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Bro. Shane's Testimony
In June 2005, I shared the preaching of a funeral with another pastor. It turned out that this pastor was the very same pastor that I had heard in a church service over 20 years earlier. Hearing that pastor preach at that church service in the mid 80's was the oldest recollection that I have of knowing that I needed forgiveness and that God would provide forgiveness if we ask him. From that time of understanding, I spent my life making excuses and coming up with reasons to reject surrendering my life to God.
“I will settle down later in life…I have plenty of time,” became my chief reason for rejecting salvation. This excuse satisfied me until January 1993. A very good friend of mine, who happened to be younger than me, was tragically killed in an auto accident. From that event, I realized that I had no assurance that I had “plenty of time”. About three weeks after that incident, I surrendered my heart to Jesus.
One of my football coaches made a tremendous impact on my life. He was a faithful witness and the model of a real Christian to me. One Wednesday night, he invited me to a church service with him. All through that service and the ride home, I knew that something was missing in my life. I began to ask questions of my coach. He shared with me that all people are sinners and we need forgiveness to have eternal life. That night, I prayed for Jesus to come into my heart.
At a Fellowship of Christian Athletes camp later that year, God began to reveal to me part of his plan for my life. This plan became more evident on a mission trip a few weeks later. God was calling me into the ministry. I publicly surrendered my life to the ministry after returning from the mission trip.
While in college, I served in the ministry at a local church on a part-time basis. This experience really prepared me for seminary. Also, I met and married my wife during this time.
God called me to Memphis , TN to attend seminary after college. It was during these seminary days that God prepared me for my life's work. The fellow students and professors impacted my life in a positive way and helped me solidify my call and my beliefs. After completing my master's degree, I began to prepare for the Ph.D. program. Before I began Ph.D. studies, the Lord blessed my wife and me with twin sons. Soon after the initiation of the Ph.D. program, I felt that God was leading me to be involved with ministry and to discontinue my schooling. About a month later, I received a call from Washington Avenue Baptist Church .
In May 2004, I accepted a call to WABC as Associate Pastor. God has always worked out the details in my life to fulfill His perfect plan. I have no doubt that God has placed me here in this ministry at this time for His purpose. I consider it an honor that the God of the entire universe has an interest in me and my life. I wait with anticipation to see what God is working out in me even now.
Washington Avenue Baptist Church © 2006
