Grove Baptist Church - NetSite - "Our former Pastor, Ian Wilson"

Our former Pastor, Ian Wilson - A personal word of testimony

The Wilson Family I was born in a little village called Coagh (pronounced coke) in county Tyrone N.Ireland. I had the wonderful privilege to have a Mother who loved the Lord. I would go along to Sunday school week by week and I also attended children's meetings in a local gospel hall. I certainly knew that I needed to be saved [Acts 4 v 12 "we must be saved"] . As a young boy I always intended to get saved someday, I was a little like Felix [Acts 24:25 - And as he reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgement to come Felix trembled, and answered, Go thy way for this time; when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee] .

As I went on in my teenage years I began to attend the youth fellowship meeting in the local Baptist church. Again I would hear the gospel and yet again I continually rejected the Lord. I suppose I had all the usual fears about being able to keep it, others will laugh at me, and so on. Of course I know now that Satan was trying to lead me away from God's wonderful salvation [2 Cor. 4:4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them] .

Eventually I left the youth fellowship and went out to have a good time! I found a girlfriend called Marcella (she is now my wife) the first place she took me to was the Baptist church in Cookstown Co Tyrone. I felt this was a good girl and perhaps I could get saved now. But alas the next time we went out we ended up in pubs and clubs. I hated drink, I never really enjoyed the world and I knew in my heart that I needed to be saved, but I wasn't big enough to trust the Lord.

Very occasionally I would attend the gospel service in the Coagh church. I had a lot of respect for the Pastor of the Church, Pastor Hughes. So now and then I would drop in. However news came through that Pastor Hughes was leaving Coagh and this really troubled me, and as I listened to him preach his last few sermons in my home church I felt that my opportunity for being saved had passed by. One text of scripture really challenged my soul - [Proverbs 29:1 He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy] . This was me I had hardened my neck after many reproofs, I deserved to be condemned to hell. But praise God on the twelfth of October 1986 while Pastor Fred Orr preached the gospel I trusted the Lord as my own and personal saviour.

Romans 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

I was afraid that I had wasted too many opportunities and the Lord would give me up [ROM 1v24] . But praise God for his longsuffering towards me. After being saved I began to attend all the meetings in the local Baptist church, and in April the following year Marcella trusted the Lord. We were married, baptised and became members in the local Baptist church.

I was employed as a manager in a local agriculture and haulage business and I was also what one might term a "lay preacher". My preaching engagements began to grow and in 1997 I received a call from GROVE BAPTIST CHURCH to take up the pastorate. We as a family searched the scriptures and I believe the Lord spoke to me in Acts 18 [Acts 18:9-10 Then spake the Lord to Paul in the night by a vision, Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not thy peace: [10] For I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee: for I have much people in this city] .

As I considered moving to this great city like Paul it was with fear and trembling but the Lord said "BE NOT AFRAID". With the assurance of God's word and a willingness to obey I accepted the call and was inducted on 29th August 1997.

I praise God for his help and guidance and would ask you to pray for my wife Marcella and our two children Matthew [12.07.90] and Abigail [01.08.94] and like Paul - [Eph. 6: 18-19 " Praying- for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel"] .

GOD BLESS - IAN WILSON (PASTOR)