I was born in 1964 into a Jewish family. I was raised in the synagogue all my life and had my bar mitzvah in an orthodox synagogue. I always believed that there was a God, but I did not know Him. I tried to know Him, but I didn’t get very far because I had not yet understood my need for Jesus. As a child, I was taught that the Gentiles killed and persecuted my people. I was told that all Christians were the enemies of the Jews and could not be trusted.

God called me to pastor in Pablo, Montana, although I had not planned for it at first. In August 2014, my wife and I interviewed at a different church—First Church in northwest Montana—about an hour and a half from Pablo. We were made aware that the pastor in Pablo had retired a few months earlier, and the church had been anxiously searching for a new pastor. The district superintendent encouraged us to consider Pablo if something didn’t work out in the interview at First Church.

My testimony is probably similar to most in that we all serve a forgiving, loving, redeeming God who was willing to give Himself for us! For those that have fallen deep into sin, this grace means the promise of freedom. God loves us so much that He gave His life for us.

Several years ago, I made a decision that, at the time, I didn’t realize would change the rest of my life. I did not grow up going to church. The times I did go, when I was around the age of 5, my parents would just drop me off at the doors and then come back a few hours later to pick me up. My parents were supportive of me going to church, but they never wanted to go with me. I eventually stopped going to church because I got tired of going by myself and people asking me where my mom and dad were. As I matured, I drifted away from church more and more, and started getting into trouble.