and his family entered church, they were greeted by Wes, a 13-year-old boy who has cerebral palsy. Wes, a self-proclaimed "tour guide", welcomed the family at the door. "Let me show you the church," he said, and grabbed Ken's arm. Stumbling along, he took Ken around the church. A friendship was built with that first meeting.

Later, we discovered that Ken and his family had recently experienced the death of Pam's mother. At the funeral, they had made a decision to return to church, and for a time they had attended their parents' church. But that decision was jeopardized by some remarks by one of the preachers regarding political involvement on the "sexual orientation debate". Following that service, Ken had told Pam, "Find us another church!"

That's where contact with Sheri, a realtor from our church, fit in. As Sheri and Pam chatted, Sheri suggested, "Why not try our church?", and they did.

Ken's friends from high school reached out to them. Social circles expanded to allow Ken, Pam and Kimberley into their lives. On several occasions, Ken and Pam were asked if they had accepted Christ. Pam would respond, "We'd like to do that together." When pressured, Ken would respond, "Please be patient. I'm not there yet."

The first five months that Ken and Pam related to the church went by quickly. They joined a home Bible study group, and asked all the uncomfortable questions. They grew and grew. They joined the baptism class and, when asked to share their faith story, would reply, "We're close, but we're not there yet."

As the church planned its annual retreat at Gardom Lake Bible Camp together with a guest speaker, Ken was excited: "A whole weekend with Christians--this should be great!" When the day for the retreat came, Ken and his family left early with their trailer to spend the weekend at the camp.

When they arrived, the only people already there were the weekend cooks. Their son, Wes, met Ken and Pam. As self-proclaimed "tour guide", Wes grabbed Ken's arm. "Let me show you the camp." And off they went. Excited about his opportunity, jumping on his toes, Wes led the way to the outdoor amphitheatre. Unknown to either Ken or Wes, Pam followed at a distance, to make sure they didn't get lost. When they reached the rows of seats nestled among the trees, Wes took charge. "This is where we have outdoor church when we go to camp. Please be seated."

As Ken took a seat, Wes moved to the podium. "Now we'll have church, and I'm the preacher," he began. He preached, in his guttural voice, something he had probably heard on a tape somewhere in the past. "Who here knows God?" Only Ken, seated in the front row, and Pam, tucked behind some trees, listened. "We can see God in the trees, in nature," . . . and some explanation followed . . . "and we can see God in people" . . . further explanation followed . . . "and we can read about God in the Bible." "Finally," he concluded, "We must meet God in His Son, Jesus Christ." Wes finished his "sermon" by describing what Jesus did for humanity.

When he finished preaching, Wes closed the service. "We have a guest with us today, Mr. Ken White. Would you please close in prayer?" Later, when reflecting on this, Ken said, "I hadn't prayed publicly before, but I couldn't say no. So I prayed."

The tour ended soon after, but the message stayed with Ken. That evening. as our speaker spoke on prayer, Ken and Pam were very moved. Those of us in leadership were not surprised. We'd prayed for them and for this weekend, for several months.

But, somewhere, another agenda was at work. Late Friday, the phone rang at camp. A message was left: "Please tell Pam that her father has had a serious heart attack." With tremendous disappointment at having to leave, and considerable fear that her father would not live, Ken and Pam unhooked the trailer (their car had overheated on the way to camp) and drove back to the city. Those of us at camp prayed. As Gerard, our speaker, challenged us on Saturday morning and evening, we all "just knew" that if Ken and Pam were there, they would make a commitment that weekend.

We stayed in touch with Ken and Pam by phone, and were informed that Pam's dad was in stable condition. On Saturday evening, Ken suggested that Pam, a nurse, would stay with her father, but that he would drive out for the Sunday service. "So much for getting saved together," I thought. As I travelled back to Kamloops on Sunday morning for the service there, Ken drove back to camp alone. Pam and Kimberley atended the service in Kamloops. Pam indicated that they appreciated our prayers and were so thankful for a caring church family.

Meanwhile, at camp, Ken sat in the front row with Wes. For one-and-a-half hours, Gerard preached. The Holy Spirit was at work, and when the service concluded, opportunity was given to respond to Jesus. Ken's hand shot up immediately, and within minutes Gerard, Ken and Rod, one of the high school friends, were praying together as Ken gave his life to Jesus.

Monday morning at my office, the phone rang. "Hello, Reuben. This is Pam. Have you heard? I'm so angry with Ken. I've waited six months so we could accept Christ together, and now he did it without me. Could I come in and talk to you? I want to accept Jesus, and I'd like your help." Two weeks later, Ken and Pam shared their story at their baptism. Who do you think received the credit? God. Who was most thrilled? The entire church. Why? Because each person who was involved felt that somehow their part had contributed to changing Ken's words from "I'm not there yet" to "I am here now!"

Reuben Pauls is Canadian MB Conference minister. These events occurred when he was pastor of Valleyview Bible Church in Kamloops, B.C.

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