If you had met me when I was 18 I would have told you that I was a Christian. I was born in Southport and was a young child when my mother first took me to Sunday school at a nearby Salvation Army church. After a brief pause, my mother, younger sister and I started going to a local Methodist church, and we attended regularly for about three years.

I always enjoyed going to church and I didn’t doubt or question the things I learned there. I believed in God, and I believed that Jesus was God’s Son. I believed that Jesus had been crucified, and I believed that he had been raised from the dead. Looking back, there were some words in the prayers that I didn’t understand – like grace and salvation, but being a child I assumed that these were "big" words that only adults understood!

I had been taken to St John's Church on and off as a child, and throughout my life I would always have considered myself a Christian. I believed in God, I was christened and confirmed. Wasn’t that enough? But I had reached a point in my life when I just knew there was more to it.

Like most people of my age I was brought up to attend church, in my case the Welsh Methodist chapel, where the Sunday school leader taught us about the Bible with the help of a cane! I found this unacceptable, so left the Methodists for the local Anglican Church, which I attended spasmodically until my confirmation in 1953. However, my early encounter with Christianity and stories of the treatment of the first Christians made me decide Christianity was not for me.

World War two and I arrived almost simultaneously. My parents had just returned from what was then the Belgian Congo (Zaire) where they had been working as missionaries. They had gone out as newly-weds in 1926. Now, with the addition of three daughters, they were forced to return home because of my mother's ill health.

I don’t think I ever made a conscious decision to become a Christian. In reality it was something that crept up on me.  Before I fully realised that a call was being made on my life, I was becoming aware I was moving in a particular direction.  What I did know was there was something missing in my life.  But how can that be when one is happily married with two special children and two very special grandsons?  I had everything that I could possibly need in my life, so what was missing?

I am 29 years old and married to Jonathan. We have two sons, Jack and Ryanie.

I was diagnosed with epilepsy several years ago. Due to the illness I was forced to give up work, my driving licence and any independence I had at the time. I became a very bitter person and felt my life couldn’t get any worse.

I became a Christian on 14^th November, 1998. Until that point I didn't know God except that He was some big, distant entity. I was 'dragged' to church by my Dad who was a Catholic. Church then was cold and unfriendly. My Dad was an abusive alcoholic, so he wasn't the best advertisement for Christianity.  My Mum was an Atheist. My parents divorced when I was about four, so my church visits ended.

When Gary came to see me recently he asked me if I would write an item for the Church Magazine, but at the time I did not feel I could do this. However, after much prayer and thought I believe God is leading me to do it.

The birth of our firstborn, Geraint, had already proved to be a wonderful miracle. When he was christened in Trinity Church by a Mizo pastor he was also given a Mizo name. Because of the circumstances of his birth, his name was Lalchanhima, which means ‘saved by the Lord’. (David and I were born in Mizoram.)

My journey as a Christian and my relationship with God has been far from easy. It has been a complete and utter roller-coaster, taking me to either ends of the extreme, from extreme highs, to the darkest depths and it has even seen me loose my faith completely on not one but two occasions. But hey, God didn’t promise us an easy ride and this journey has seen my relationship with God taken to a whole new level.

All my life I had a vague belief in God but no real understanding of the whole Adam and Eve's sin and Jesus and the cross business! I always put God to one side to be dealt with later, so to speak. Over the years, however, I found myself calling out to Him in times of need and had a growing feeling of wanting to know more about Him and what life should be about.

Due to my father's strong faith I am very proud to say I was brought up in a Christian household and attended St. Mark's Church. I went to Sunday School every Sunday as a child and was confirmed when I was thirteen at St. Giles' Church.

Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised! I say this today with all confidence and faith, despite all that has happened in my life. I was brought up with my maternal grandparents. My Nana had come from such godly roots, but even so I would say the biggest gambler this side of the Mississippi!

I always took it for granted that I was a Christian. After all, I wasn't an atheist, I believed in God. I'd gone to Sunday School, went to church now and then and felt I was basically a good person.

As I sat down thinking over my life, I found my heart swelling with love and gratitude to God, my heavenly Father, for the wonderful things He has given me since the day I was born in a faraway country called Mizoram. I had a truly happy childhood there in northeast India, on the border with Burma.

Before 1986, if anyone had asked me if I was a Christian, I would have given a resounding "Yes". I had always believed in God and Jesus. I went to church, read the Bible, said my prayers, tried to be good and even handed God my problems when all my worrying had not helped. I thanked Him for the good things, accepted the bad as all I deserved, and expected everything to be made clear when I got to heaven.

My name is Meike. I’m married to Aled. We have three children: Kai (9), William (7) and Elen (nearly 6). They attend the Borras Junior School and the Borras Infant School.

When I was asked to write how I became a Christian and what it means to me I was pleasantly surprised that anyone would be interested in my story. I had never been asked that before.

I am Pam, 45 years young and married to Jonathan. We have three special daughters.  I work at Bank of America as a Marketing Manager.

As a child I was always interested in the life of Jesus. When a film about Jesus came on the television, I’d watch it. But I didn’t associate the Jesus I saw on the TV with the idea of going to church, singing miserable hymns miserably and listening to boring sermons, so I never went.

 I was five years old when I recognised and responded to the Lord's rightful claim on my life. Many people do not recognise that a child so young is capable of making such a decision - they are wrong and I am testimony to the fact. (Be encouraged and challenged, all you who serve Him in children's work! You have both a high honour and responsibility.)