PASTOR RICK BENDER'S PERSONAL TESTIMONY:
I became a Christian in the spring of 1972 during my senior year of high school. During spring break in Ft. Lauderdale, FL, while walking on the beach and looking toward the ocean, I noticed a young man with a Bible in his hand walking in the opposite direction. For some reason, (which I now know) I turned around and followed him. He sat down next to some high school students and began reading to them from the fourteenth chapter of the gospel of John. I interrupted him and asked him who was speaking? He replied, “Jesus is speaking.” I asked, “Who is Jesus?” He read John 14:6, where Jesus said, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life: nobody comes to the Father but by Me.” It was like a light went on inside me and I sensed God speaking to me from heaven.
About a week after my experience in Florida, when I was back in school, I had my second encounter with the Lord. A classmate, Randy Sommers, sat down next to me in the senior study and asked, “Rick, have you ever thought that God might have a plan for your life?” I remember smiling at him when all of the sudden I sensed God’s awesome presence once again touching my life. I believe he was shocked when I answered, “Yes.” I told Randy about my experience with God in Florida. He was very interested. Randy told me many of the same things the young man (Bob) had said to me down in Florida. Both of them pointed out that Christianity was about having a personal relationship with God, about getting to know Him more and more. And that was exactly what I had been looking for in my life. It was really great to talk to someone who really believed my story. After we talked for a while, he handed me some literature printed by Campus Crusade for Christ and encouraged me to read it. I immediately began reading the material and the more I read the more excited I became. I felt like the most fortunate person in the whole world. I was absolutely overjoyed that I had been let in on the most important truth in the universe that Jesus Christ had come to earth to die for my sins and for the sins of the whole world.
As I read through more and more Christian literature I recognized that God was calling me to enjoy a personal relationship with him. How could I possibly refuse such an outstanding offer? Yet I realized that making a decision to follow Christ would bring a radical change to my life. I knew that it could cost me some of my friends and I was concerned how my parents and family would react. I would definitely need some time to think this through.
The thought of making the decision to surrender my life to Christ was both scary and exciting at the same time. More than anything else I wanted to make sure that it was truly God who was calling me to Christ. I began reading everything I could find that had anything to do with Christianity. I became more and more convinced of the truthfulness of Christianity. With a certain sense of fear as well as great respect I asked God if He would give me one more sign to confirm that He was truly calling me to follow His Son, Jesus Christ.
That confirmation came about a week later, while I was at school, during a Thursday morning assembly. There was a special speaker, a professional football player, who was supposed to talk to the student body about the hazards of taking illegal drugs. He began his talk with a little joke: “Most of you know more about drugs than I do; you take them and I don’t. So, please allow me to talk to you about something that I do know a little bit about.” The man then proceeded to tell us about his personal relationship with Jesus Christ. I believed that God had sent this man as a sign to confirm His claim on my life. After his talk, he handed out some Christian literature that I read that night.
After reading and thinking about God’s love for a couple of hours, I knelt down by my bed and invited Jesus Christ to come into my life. I asked Him to forgive my sins, to give me eternal life, to guide my life from that moment on. I knew that my life would never be the same again.
The next day at school Randy asked me if I had read the literature that he had given me and also the literature that he had seen me pick up from the speaker the previous day. I nodded and said yes. He then asked me if I had accepted Christ? I paused for a moment that seemed like an eternity. I sensed that the way I answered that question would make a huge difference on the rest of my life. I took a deep breadth, and then acknowledged that I had indeed asked Christ to come into my life. Randy was overjoyed. He explained some things about the Christian life and then asked me if I wanted to go to church with him on Sunday. He offered to pick me up. I could hardly believe my own words when I said “yes”. I had an awesome time at both Sunday school and church. (I had not realized I was going to both.) All the people were so warm and friendly. I knew from that moment, that church on Sunday would be a routine I would try to keep the rest of my life.
That next fall I drove up to college from St. Louis to St. Lawrence University in New York. I was apprehensive about how I would be accepted in a new place and how I would share my faith. I recognized that I was a “new” Christian going to a secular university, so I asked God for guidance and strength. After I got settled into my dorm room I began looking through the student directory. I noticed the name Bob Heppenstall. I was almost sure that was the name of the person who had talked to me about Christ on the beach in Ft. Lauderdale that previous spring. I called the number and Bob answered. I asked if he remembered me. He said yes. I then asked him if he was still a Christian, because if he was, I wanted to let him know that I had accepted Christ. He asked me what room I was in and said he’d be right over. Bob and I soon became best friends and are still great friends to this day. I have thought about this experience for many years. Bob was from Pittsburgh. I was from St. Louis. We first met in Ft. Lauderdale and later became close friends and roommates in a small town called Canton in upstate New York. God must have a remarkable sense of humor. He is truly an awesome God! From that time on I have endeavored to share my faith with as many people as possible. After college I started teaching Sunday school and began working with young people at churches in St. Louis. Later I became an ordained pastor and for the last twenty-five years I have enjoyed serving congregations in Oklahoma, Florida and Indiana.
It has been an incredible journey. Since the time I accepted Christ in my life many years ago, I have experienced His peace, power and purpose. This has given me great joy and happiness even in spite of the most challenging situations. Life is an awesome gift that can only be truly appreciated and lived to the fullest when one is trusting in God’s Son. His love surpasses knowledge, His peace passes understanding and His joy is inexpressible. I would like everyone to have that kind of happiness.