RADER
BROSE

My name is Rader Brose, and I am a 6th grader at Cleveland Middle School.

I am currently 12 years old and I have been a part of Public church since its beginning. I made the decision to follow Jesus in April 2017 when I was seven years old, and I got baptized in March 2018. I recognized that I was a sinner in need of a savior, and that in order to have a personal relationship with God I needed to accept Jesus into my life.

After becoming a Jesus follower many people have supported me, especially my Public Church family. Since joining Public Students in August 2021, everybody has been very welcoming and kind to me. They help me in my journey by encouraging me to grow as a Christian and challenge me to do different things. One way that Jesus has challenged me is to serve at church with Public Kids. I get to encourage and teach the kids about Jesus and be kind and welcoming to them. Lastly, I believe that my family and my church family has supported me by teaching me how I can glorify him in everything I say and do.

This year I have experienced God's glory and power by Him helping me make a smooth transition into middle school. God has shown me that I need to be kind and loving to EVERYONE I meet. I’ve had the chance to be a peer mentor to kids with special needs, and I’ve absolutely loved it! God has also brought to my attention things in my school that are not always fair and equal, and I feel like He is calling me to help bring more attention to these matters. Lastly, God has been helping me to pray more and read my Bible more and I’ve really grown from that.

Nancy Thomas

After my salvation experience at eight years old…

my dad wanted me to understand fully what Christ had done for me and His gift of salvation. He took me through a little discipleship booklet after school. 

Then, years ago, a dear friend shared a plan she used for long term scripture memory. For over 10 years, this tool has helped me lock the truths of the Bible on my heart and mind. What comfort, peace, joy, strength and assurance of Christ’s presence I have received from His Word!

My husband, Greg and I have enjoyed participating in community groups. I realized even more during the pandemic that I need fellowship with other Jesus Followers to maintain spiritual health. I need close friends who I can be vulnerable and authentic with, knowing they will lift me up in prayer and strengthen me as we walk our journey of faith together.

I want to grow in my ability to share what Jesus has done for me and to encourage others in their faith journey.  This past year I memorized Psalm 90. Verses 14-16 say, “Satisfy me in the morning with your steadfast love so that I may be glad and rejoice all my days. Make me glad for as many days as you have afflicted me and for as many years as I have seen evil. Let your work be shown to your servants and your glorious power to their children.”

This is my prayer that He will let me see more and more of His work and that He will also show His glorious power to my children.

Drew
Lyness

I have been a member of Public Church for about three years now.

I have been a lifelong Jesus Follower, and have always been surrounded by other influential Jesus Followers throughout my life. I didn’t know how much my life would change when I moved to Cleveland, Tennessee.

In May of 2019, I was named the Head Girls Basketball Coach at Walker Valley High School. I knew three people at Walker Valley before I got here. I was nervous but excited for the change in my life. Little did I know that this change would have such an amazing impact on my life both personally, and most importantly spiritually. I felt like God placed me there. It was a time for growth and a fresh start of finding myself, meeting new people, and really allowing God to take control of my life. 

When I got to Walker Valley, I became instant friends with two couples that are also Jesus Followers. They pour into my life daily, and help me grow. Matt Moore is another guy who has been a constant supporter of me and my spiritual journey. Matt is one of a kind and I will be forever thankful for him and that we connected regularly once I arrived in Cleveland. Without my work friends and Matt Moore, I’m not really sure I would be so happy to be in Cleveland. They make life so much fun! 

Currently, God is helping me work on consistency. My phrase for the year 2022 is “Focused Growth”. I need to grow more. But in order to grow more, I need to be more focused. In order to be more focused, I need to be more consistent. I need to make sure that I am investing time and not wasting time. 

I believe that God is leading me to seek Him more and focus on Him more as this next stage of my life unfolds. I think at times, we get out of a routine and God just wants us to get back on that routine with him. I know that I have to read more and pray more and this is the right season of life to do both of these things at a high level.

I am so thankful for Public Church and what it means to me to be a part of such a wonderful church family.

Pam
Wyatt

I always felt so unloved because of childhood issues…

I always questioned what love was even at an early age. I did know what love was as far as my parents and brothers and sisters were concerned, but outside of my family I still questioned what it meant to be loved.

My parents had always taken my brothers, sisters, and I to church as long as I could remember. Thankfully I did hear about Jesus my whole life. A few weeks before my 10th birthday at church on a Wednesday night, I surrendered to Jesus. It was at that moment that I understood what love was. Jesus is love.

In my early twenties, my relationship with the Lord started growing even more. That is when I learned you must build a relationship with the Lord. I still became saved at a young age, and I am going to always believe that, but I had a newer, deeper growth, and knowledge through the Lord in my 20’s than I had through my teenage days.

Finally, when I was almost 31 I moved here to Cleveland, Tennessee and I started going to Public Church, where I joined a ladies community group, and I learned even more how to be true and authentic with the Lord. The conversations each and every week were wonderful. I feel God's glory and power in my life simply by living for Jesus, which means I am praying over decisions instead of impulsively acting on them. I was a part of a ladies community group for five years before I felt the Lord leading me to step out in obedience and host the newly replicated ladies group in my home each week.

That also means I am in a gathering every Sunday unless a circumstance does not allow me to be there. It also means I am actively worshiping and praising the Lord. I feel God’s glory and power when my prayers or other people’s prayers are answered or even sometimes while I’m praying. Currently I am trying to pray through what is next in this season in my life. I have been going through a struggling/waiting season in my walk through the Lord, but I know that I am not alone with Jesus.

JOHN
OGLE

my journey to public church began by…

…helping my nephew find a church to get involved in during a time of searching in his life. His choice was Public Church. I had known some of the staff for many years, and my daughter and son-in-law also attended there, so it seemed like an easy fit. My plan was to get my nephew secured and then see what happens with me, whether I remained, or returned to my former church.

Although feeling like a dinosaur in the midst of millennials, I really felt a stirring in my heart at Public Church. While looking on the church website, I saw Community Groups, and a place for serve Teams. Prayer Team caught my eye. At the end of a Gathering a couple of weeks later, I asked Pastor Todd about the Prayer Team and he was overjoyed and said they had been waiting on a champion to restart this ministry.

We had a vision meeting not long after this, and then opened up any interest in serving on the Prayer Team to the church body. We had officially relaunched! Soon after this a member of our team began to pray during the Gatherings in Todd’s office. Then, we moved to having a team member available to pray with anyone who needed it at the end of the Gatherings in the Gathering space. Being a part of the Prayer Team has given me the opportunity to intentionally pray for those seeking refuge and prayer.

The prayer team has grown so much since we first relaunched it, as we now have a prayer corner, and people consistently coming to seek prayer and guidance week after week. We have removed barriers to people asking for and receiving prayer, as we have let the Lord lead every step of the way.