Gino Alampi

This is a story about my mom, Nancy, and her 3-year cancer journey.

She was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. A year of treatments and a hysterectomy officially put her into remission!

Months later, she had pain and felt like water was in her stomach. This was stomach lining cancer. The water was cancer cells liquifying healthy ones.

Her doctor said she had two weeks, and nice knowing you! She found a Christian doctor who prayed with and treated her like a person, not a patient. God blessed her with another year!

She wanted to minister for God. This led to a ministry of providing hats and the Gospel to fellow oncology patients. She inspired many through her blessings. She finished making hats and personally delivered them and then God took her home.

My name is Gino Alampi and I believe Only God Can show He still has a plan even when bad things happen in your life!

Chanel Thorpe

I traveled to many places with a dream to build a church and school for those in need. I thought the dream was done, when it came true, but God had more in store for me.

I’m a WR Alumni now and will team with House of Hope in Nicaragua. I’ll work with sex trafficking and prostitution victims including women and children from Latin America.

We will provide school uniforms and supplies to children, evangelize in the brothels, vocational training, and bible studies. There will be time spent one on one with the staff to minister and pour into them.

My name is Chanel Thorpe and I believe Only God Can make our dreams come alive!

Selah Austin

Anxiety and OCD has affected not only me, but also my family and my faith. In 2021 at a Sister to Sister Ministries event, God came to my aid.

Enroute, I was experiencing an anxiety attack. I was crying, shaky, and terrified. My mom wanted to call my dad to come pick me up. Instead, we went into the sanctuary where the band was practicing.

I cried even harder while listening to them sing Peace by Hillsong Young and Free. In that instant, I knew God played that song for me.

Throughout the event, I felt His spirit move through every word, song, and tear. He sent me reassurances of His love through a service about trusting God and finding His peace amid fear.

My name is Selah Austin and I believe that Only God Can turn an evening of fear into one of worship!

Steve & Lydia Seevers

Our daughter, Debi, was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer in 2015. Her cancer was aggressive and had metastasized to her lymph nodes.

She reached stage four when testing found the cancer had spread to her sternum. She needed more aggressive treatment.

Our lives were changed by her diagnosis. Debi and her sons came to live with us during her treatment. She survived six rounds of chemo, a double mastectomy, and six weeks of strong radiation rounds.

We were blessed by strong support teams. God poured His grace on us to support our daughter and grandsons. Debi’s scans have been clear for six years now!

We are Lydia and Steve Seevers and we believe that Only God Can show that His grace is sufficient by answering a prayer for healing.

Carol Jamieson

Family has always been important to me. When my mom was sick, my sisters took care of me. People called me names and bullied me in school. I told them my two sisters would protect me.

My dream was to live close to my middle sister. Three years ago, I moved to Pataskala-only two miles away from her. God made that dream come true!

I was blessed by being introduced to the Blind family. They became my adopted family. I always wanted a brother. They had a son who became my brother.

My name is Carol Jamieson and I believe Only God Can make your family dreams come true and bless you with another family.

Brandon Vann

I made the decision to be baptized. That decision was met with many obstacles. The biggest one was COVID.

I wanted to give my life to the Lord in a time when the world stood still and shut down. My baptism decision came during COVID.

Even during this time, the need to be baptized was constant. I called Andre and asked if he could baptize me and Marisa that Sunday. The church was closed, but we still gave our lives to the Lord!

My song, Born Again. A song about taking the wrong road, making bad decisions, and finding the Lord.

• Clouds full of tears

• Rained over him

• Washed him of his sins

• Then Heavens opened up

• The Holy Spirit descended down

• And in His image, he was Born Again

My name is Brandon Vann and I believe Only God Can make a way for you to come to Him even when it seems impossible!

Stephanie Jacobs

At the age of 13 my life changed when my parents divorced. I found my solace in food or more importantly the lack of food.

During the years finding God, I still struggled with anorexia and bulimia. He moved me to speak on my eating disorders to high schools and universities. I was free from those struggles-temporarily.

When those struggles returned, I found the courage to tell my husband. I wasn’t sure that I could beat it again. My negative self-talk was consuming me.

We found a program to help me. Now I’m healing and understanding that anorexia and bulimia don’t ever fully go away! With my family’s support and God, I know the eating disorders won’t control me again!

My name is Stephanie Jacobs and I believe Only God Can grow a scared thirteen-year-old girl, struggling with eating disorders, into the strong and faith anchored woman standing before you today.

Carol Gerkin

My dream was to become a hospice nurse. Being an oncology nurse was my reality.

I eagerly learned new skills while realizing the complexity and meaning of my new job. My days were filled with caring for oncology patients and asking the question of why do bad things happen?

My heart was heavy, but God was filling me spiritually. He provided answers through prayers, sermons, and a patient named Evvy.

Her love for God was evident through her praise. In fact, her response to receiving news that she would pass soon was a beautiful smile and a proclamation that she was going home!

That beautiful memory reminded me that His glory is even present amid illness. We praise him for the life he gave us.

My name is Carol Gerkin and I believe Only God Can provide us with the tools to grow and succeed in the places he needs us.

Chandler O’Neal

I was a Jehovah Witness, heretic singer/songwriter, touring musician only caring where the next good time would be.

I never expected a personal invitation to church would change my life forever. My friend, Dan, kept inviting me to his church. I always answered no. Then Dan tried a different tactic. He asked if I believed my talents were meant for a bigger purpose.

He said his church needed worship musicians. I never heard a worship song in my life! Dan insisted I could use my talents and gifts and learn who I was as one of God’s children.

After that service, I realized my life’s road wasn’t created for a tour bus or van. Instead, it was on the wings of my servant’s heart!

My name is Chandler O’Neal and I believe Only God Can turn a messy, sinful man into a servant of the one true king, our Heavenly Father.

Dylan Weeks

When I was younger, I received a book entitled, “The Answer Book.” I thought it contained the answers to all of life’s questions.

As I got older, I learned there was a book known as the Bible. This book, and only this book, contained all the answers I searched for. Written on the pages were the words of the Lord. Some of them were even in red depending on your version!

My name is Dylan Weeks and I believe Only God Can give you the answers you need in life, through the Bible, no matter your age!

Amber Hartman

Years ago, my busy and loud life was overwhelming with these things:

• New Baby (#4)

• New Church

• New Community

• New House

I felt disconnected from God. However, He met me in the quiet moments while nursing my son. Each time God pressed me to contribute to a friend saving for an adoption.

Weeks later, I prayed for an amount. God answered with $8,000.00-a difficult amount for us. I contacted my friend to see if they were still fundraising. She stated they still needed $8,000.00. A month later, we contributed that amount!

God used us to not only provide the funds, but also to encourage and affirm my friend’s adoption decision. I finally felt reconnected with Him!

My name is Amber Hartman and I believe Only God Can weave our stories together to reveal His power and meet our deepest needs!

Denee Lees

Someone raised in a different culture and living in a different environment is known as a third culture kid (TCK). There are benefits to this lifestyle. But the difficulties in adjusting to adult life are:

• Various mixtures of cultural influences

• Difficulty in developing your identity

• Restlessness and rootlessness

The above statements describe me! I lived in Caracas, Venezuela until I came to the United States for college. I struggled to find my identity and a sense of belonging. God showed me that my identity was in Him and His family!

My purpose was born out of being a TCK. I learned Spanish while in Venezuela. Now, I have the chance to speak of Jesus, in Spanish, to someone who is dying from cancer. This woman lived in Venezuela too!

My name is Denee Lees and I believe Only God Can take a TCK and use her skills to add members to HIS family!

Kristen Fulton

This Spring I applied for a new part-time job. Assuming this would be a lateral move pay-wise, Dustin and I prayed about our Stewardship Campaign tithe. We decided $600 over our regular tithe and offering yet were unsure where this money would come from.

We knew that somehow God would provide. I received my job offer and it was $6.25 more per hour. Dustin told me to get out my calculator. I calculated the numbers, and it was exactly $600 more per month! The same amount we decided to for the Unstoppable tithe!

We cried with joy and understanding with how God not only provided for us, but also for Eastpointe’s Unstoppable mission.

My name is Kristen Fulton and I believe Only God Can show up in the math to meet your needs!

Melanie Ringle

When I reflect on the words Only God Can, many examples from my life come to mind.

• The childhood angst of a friend moving away

• A serious injury threatened my ability to play sports

• College career choices

• Being called to Ministry

• Impact of mission trips

• Anxiety and overwhelming days

These moments of reflections reminded me that my daily hope allows me to continue to heal, persevere, and overcome. That hope lies in Jesus and His promises and victories in my life.

My name is Melanie Ringle and I believe that Only God Can use all the events in your life to show you that your hope lies in Him!

Elaine Singleton

I was blessed with my own place in Blacklick. I met a neighbor who told God she wanted a dog. I also wanted one.

I started researching service dogs in 2005. After ten years, I applied for a service dog. I asked friends to pray for me and with me concerning this request. Three years later, my prayer was answered! I received Fran, my first service dog.

People compliment me on her. I respond that when God says He will provide all your needs that includes service dogs!

My name is Elaine Singleton and I believe that Only God Can supply all your needs, including a service dog!

Tom Berridge

Many years ago, I traveled to Helena, Montana for a business trip. It was subzero temperatures.

I noticed a Native American woman carrying her toddler. The child was covered from head to toe with a blanket. Only the small, bare foot was visible.

I could not get that vision out of my mind. I never found the woman to buy her child shoes and socks. The vision of the small, bare foot haunted me.

Years later, there was a call at church for food pantry items. We met the young woman and her son. As our visit concluded, we asked if she needed anything else. She said her son needed shoes. We bought him two pairs of Superman shoes!

My name is Tom Berridge and I believe Only God Can take a heartbreaking vision of a barefoot child in subzero Montana and provide a second chance for a heartwarming image of a child proudly showing off his new shoes!

Jeff Kiehle

We have been told about God’s miracles. But who has seen a real miracle? I did and the proof is my son.

He lost control of his car and landed in a corn field. A farmer found him unconscious and not responding. He was rushed to Grant Hospital.

My wife phoned me at work. At the hospital, I found Ryan on a ventilator and yelled for him to wake up.

Ryan was in a coma for 16 days. After eight days, the doctors suggested starting End of Life procedures. I refused. The doctors gave him a 1% chance at survival. If he did survive, he would be in a vegetative state.

He moved to a step-down nursing home. Ryan awoke and began rehab. His goal was to walk again which he accomplished.

My name is Jeff Kiehle and I believe Only God Can use people from all over the world to demonstrate the power of prayer!

Kevin Christman

I have been challenged with Autism since I was 3. When I was in middle school, I felt God calling me to be a pastor in the future. I didn’t know how I could do it.

I failed my first college class. I wondered if I heard God correctly. Throughout my remaining college years, He was there. Now, I successfully completed my Associates degree.

I believe God can use anyone for his purpose, even those with special needs. If God made us for a purpose, He helps us succeed with it. One of my favorite Bible quotes is “With God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26).

My name is Kevin Christman and I believe Only God Can take what the world thinks is impossible and turn it into a possible.

Jackie Lester

Six years ago, my daughter invited us to her home to announce her pregnancy.

During a doctor’s appointment, they found out the baby would have serious issues. The doctor advised them to decide the baby’s fate.

They chose to follow God’s plan and have the baby. She was born without a trachea and not expected to live.

Ellie went to Children’s Hospital after birth where she spent three months. Finally, she went home!

Her room resembled a hospital room due to all the equipment. They had to monitor her blood pressure until she was able to cry to know what care she needed.

Ellie is one of seventeen cases in the world with her diseases.

Ellie is a happy, healthy, and powerful child. She enjoys horseback riding and even danced in two recitals!

My name is Jackie Lester and I believe Only God Can help a child beat the odds and live a happy, healthy life!

Molly Chang

My tears mixed with water from the shower as I cried out, “God, I cannot do this anymore! I need you right now!” I realized I cannot do life alone and needed God!

An angel pin my grandmother gave me became a symbol of His faithfulness. I found it while cleaning my house. That pin reminded me that God had been guiding me through my trials and suffering.

I met Henry again. We played volleyball together two years prior. He was exceedingly kind and helpful to me. Within a year, we were engaged. I knew my life would never be the same!

God gives me glimpses of His faithfulness since that fateful night in 1999. I know my life will unfold as He intended.

My name is Molly Chang. I believe Only God Can restore your faith in relationships and remind you that He is always with you.

Jackson Kirura

In preparation for today, I struggled to find the idea for my story. Then suddenly, the word wisdom came to me.

My dad and grandfathers are all wise men. Their wisdom has impacted my life and shaped me into the young man I am. They guide me along my path and teach me about Jesus.

Sadly, my grandfather (paternal side) is no longer with us, but I see him everyday in my father. One day, I hope to be like them- a great and wise man to my children and grandchildren.

My name is Jackson Kirura and I believe Only God Can put wise men in my life to guide me into being a young man for His kingdom!

Star Bradley

When I was away from Christ, I was obsessed with the stock market. The market volatility brought conflicting periods of arrogance and anxiety, but never peace.

I found peace in accepting Christ. I decided to start tithing, believing increased prosperity would be God’s reward for my renewed faithfulness.

My investments almost immediately crashed! I was perplexed because I prospered while unfaithful but struggled while faithful to God.

Looking for direction, I prayed and fasted. God showed me that my confidence still laid in the stock market, not Christ. He wanted my heart more than my money.

I put my trust in God to provide for my needs. In the ensuing years, I felt peace and confidence even during the bad financial times!

My name is Star Bradley and I believe Only God Can provide freedom from financial anxiety!

Chuck Buerkle

My Air Force upbringing was difficult. Dad retired when I was in the 7th grade. We moved from California to Pennsylvania. I experienced culture shock and became depressed which worsened each year.

I wanted to die and decided to commit suicide after school. That day a boy named Tim asked me to church. Still unsure of how I would commit suicide, I agreed to go.

Tim picked me up that evening. I met Shane, the youth pastor with a welcoming spirit. He spoke on accepting Christ and His plan for your life. Those words affected me deeply.

I accepted Christ and finally had HOPE for my life! I was ready for His plan for me. That plan included raising my family in church and participating in the Youth Ministry.

My name is Chuck Buerkle. I believe Only God Can deliver you from darkness and despair and lead you to a life full of hope and purpose!

Brad Crane

My mom was a believer, but not my dad. In 1981, I accepted Jesus as my savior. In a spiritually divided home, that seed fell on rocky ground.

God prompted me back to church in 1998. I felt the overwhelming love of His grace when He accepted me back into a relationship with Him. I recommitted my life to Christ.

I put Him first in all things.

• He worked in my life to remove me from my dream career

• He showed me I sacrificed my family for that career

• Years later, He blessed me with a new career

God worked with Helen and I to ease our fears of finding a new church for our grandson. His speech challenge fears eased with Kevin Christman’s witness as a servant of Christ.

My name is Brad Crane and I believe Only God Can remove your pride to guide you through Sanctification.

Kelly Kirura

Being the Eastpointe Christian Preschool Administrator for six years has been a privilege. I believe God loves this school deeply. He provides for us, shows his love and kindness each year, and He is faithful.

During this time, God has taught me many lessons.

• He is a provider. Even during the pandemic!

• He used our school as a beautiful representation of the diversity He created. We had ten countries represented this year!

• He taught me how to love people deeply

God called me to a new job this year. At first, I resisted. I was not looking for a new job. God reminded me that Eastpointe is His school, and He will remain faithful and protect it.

My name is Kelly Kirura and I believe Only God Can use a small Christian Preschool to make a large impact for His kingdom.

Laura Weeks

I am not proud of my life when my heart was closed to God. My actions, decisions, and toxic relationships were embarrassing.

I lost my mother when I was sixteen. My father remarried when I was nineteen. I felt like I was losing him too.

I felt unloved and unwanted. These feelings controlled my life for the next fifteen years. I suffered from anxiety and depression. I was miserable on the inside and suicidal.

I closed my heart to God when my mother died. Even though my head knew He was still around, my heart remained closed to Him.

The birth of my son, Dylan, reopened my heart to God. He brought my son into my life when I needed him the most.

My name is Laura Weeks and I believe Only God Can bring a son to save my life!

Jeff Lees

Growing up I had questions about the church, Bible, Jesus, and God. With unsatisfying answers, I became an atheist with agnostic leanings.

In college I was asked, “did Jesus and God exist?” I knew Jesus did. Believing God’s existence led me on a journey through Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism, Islam, and Mormonism. Not finding the answer, I conceded that God was real.

On my honeymoon I received a call that my dad’s cancer returned. I watched him wither away while I prayed to God to heal him. My dad died and I never knew where he stood with God.

That night I cried out to God, “why didn’t you save him? I needed you.” A presence and calmness filled the room. I heard, “I’m here. Now it’s your turn.” I made a vow to never miss another opportunity to spread the Gospel.

My name is Jeff Lees and Only God Can take an atheist and ordain him to teach the Gospel.

Bobby Jewell

My wife and I had the opportunity to take a mission trip to Israel. The trip’s purpose was to share the gospel and to walk where Jesus walked.

We loved on broken children and shared the gospel with Holocaust survivors.

The most life changing experience was not on our agenda. We went to the Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem to do street evangelism using Mitch Glaser’s book, Isaiah 53.We saw a man talking to a friend about the book. He was upset and asked if we believed Jesus was the Messiah. We answered yes. He ripped the book in half, threw it at me, and threatened us.

Upon leaving, the man brought his friends and followed us. Our friend stopped and spoke to the man. A seed was planted when he questioned his beliefs!

My name is Bobby Jewell and I believe Only God Can give a new believer the confidence and courage to share His word amid hostility!

Rachel Polley

As a little girl, I loved love. Especially writing love letters to a man I didn’t know but prayed for.

As a college student, I found that my dream man wasn’t in any of the places I looked. Each failed relationship left me more ashamed, broken, and empty.

My relationship with God was like an insurance policy. I checked a box to save me but not the box to surrender everything to Him. He pursued and restored me. Then He provided the desires of my heart-my love story.

I met Jeremy on a Christian website. Over time, we built our relationship foundation on our love for Christ. Now we have been married for almost two decades and have three children.

My name is Rachel Polley and I believe only God can show His grace and faithfulness through a love story to share with our children and generations to come.

Hakim & Tiffany Jackson

Tiffany:

After infertility and a miscarriage, we were FINALLY pregnant with Paris, our baby girl. Tragedy struck at 8 1/2 months when her heart stopped, and she died. Her death nearly destroyed me, my marriage, and my mind. I contemplated suicide and raged against my husband, parents, and God.

My friend spent time with me sharing the Gospel. Many questions and prayers later, I accepted Jesus and Hakim did so shortly thereafter.

Hakim:

I came from a broken home and was in foster care until adulthood. After Paris, we had two children, but I wanted more. Specifically, to rescue one from the foster care system. That prayer was answered when we adopted Houston.

We are Hakim and Tiffany Jackson and we believe Only God can restore our brokenness through adoption and salvation in Jesus Christ!

Andre Norman

My first word was ball. I loved sports, especially the attention and affection I received from performing well. I had significance and value. Sports became my God.

I received a basketball scholarship to a Christian college. In a Bible class we were asked, “If you were to die today would you go to heaven?” I could not answer yes.

I was #1 in my life, not God.

After college, I told God, “I’ll do whatever you want.” He opened a door in youth ministry at a small, country church. My friend and I did not know much about ministry, but we did know basketball. We formed a basketball team for a league and were terrible! No wins that year except baptizing most of the kids!

My name is Andre Norman and I believe Only God Can turn a misguided passion into a meaningful purpose!

Laura Shank

My husband, Adam, and I struggled with tithing. We felt it was reserved for the wealthy, so it wasn’t a priority. We gave if there was anything left at the end of the month.

Ten years ago, we were challenged to tithe faithfully from our first fruits. Our needs were always met.

This January, we contemplated selling our house to pay off our accumulated debt. This debt hindered us from giving above our tithe. After receiving the Unstoppable campaign letter, a cash offer was in my email. The offer was more than the original one submitted!

The lie that our money is our own and giving isn’t a command, but a privilege reserved for the wealthy, was torn down. We increased our tithing and will contribute to the campaign in a big way!

My name is Laura Shank and I believe that Only God Can lavish his love on faithless, inconsistent givers and turn them into above and beyond tithers!

Nate & Rachel Barrett

We are the Barretts, and we are sinners. It stated early for me. My very first memory was lying to my mother when I was 4 years old. It didn't stop there though. Just like the Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 7:15, "I don't understand what I do, for what I want to do, I do not do, and what I hate I keep on doing." We couldn't help ourselves. We were lost in our sin without an escape plan.

But Only God Can take broken down, self-centered, tired and weary sinners like us and wholly wipe out our sin as if we had never done it through the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ our Lord!

This isn't just our Only God Can story. This is your Only God Can story, or at least can be if you choose to accept Jesus as your personal Lord and savior. This can be all of humanities Only God Can story. Surrender yourself today so that your sins can be washed away and made white as snow.

We are Nate and Rachel Barrett and we believe that Only God Can raise the dead in sin to walk in fullness in life through Jesus Christ our Lord!

Jacquetta Alexander

I was diagnosed with a mental health disorder. Examining my mental health, thoughts of my father arose. My dad:

• was an absentee father

• was a woman abuser

• did not attend church

• believed churchgoers, except his children, were hypocrites

In 2010, God called me to visit him and pray the prayer of salvation. With tear filled eyes, he accepted Christ in the living room.

Never a “traditional” Christian, he did become a nicer, softer person. Nearing life’s end, I witnessed him lift hands in praise asking God for more time.

The weekend before his passing with tears in his eyes, he said, “I saw my Jesus.” God made beauty from the ashes of my dad’s life and healed me in that process. I made peace with his absenteeism and abusive behaviors.

My name is Jacquetta Alexander and I believe only God can use a broken daughter to lead her father to salvation.

Jeremy Hartman

2007 brought my wife and I to Columbus. She was in a busy residency at OSU. I only knew a few people and spent most of my time alone in our 1-bedroom apartment.

Getting a job in the teaching market seemed impossible. I questioned if being a History teacher was meant to be my path. One day, I told my wife that I wanted to be a PE teacher and Athletic Director.

Four days later I received a phone call from a church member. A Christian School in Blacklick needed a PE teacher and someone to start an Athletic Department.

A week later I was hired for the job. Now, 14 years later I can’t imagine a better fit for me and the school.

My name is Jeremy Hartman and I believe Only God Can take a man feeling lost and alone and surround him with a community of believers to make him feel complete.

Ernest White

I grew up an “at-risk” youth in a dysfunctional home that led to a career in the criminal justice system.

During my 18-years, I visited Central Ohio schools searching for answers to our rising juvenile offender population. The problem was a lack of home and community mentorship.

My heart’s desire was to mentor juvenile offenders charged as adults. I resigned and worked on a mentorship program without a plan to bring it to life. Even so, I knew my destiny was working with youth to impact the world.

I made my decisions without God’s guidance. I became unemployed with only $0.50 in the bank! Feeling frustrated, hopeless, and depressed, I prayed to God for help.

He answered with opportunities:

• Sharing information from “at-risk” youth with U.S. educators

• Seeking a degree in school counseling

My name is Ernest White II and I believe Only God Can know that my adversities would connect me to my life’s passion and purpose!

Mark & Linda Richardson

In 2020, God placed on our hearts to adopt a foster care teen. We started the approval process, but by fall we inquired without any success.

2021 brought circumstances that made us question if we should halt our search. Linda was diagnosed with breast cancer. She had multiple surgeries, chemotherapy, and radiation treatments. Mark also had major surgeries.

Typically, the adoption matching process is very lengthy. In September 2021, we were contacted about a 17-year-old young lady in foster care since March 2020. She learned in February 2021 that a search was ongoing for an adoptive family. She came to us in December 17, 2021 and is becoming part of our family.

Looking back, we see that God’s plan never wavered. He orchestrated every step to bring us to where we are today.

We are Mark and Linda Richardson and we believe Only God Can order our steps through life’s hardest trials to bring us to His perfect purpose!

Carrie Alampi

I was 11 when my dad left. I felt abandoned. My broken heart told me I was unlovable and not enough. I needed to be perfect and protect my heart.

I was empty, broken, exhausted, striving to matter, desperately seeking love-mostly in the wrong places. Feeling needed at work, I became a workaholic.

I lived a surface life until an invitation 17 years ago, from Gino, that changed my life’s trajectory. He invited me to church. There I learned my Heavenly Father loved me for me. Gino led me to Christ. God led me to Gino.

God Can:

• Create a Barnabus Ministry while mending a broken heart

• Tear down walls

• Use an invitation to call his disciple’s dry bones to life

I’m Carrie Alampi and I believe and declare that only God can restore, resurrect, and bring new life!

Parfait Kirura

I was born and raised in the world’s poorest country, Burundi (Africa). I was happy despite growing up in poverty.

1993’s ethnic civil war changed everything. I feared for my life. I witnessed killing violence, gunshots, and explosions. I laid on the floor, covering my ears and head, pleading with God to spare my life.

I experienced agonizing suffering that no child should. My home burnt down. I was abused and went days without food. A family member rejected me, breaking a promise to help me. Separated from my family, I became a refuge.

As a young Christian, I refused to let tragedies define me. I trusted God. Believing He would give me a chance for a better life. That life is the United States with my wife and two children.

My name is Parfait Kirura and I believe that Only God Can lead a rejected, abandoned refuge to a different country to fulfill His promise of unconditional love!

Dominique Bradberry

I moved to Columbus, Ohio from New Jersey to be part of a Ministers Training Program. I looked at this program as a step in the direction I believed God was leading me, which was to preach the Gospel.

Little did I know that by the end of the program my mindset would shift about what "ministry" actually looks like. I thought that ministry unto God looked like holding a microphone on a platform inside of a church, but I learned through a class assignment that ministry actually looks like releasing the Gospel message in whatever place you find yourself in.

By the end of the program, I decided that ministry to me would look like being a godly wife and mother.

My name is Dominique Bradberry and I believe only God can give you a ministry outside the walls of the church.

Dustin Fulton

My Grandma had just lost her battle with leukemia, and my parents were on the brink of divorce. My 7 year old world was falling apart.

In a last ditch effort to save their marriage, my parents accepted an invitation to church where they met a preacher named Charlie Lee. He helped them to see that only God could save their marriage, and through counseling my entire family came to Christ.

Somewhere along the way, I told my mom that when I grew up I wanted to be a preacher like Charlie Lee. Though I don’t remember saying it, that’s what she prayed for everyday. 35 years later they are still married, and when I grow up I still want to be a preacher like Charlie Lee.

My name is Dustin Fulton, and I believe only God can use a cross to forever change a family tree.

Derek Goodburn

A last second grab and yank back into a bunker before a RPG slams next to where I was going to step.

A personnel change that subsequently led to six great Americans paying the ultimate sacrifice. One of which took my place after the personnel change. Another was a major factor in me being able be home for the birth of my oldest son Ryan.

Two 100 meter open field runs during active small arms engagements without a single scratch or injury.

My name is Derek Goodburn, and I believe Only God could have brought me through all these events and multiple others, to show me that He has a purpose for my life, and I will continue doing my best to fulfill that purpose.

Lois Carter

Several years ago I was having health issues. After months of testing I received a diagnosis no one wants to hear..."Lois, you have cancer."

For the next six months there was chemotherapy, hospital admissions due to side effects of the cancer and chemo, losing my hair, and more doctors appointments than I care to remember. Some days were physically and emotionally exhausting.

Only God could remind me each day in His Word that He was with me and bring His peace. Only God could surround my family and me with friends and family that supported us. Only God could help me see my cancer diagnosis as an opportunity to share His love and hope with others experiencing their own health challenges.

My name is Lois Carter and I believe only God can take a cancer diagnosis and turn it into a blessing.

Dave Mahoney

I've often been asked, "How do you keep going with all the tragedies and setbacks you've experienced?"

• A wife with Stage IV Cancer for 20 years

• Your child sexually assaulted on a mission trip

• Job loss due to no fault of your own, which led to financial ruin

• Victim of a violent assault at gunpoint

• Losing your Father to COVID-19

This is how I do it. I believe Only God can...

• turn mourning into rejoicing

• wipe away every tear from our eyes

• take what was intended for evil and turn it to good

Josiah Immel

I was tired, worn down, filled with anxiety, fear, and shame. Even though God revealed himself to me at a young age and I had already experienced His love, I willingly chose to turn my back on Him and pursue the world instead. I spent years learning how to turn down the volume of His voice so I could live a life apart from Him.

After a self-seeking decade, my spirit ached with dishonor and grief. I longed to return home to my Savior. Because of His unconditional love, He pursued me relentlessly, calling my name until I could no longer ignore His voice.

When I finally answered him, He said, “Are you ready, because it’s time.” He took my guilt and my shame. He conquered my fear, and brought me home.

My name is Josiah Immel and I believe no matter how far away you have wandered, only God can restore you!

Sarah Buerkle

When Chuck and I decided to start a family, things didn't go as planned. After being sent to a specialist, I was told we had less than a 1% chance to get pregnant within a year. While we could try medicine, our chances would only increase to 50%.

Devastated, I walked to my car, grumbling and complaining. Just then, a beautiful, colorful leaf flew in my car. I thought, "God, you really can take anything and make it beautiful!"

So I went on the medicine, and even though I was told it never works the first time, when I went back for a check up, I was pregnant! Only God could do that! Trusting in God, we followed the same approach and got pregnant the first time with our second child.

I'm Sarah Buerkle and I believe only God can take a sad and scary diagnosis and make it beautiful...3 times!

Laurie Maley

As long as I can remember, my dad sowed into the lives of our family and others. He sacrificed his entire life and was always focused on the kingdom of God and how many people he could take with him.

Following a couple of falls, my dad went to the hospital. It was discovered that my father was in acute renal failure. He was unresponsive, not eating, just laying in bed.

Through countless prayers of friends and family, God breathed life back into my dad's body! He was released from the hospital and in no time he was walking again, had full mental clarity, and was back to his joyful, cheerful self!

God gave us more time together because of the thousands of prayers.

I'm Laurie Maley and I believe only God can breathe life into a dying man!

Julia Feasel

Ever since I was in elementary school I wanted to be a teacher, so that was my major when I entered college. It was during my sophomore year that I had run into a huge amount of uncertainty on whether or not teaching is really where God wanted me. I remember walking through the chapel on a Monday afternoon and I somewhat jokingly told God, “it would be cool if you sent me the answer in a dream.”

God knew I wasn't really kidding. He knew that in my heart I was desperate to hear His voice. That night I had a dream. The only thing I can remember from my dream is that I switched to social work and I was very happy!

Although I had to add on a year, I am grateful to say that I will be graduating with my Bachelor's of Social Work this April!

I’m Julia Feasel and I believe only God can turn uncertainty into a new calling!

Ed Robinson

Looking back, I realize God was present throughout my life and protected me as I avoided death multiple times.

When I was young, I had a gun held to my head - God's presence was there. As a teenager, I once went swimming in Hoover Dam, only to find out later that day two people drowned from the undertow - God's presence was there. As an adult, I served in the military and was in active combat, yet I returned home alive - God's presence was there.

One of the most fearful times in my life was when my daughter was born 2 1/2 months early and weighed only 4.5 pounds. She was not expected to survive. Today she's 39 years old and retiring from the Army after 22 years of service.

I'm Ed Robinson and I believe only God can protect and comfort you, no matter how scary or dangerous the situation.

Ruby Russell

In 2019, I was skiing with my parents in Maryland. On the last run of the trip, I had an accident. A woman flipped over me and I ended up on the ground. The ski patrol got me down the mountain and checked me out. Then we headed home.

I felt worse when we got home and went to the hospital. Little did I know I'd be there for five days! I had a grade 4 kidney injury. A grade 5 means they would have had to remove my kidney! I had a couple of surgeries and now I'm completely healed.

I decided to take a year off of skiing because I was afraid of getting injured again. But last month I hit the slopes again and had a blast!

I'm Ruby Russell and I believe only God could have healed me and given me the courage to get back out there!

Gary Denham

I moved to Ohio in July of 2018. I spent several days setting up my home, exploring around Blacklick, and getting used to my new environment. After a few days I decided it was time to find a church. I wanted a church that was friendly, casual, non-denominational, and where I could serve.

One night I went to Chipotle for dinner. As I was eating, I saw a couple and a young girl sit down at a table near me, bow their heads and pray. I thought "They're Christians!". So I went over to their table and asked them what church they attend. They said Eastpointe Christian Church and it's a great church.

The couple is Nick & Amy Biratsis, and they have 3 daughters: Alaina, Ava, and Aria. Amy and her daughters' names start with the letter A so I refer to their family as "Nick and the A Team"!

I came to Eastpointe the next Sunday and have been here ever since. I am so blessed to serve here as an usher, work on so many projects, and have made so many wonderful friends.

I’m Gary Denham and I believe only God can turn a trip to Chipotle into a new church family!

Grace Kirura

When I was born, I had a cleft lip and cleft pallet. The doctors told my mom and dad that it would probably be hard for me to eat and talk. I'm just fine now, and everyone knows I love to talk!

I've had five surgeries in my life and God has been with me through each one of them and has made me very brave. He's given me a very loving family and an amazing surgeon who takes such good care of me.

I've been able to help other people by telling my story.

I'm Grace Kirura and I believe only God can take a baby born with a difference and turn her into a beautiful, brave child of God.

Jeremy Jay

I believe Only God can take the loss of a child, and only 10 months later deliver us a beautiful daughter that is our whole world. Then use that daughter to strengthen our marriage, which was on the rocks, and help us rebuild our foundation and faith in Christ.

Only God Can a broken, depressed, suicidal, man and surround him with friends who knew his needs without saying a word.

Only God could take a pandemic that has forced many out of work and use it to deliver me from a job I hated and lead me to a new job that is the BEST job I've ever had.

Correy & Megan Stephens

Career loss. Job fatigue. Together, a stressful combination for our family. After months of searching, we each faced the difficult decision to take or stay in ill-fitting jobs in an act of desperation, or walk by faith and wait on God and His perfect plan.

When our prayers shifted from personal desire to asking God to align our hearts with His will, take us into uncomfortable places, quiet our hearts and minds so we could hear Him, only then were we able to walk where He was leading.

God's provision is abundant. Through prayers & encouragement of many, unexpected gifts from family, friends and even perfect strangers, not a single bill went unpaid through a year of unemployment! And then God said "Not only will I give you one job, I’ll give you two!” In March, we both started new jobs - paths we knew we needed but wouldn’t have pursued on our own!

We’re Megan & Correy Stephens and we believe only God can take our worry, self-doubt, and weariness and turn it into a new adventure.

Norah Fulton

Ever since I was a baby, we prayed every night for the street boys in Kenya and our friends who work with them. However, a few years ago I came up with a thought and asked my dad, “Why don’t we pray for the street girls too.” It isn’t very often that he doesn’t know what to say, but he gave me several reasons why it would be at least 5 years before we could work with street girls, but I didn’t like any of his answers. So I glared at him until he agreed that we should start praying for street girls. From then on, whenever my dad prayed for the street boys, I would chime in and say “AND THE STREET GIRLS TOO!”

Just over a month later my dad got a random call from a family of missionaries that had worked with orphans in China but were looking for somewhere else to serve God. He told them about the street kids in Kenya, and within another month they went to Kenya to check it out. When they came back, they said, “We believe God is calling us to work with street girls in Kenya.” This spring the Howe family moved to Kenya and are now in language school and preparing to work with street girls.

My name is Norah Fulton and I believe only God can answer one little girl’s prayers to forever change the lives of other little girls on the other side of the world.

Audra Norman

Raised in a large Italian Catholic family, religion to me was cultural or a ritual. Fatih was more of a tradition, rather than a relationship. We considered ourselves spiritual, but it was more about what we do, than who our identity was in.

After my mother was invited to attend an evangelical meeting with a friend, she met Jesus for the first time and accepted Him as her Lord and Savior. She recognized God had been pursuing her for many years, through many believers throughout her life. She learned that she could have a personal freedom in Christ through forgiveness and that God is not a God who keeps record of wrongs or will strike us down if we sin. She learned she did not have to try and be perfect to be seen by God, nor that we earn our way into heaven.

Regardless of the potential cost in her own family and marriage, and facing ridicule from the community she had been a member of, she made the brave decision to become a Christ follower, attend an evangelical Bible church that could disciple her and her children and be immersed through baptism.

Because of that decision, I met Jesus too and decided to commit my life to following Him.

My name is Audra Norman and I believe only God can give my mother the courage to walk away from a lifetime of fear-based faith to a grace-based faith and unhinder the trajectory of my eternity. It has allowed me to devote my life to serving in full-time ministry as a wife, mom, pastor's wife, and missionary by sharing the legacy of faith she inspired in me.

Makenzee Green

I like to say I grew up with a religion I just wasn’t religious. I felt like I didn’t need God to be important because I was doing just fine. I was living for an image instead of feeling as a person. This became uncomfortable but it was still my comfort zone and so I didn’t know what to do.

My sophomore year in college, on a way to a dining hall, I got asked two questions:

1. Would I like to know more about God?

2. Would I be interested in joining a bible study?

I answered “maybe” and “no” respectively. Because of that “maybe”, I know it’s not about who I am, but whose I am. Jesus died on the cross not just for our sins but for the Holy Spirit to be with us. That good news transformed my life and I want to be on a college campus being there for students and just saying, “Come and see” as it was done for me.

My name is Makenzee Green, and I believe only God can take a “maybe” and use it for his mission.

Crissie Ann Leonard

The world will tell you that you can’t do it and it's impossible. God says that He can do the impossible.

• You said the pain would kill her. I, Yahweh-Rapha, will turn that pain into purpose.

• You said her messy life made her unworthy. I, Yahweh-Jireh, say she is worthy with a powerful life message.

• You said the shame of her past decisions made her a nobody. I, El Shaddai, whisper she is somebody-a witness to My power to do the impossible.

These three things I know to be true.

1. Dream so big that God has room to work!

2. When the enemy brings you to your knees, you are in the perfect position to talk with God!

3. God can take you far even if no one knows who you are!

My name is Crissie Ann Leonard and I believe Only God Can use His different names to meet you amid your pain to bring healing to your life.