Chloe is a third year student in Nottingham. When she first arrived in the city she felt compelled to try Church. This is her story of finding Jesus whilst at Uni...
My incredible mum and dad raised me to have “good” morals, and to be a “good person”, but there was never a focus on Christianity. Despite this, I’ve always believed that there is a God. I’ve been interested in science throughout my life and the more I’ve learnt, the more I’m sure that life itself cannot be a coincidence. Like Albert Einstein said “the more I study science, the more I believe in God.”
By the age of 16, I was living for the world and easily influenced by everyone around me. I felt like I had to be a certain type of person to fit in. This lifestyle never satisfied me though and I always felt like there was something missing. The things that I spent my time doing were temporary pleasures and they always left me with regret the next day.
When I entered sixth form, I met someone who radiated joy. He was always positive and always smiling. I now realise that this was due to his love for Jesus. Throughout the two years at school, he told me more and more about his own faith. He shared worship music with me and told me about church. Although he invited me, I never had the courage to attend until 2019 when I first visited Trent Vineyard.
Even though I was new, and in a room full of strangers, I remember feeling completely at home. Then during the service, I had a powerful experience of the Holy Spirit and was moved to tears. I felt like every burden which had been weighing me down, was suddenly lifted from my shoulders and my whole body felt peaceful. It was as though God was telling me to trust him, because He has a plan.
Despite this experience, the world continued to distract me and then when COVID-19 hit I found myself further away from Jesus again. At the start of 2021, the loneliness of the pandemic and stresses of the world finally pushed me to pursue a relationship with Jesus. I completed the Alpha course, First Steps with Jesus, and joined a small group in the space of a few months. I found people here who supported me and encouraged me and I am so happy to now call many of them my friends.
I’ve continued to pursue my relationship with Jesus throughout this year, and every day has brought me closer to God. When baptism was mentioned in a service, I prayed and asked the Lord to show me if it was what I needed to do next. Then I found out the service fell on my 21st birthday which made me sure it was the right thing to do.
Getting baptized and celebrating new life exactly 21 years after entering this world felt so powerful. I thank Jesus every day for entering my life and for making it a life of purpose. He's truly saved me, and for that, I will be eternally grateful.
