I have grown up in the church and both of my parents are strong Christians. When I was little I really didn't know what it ment to go to church. I was a good kid and I did what I was told but had no idea what it meant to be saved. One night my parents took me to this place called the Christmas train. We rode on the train and it took us through different scenes of what it would be like in heaven and hell and showed how much love that God really has for me. I decided to accept Jesus into my heart that night when I was only nine. This youth ministry has really helped me grow in my relationship with Christ. I've been closer to God than I ever have before any other time in my life. The support and people are amazing! He will continue to become greater!
Travis A. 10th grade Mid-High
I came to know the Lord when I was 9 years old. Before I became a Christian, I had grown up in a Christian family my whole life. But I didn't really care about coming to church and I didn't really know how I should act. When I was 6, I went to my first Father/Daughter banquet. This guy that was speaking at it, at the end of his talk that he gave us, said that he would pray a prayer and that if we weren't a Christian, that we could pray it too. And I did. My dad started to talk to me about it and he said that I had to understand what I was doing. I told him that I would wait longer before I actually accepted Jesus. When I was 9, Jennifer (the children's ministry director) began to talk about it with me. I knew that I was missing Jesus and I prayed the prayer of salvation one night with my dad. The next Sunday, Jennifer came and walked me down to the front of the church where I confessed my faith. I knew that I had been changed and that I had something really special in my life. I instantly had an uncontrolable desire to share Christ with everyone around me. Even though I grew up in a Christian home, I was never taught to have a quiet time and to spend time growing in my relationship with God. It wasn't until I moved up to the youth group that I began to really spend time with God. I started my quiet times during Falls Creek in the 6th grade. I have been changed even more since that time. I learn something and grow every day. I have so much more love for people now that God is an everyday, active part of my life. It is so easy for me to rely on Him now. It has changed my whole life to know Jesus as my Savior.
The student ministry means so much to me. It is because of this ministry that I have a relationship with Jesus. I get so much out of it. I am able to be involved in my walk of faith. It gives me another day of the week that I am able to go spend time with the people and the God who loves me, and everyone else. Evangalizing is a huge part of my life and the student ministry itself does that. It brings people to Overflow and they get saved there.
Amanda C. 8th grade Madison Middle School
I've gone to church since I can remember. My parents are strong Christians, I've always had a Christian home and a good church home. I knew who Jesus was and that he died on the cross for my sins, but didn't actually have a relationship with Him. I was about 10, and for awhile I didn't feel like my life had any purpose. I felt like I couldn't contribute to anything and didn't really matter. I had been thinking about my life for awhile, and I turned on the TV and there was a preacher talking about what our purpose is in life, exactly what I didn't know. I watched the program and at the end, he was talking about salvation and asking Jesus into your heart, and God spoke to me and told me that's what I was missing. I read the prayer on TV and thought about the words and what it meant. God told me that's why I felt so meaningless, because I wasn't saved. I prayed that night and accepted Jesus into my heart, and I've never been the same since!
Overflow means so much to me, it's so much more than just something to do on a Wednesday night. Before I came to BSBC, I didn't really "have a church" for about 4 years, I just went to my friends' churches, but nothing really stuck. When I came to Overflow for the first time, I really felt God's presence during praise and worship and Keno's message. I knew that God wanted me to be a part of this church. Ever since then, I've looked forward to Wednesday nights all week long. I love the fact that BSBC is such a missions minded church, and that the members really do love God and love people. When I started going to Sunday School, I look forward to that all week too. I love fellowshipping with Christian friends and getting to know God on a deeper level. Overflow is such a blessing!
Mike Z. 11th grade Nowata High School
Well before I was a christian I didn't do anythhing bad like drugs and alcohol. Of course seeing that I was only six, it would be hard for me to get a hold of that kind of stuff. One night my family and I were just sitting around in the living room during the evening and my dad brought up the subject of salvation and I ended up praying and asking God to come into my life. Even though I was six i still understood it, and since then I have been to two diferent churches and I find this one the most encouraging and friendly. When my dad died this past January on a mission trip in Mexico, a youth group like this and such a great youth pastor were there for me and I don't think I would be near as jolly if I didn't go here. That's why this youth group is so special to me.
Nathan S. 9th grade Amercan Christian School
Before i became a christian i was raised in church and so i knew about Christ, but i had not accepted him as my personal savior. i was only seven when i became a chrsitian, so i had never done anything really bad, but i did sin. I knew that there was something missing in my life and that i needed Jesus. So, i started asking my parents questions about what it meant to be a christian and how to become one. One sunday morning, i decided that i wanted to ask Jesus to come into my heart, so i went up to the front of the chuch and prayed to ask Jesus into my heart. Since then God has really changed my life, especially in the last few years as i have gotten older, i have grown in Jesus tremendously. Recently, God has really been speakingto me about sharing my faith with others and just truly giving myself over to him fully, so that he can use me!!
This youth group has always been an encouragement to me; a place where i have great friends, and great adults to support me. Also, i always feel that i have a place to fall back on and i can always have a good time learning about the Lord and spending time with everyone. i thank God that he has blessed me with such a great youth group and youth pastor!!
Holly R. 8th grade Madison Middle School
So, my story is that i've been in a christian family my whole life, and when i was in 1st grade i saw all my friends going up to get baptised and i wanted to do that. I can remember asking my parents to pray "the" prayer with me multiple times. Then one time we went and told paul about it. so after i was baptisted he would come to my house and talked to me about my choice and what has to happen. Well my life went once like any other kids. When i was in 8th grade Keno became our new youth paster, so my mother made me go to church then, and it was pretty good so i went. I started going to the Mid-High and i hung out with the people that excepted me for who i was and they were the wrong crowd, but stayed with them because they liked me so i didn't care. Well i started smoking, drinking, and became really depressed most of the time, and other such things. At the end of my 9th grade year my cousin committed suicide because his girlfriend broke up with him, and it made me wonder if he was a christian. So then it was my first year at Super Summer and in the middle of the week i remember talking/praying to God and asking him why i as here and that i shouldn't be, i was so much worse then this people. That was the first night God ressured me that i have a purpose in life, and that some of this people had been through the same things. Although when i went back to the Mid-High i hung out with the same people and did the same things. About the last couple of months of school i started hanging out with Hannah Sartin, Lindsey Morgan, and Emily Turner and they really changed my life over the summer. During that summer i took a mission trip to Germany and on our last night we had communion and God really was in that room. He talked to everyone and spoke to me about being a missionary. So right now my main goal is trying to talk to people about God. If i had to go back and do it again i would probably change some things, but i hope that my story will help somebody and hopefully help them from doing the stuff that i did, so they won't have to go through the pain that i experienced.
Angela S. 11th grade American Christian School
First off, i was raised in a christian home, went to church very often, and I came to Christ early in life. The only thing I really remember before I accepted Christ was that I was curious about death. I found out that if I accepted Christ and had a personlal relationship with him that I would get to go to heaven and see and worship God and Jesus. I prayed for along time, and kept puuting off the baptism. Finally I realized I needed to make it public, so on November 26, 2000 i was baptised at First Baptist Church in Borger Texas.
Now that I have accepted Him, I've spiritually grown, read the Bible alot, and have quiet times with him.
Braden K. 8th grade Central Middle School
