New Beginnings Christian Fellowship is affiliated with the Church of God out of Cleveland,Tennessee. The Church of God is a Pentecostal denomination and is a charter member of the National Association of Evangelicals. New Beginnings is a Bible believing, charismatic, evangelical church.

A NEW START-A Personal Testimony by Pastor Rod Ritchie

The time--Spring, 1970. The place--Keesler A.F.B., Biloxi, Mississippi. On the surface every thing looked great. I was a young Buck Sergeant in the Air Force. I was dating an attractive local girl. I was just completing my third season on Keesler's Varsity Baseball team and to top it off I had a brand new car! In the midst of all this I received orders to go to Thailand. Our nation was at this time involved in the Vietnam War and I was assigned to a Combat Support group. While I was in some ways apprehensive, I didn't realize my orders were the first step in a new start for my life.

I had grown up in a Christian home and although my parents were serious about Jesus, it never "clicked" for me. My Dad had an experience with Jesus that changed his life but I could never seem to find the power he had. Although church was a regular part of my life, for the most part, as I grew up in Southern California, my life centered around baseball and having fun. When I was accepted out of high school into a 4 year university, I decided to put off college and enlist in the Air Force and look for something more exciting.

I turned 18 in basic training. After my first month of training I was sent to Keesler Air Force Base. Life in the Air Force was in some ways exciting but in other ways quite an adjustment. The freedom to do as I please and make my own guidelines was a heavy responsibility for an 18 year old. At first I tried to live a Christian life, but finally gave up because I just didn't have the power. Before long the lifestyle of so many other servicemen away from home characterized my life too.  Although I had an out, in that I was playing baseball and I worked with nice people, I always felt something was missing in my life. I would be out at a bar or with friends and although I was laughing on the outside, on the inside I kept asking myself, "What is missing in my life?" My life went on this way for the first 3 years in the Air Force. Occasionally, I went to church looking for some stability to my life and hoping for a change, but I still didn't seem to get through to God. When the orders came for Thailand, I had no idea that God would meet my hunger in such an exciting way.

A 30 day leave in 1970 to me meant non-stop partying, good-looking girls and lots of fun. In the midst of all the excitement, I ended up at an aunt's house in Southern California to spend the night. In addition, she asked me to attend a special "Christian meeting" where people my own age would be telling how they met Jesus. Truthfully, I didn't like the idea of going but to be nice, I decided to go. As I thought about it, I knew it wouldn't be too long and there would be time for having fun afterwards. Once I got to the "Action Meeting" I was surprised. It wasn't what I expected. The people were mostly my own age, but they had something that was so real and genuine. Several shared how Jesus had changed their lives and you could just see it in their faces. I kept thinking, "I wish I could have that, but I'm just too weak. It wouldn't work for me." After the meeting ended, as I started to leave, one of the leaders struck up a short conversation. He wasn't preaching or pushy, but asked me if I was a Christian. I told him I had tried to be a Christian, but it was just too hard. He looked at me and said, "Have you ever asked Jesus into your life and asked Him to help you be a Christian?" When he said that, it was like he hit me right between the eyes. I told him I didn't think Jesus would want me, I'd sinned too much. He replied, "That's why Jesus came and died, so you could be forgiven and experience a new life." In the next few minutes he asked me if I would like to invite Jesus into my life. Though I had prayed on a few occasions when I was in trouble, I really did not know how to pray. He explained that God was concerned primarily if I was sincere, not so much with the exact words. I followed him in a short prayer that went something like this, "Lord Jesus, I believe you died for my sins. I believe you were buried and rose again. I invite you into my heart and ask you to be Lord of my life and I thank you Jesus for coming into my heart." While the prayer was simple, the results were not. For the first time I had His power to overcome weakness and problems and to live the Christian life. I finally realized that not only did He come to forgive me of sins and to give me a new start, but to be with me and give His power to live the Christian life. A few weeks later I went to Thailand and spent my first year as a Christian in Thailand. There were many temptations and spiritual battles, but Jesus' power made the difference. While my friends said I couldn't live the Christian life, by God's power I made it.

In 1978, after finishing my B.A. and serving for nearly 4 years as a pastor, I went back to Thailand in a different capacity. This time we were going back as missionaries to start a new church. Starting a new church in Thailand was extremely difficult and in many ways, it looked impossible. Nevertheless, the same power that gave me a new start was available to help us start a new church and to lift up Jesus in Thailand. Today there is a new church in Bangkok that is a testimony of what Jesus can do, when we can't do it by ourselves.

Today as you read this brief story, you can have a new start too. It doesn't matter how impossible or hopeless your situation is because Jesus' power can turn things around. If you would like Jesus and His power to come into your life and give you a new start, you can pray a simple prayer like this:

"Lord Jesus, I do believe you died for my sins, were buried and rose again. I invite you to come into my life and I receive your forgiveness now. Thank you for giving me your power to live the Christian life and to have a new start."