.
How a young Catholic man from Erlenbach, Germany felt the Holy Spirit when he attended the Iglesia ni Cristo worship service in Frankfurt, Germany and decided to become a member of the church.
.
 
Home   Convert Stories - Europe

  Inspiring Convert Story-37

"Now I feel God in my life"

Gregor Stuckert
Erlenbach, Germany

 

      I WAS BORN in Erlenbach, Germany. I am the youngest in a brood of six and my parents are Karl and Maria Stuckert. Since childhood, my mother would accompany my brother and sisters and me to attend the Catholic Mass on Sundays. My father, on the other hand, would either be busy with work to sustain our needs or just take a break and watch football.

     At the age of 12, I told my mother that I would no longer attend church services as I could not feel anything by doing so—I could not feel God. She told me that I should continue attending the Mass as we are a Catholic family and that this religion is prominent in our place. She asked me to go on attending if only for her sake. I agreed but I attended only twice a year and this was during Christmas and Good Friday of the Holy Week. I told her I would do so not for my spiritual life but for her and our family.

     At that young age I already had a lot of questions about so many things concerning my religion. I asked myself why I was baptized as a baby when I could not yet answer for myself. Another big question in my mind was on the doctrine of celibacy. I could not understand why the priests were not allowed to marry when they have all the right to do so. I asked myself why.

     At this point, too, in my life, I would have conversations with older people of the Protestant religion. I found out that the teachings they followed were different from ours. This brought up more questions in my mind.

     In 1988, I found a religion that really caught my attention—the Iglesia ni Cristo. I learned of this Church from my co-worker Brother Herbert Ludwig. He became my closest friend and he would always invite me over to his home. I noticed something very different about him and his family in the manner by which they conduct themselves—they exude a kind of religiosity that I have never seen before.

     As I frequented their home, I observed how they prayed and thanked the Lord before every meal. I also witnessed how they conducted prayer meetings when they were visited by a deacon.

     One Sunday, I extended an invitation to Brother Herbert to go to local cafeteria. He cordially turned down my invitation saying that he was going to attend a worship service. He, in turn, asked me if I would like to attend the worship service. I likewise turned down his invitation.

     The next time I received an invitation to attend a worship service was during a prayer meeting at Brother Herbert’s home. This time, the invitation came from their head deacon, Brother Genario Henerao. Somehow, I felt obliged for this was the second invitation they extended aside from the fact that there was already a growing interest in me to find out what the Iglesia ni Cristo is all about and if this religion has something to do with the way this nice family conducts itself.

     My first attendance in the Iglesia ni Cristp worship service was at Frankfurt Locale sometime in February of 1989. Many things attracted my attention—how the deacons and deaconesses were formally dressed, the seating arrangement that separated the men from the women, and the solemn atmosphere. I sat down and observed for a while until I, like the others, closed my eyes and prayed. At that moment, I felt something that I have never felt before. It was an overwhelming feeling that I could not describe.

     When the minister started to preach, some of the questions that have lingered in  my mind since age 12 were answered one by one. After having attended the worship service, I felt I needed to know more about this Church. There was also this invisible force that seemed like a hand guiding me to attend again and again. For the first time in my life, I found what I was looking for—a peaceful relationship with God.

     After attending several worship services, I decided to undergo Bible study on the Church’s doctrines. As each lesson was taught to me by Brother Danny Caalim, all the more did I feel certain that I was on the right track of my spiritual search. My desire of having a true relationship with God was fulfilled in August of 1989 when I was baptized.

     From then on, I felt God in my life, He has blessed me with a loving wife, Sister Ella, and two children. Now, I feel that I am  not alone and that God is always there for me. 

 

___________________

Source: God's Message

  Back to Top
  Study, Examine, and Compare the
Iglesia ni Cristo

www.studyiglesianicristo.com