When I first walked into the back of C3 Oxford Falls in 2006, I was a shattered mess. My life had been thrown into turmoil by a few situations that completely overwhelmed me and I was depressed and ready for this life to be over.
Coming to C3 Oxford Falls was a last bid attempt to give Church its last go.
So, I drove down from the Central Coast and as I stood waiting for the service to start, sitting as far up the back as I possibly could, I remember thinking how useless it was being there. My life was not fixable and I didn’t think anything was able to change that.
As soon as the music started, tears streamed down my face. The overwhelming sense of the presence of God to help me and put me back together was tangible. Then Ps Phil got up and told me that I was going to be okay, and that God was big enough to deal with any situation. He wasn't speaking directly to me, but in my heart it felt like he was.
I walked out of the service feeling a small glimmer of hope and I knew my journey had begun. And so, I drove down from the Central Coast the next week, again feeling like my life was broken beyond repair and again I wept from beginning to end and again Ps Phil challenged me to believe and have faith.
I knew the key to my breakthrough was to just keep turning up and letting God heal me, so I did.
I remember one week where I was feeling particularly overwhelmed. All I wanted to do was run, but as I looked down the aisle during worship, the whole row had their eyes closed and were worshipping God and I couldn’t easily get out. I was so angry that I couldn’t leave the service but I decided to surrender... and again the tears flowed. A beautiful Tongan family was next to me and the Dad stepped closer to me and put his hand on my shoulder. I felt like I had support. C3 Oxford Falls was my Church family that would help me get back on my feet.
After six months of weeping at every service, I started to feel better. I felt emotionally strong again, my circumstances had not changed but my strength, resilience and faith in God had. I knew that the circumstances would bend to this in time.
After seven months, I felt spiritually strong so I felt it was time I got involved in my new Church family. I remember spotting a Pastor (which I now know was Ps Julie Maconachie). I walked up and asked her how I could get involved. She walked me over to the Essentials Course and introduced me to Ps Richard and Kate Forsyth. Little did I know that Ps Richard and Kate would help me to not only get healing for the things that I had faced in my life, but as I went to their Connect Group and served in the Essentials team, they were the vessels that God used to allow me to teach at C3 College and now be employed at C3 Church Oxford Falls.
We are not meant to do life alone. We are called to do life together.
I am so grateful to Ps Phil and Chris for building C3 Oxford Falls and the amazing team here. This church literally saved my life. I look forward to seeing so many others encounter the presence of God who heals, saves and sets us free for a future that you can’t imagine.
Katie Haldane is a staff member at C3 Church Oxford Falls, lecturer at C3 College, and founder of Trash Your Bible. She has a Bachelor in Theology from Alphacrucis College and hopes to complete a Masters in the future. She absolutely loves the Word of God and is passionate about people engaging with God through his Word.
