Discovering Christianity
My Faith:
The Gospel according to Mark
Mark Szadura
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Mark now attends All Saints Church, in Heath,
near Chesterfield. He had initially felt disappointed with
his experience of church
but his commitment to it grew as he explored the Christian
faith in more detail. Here, he shares his account of how things
changed.
“I’ve always been involved with church because
my wife has been heavily involved with church activities. I
used to come to services but I didn’t seem to get the
same out of services as other people. It was as if I was just
going through the motions and I felt quite disappointed with
that because I thought I should have felt something different.
“My wife and friends suggested
to me that I do the Alpha course*. I kept putting it off
but they kept asking me over
and over, and eventually I decided to do it to shut them up!
So I went along to an Alpha course and was very surprised because
there were people in the same situation as me, with similar
questions. It was a relaxed, comfortable environment.
“I went along really to put a
spanner in the works and to prove everybody wrong about Christianity,
but over the weeks
I started going away thinking about what had been said. I became
like a sponge, wanting to learn more and more about religion
and Christianity. Eventually I really looked forward to going
to Alpha, to learn more and meet people who were thinking the
same way as me, who were also eager to learn.
“When the Alpha course was over, I started going to
church more regularly and gained the confidence to get involved
with children’s and youth activities within the church,
which I felt was my calling. Since being involved with church
there has been a massive change in the way that I am. I feel
more confident, I have a sense of inner peace and calm, and
since becoming a Christian there have been drastic changes
in my life. I’ve developed valuable friendships, started
a new job, just really moved forward. I think I am a totally
different person to who I was a year ago. I was confirmed this
year as well.
“I think going to church is a
very personal thing. People are on different levels and they
go to church for different
reasons. What I feel is that if you are thinking of going to
church for the first time, or going to church after a long
period of not being there, just go, with no expectations. Just
see how it is for you, and get involved in whatever activity
or whichever area of church you feel comfortable in and just
see how it can develop you as a person.
“I know I’ve started on an exciting journey. I
appreciate I’ve got a long way to go and I know that
it’s not going to be an easy journey, but I do know that
I’ll have the support in church to guide me in the right
direction. It’s taken me forty years to realise that
if I do stray or do things wrong, God will still care for me
and love me, no matter what.”
 * The Alpha course is an introduction to
Christianity which is offered by many churches across the World.
It involves meeting
once a week with others who are exploring faith and spirituality.
It is informal and relaxed and involves hearing talks and
personal stories about the Christian faith and includes enjoying
a meal
together. For more information about Alpha, and to find a
course near you, visit www.alpha.org. There are other courses offering
similar introductions to the Christian faith.
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