{title}

Pete is an example of someone whose life was revolutionized by reading Scripture.

"Growing up I went to church every Sunday, but I didn’t understand why God let bad things happen to me. I was often bullied at school, and in ninth grade I had to have major back surgery. I barely graduated from high school and did poorly in college. I had a series of bad relationships as my boyfriends lied to me and cheated on me. I had a miscarriage. God felt...

God has plans for each of our lives. No matter how long or short your attend our church, God can use your time with us in special ways. Hendrick shares how he found a new life in Christ at our Downtown Campus.

"I grew up knowing who Jesus was. I went to church occasionally and became a Christian as a middle schooler. However, I never really took my faith very seriously. It was more like something I was doing because everyone around me was doing it. When I left home and went to college, I began partying. God was far from my mind. I lived that lifestyle until I found myself pregnant.

"I was...

"My mom, dad and older brother are Christians. My little sister says she has accepted Jesus into her heart, too. I had always heard stories about Jesus, but now that I have accepted Jesus in my heart, it feels different.

"We came to Compassion Christian because my mom and dad wanted to find a church close to our house. After Sunday school one day, I had a lot of questions. I went to...

Chip and Ramona have always had a passion for helping people in need, people who have no one to speak for them or help them. Together with their Life Group they reached out to a group of people living at the Thunderbird Motel and are making a difference in the lives of those living there.

Dean and Brenda are so passionate about packing boxes for Operation Christmas Child that they have a dedicated room in their house for the gifts they collect throughout the year. Hear how God touched their hearts to make a different in the lives of children around the world through this ministry.

A great story of a young couple from our church called to live and work in a different country for Jesus.

Adoption is a precious gift. Sebastian and his godmother, Paula, told us about the joy they experienced when he was adopted as a teenager.

God calls us to choose compassion in many different ways. For Nicky, it was by giving away a kidney.

If you grow up attending church, you can gain a lot of knowledge about God without knowing Him personally. Brandon shares how he came to own his faith and develop it into something powerful and life-changing.

Even when we walk through the valley, God is with us. Melissa shared how this became a reality for her family as she saw God move in the details of tragedy.

Each of our stories are unique. Every one of us comes to know God in by a  different path. Pete shares how he came to faith in God and decided to be baptized.

When difficult life circumstances prompted a friend to invite him to Compassion Christian Church, Mark discovered how he could show compassion to others experiencing similar challenges.

Bill, Kathy and Judi share how their prayers for their "one" to accept Jesus were answered.

Tammy chose Paulette as her "One," the person she committed to pray for during The ONE Campaign.

Finding herself with an unplanned pregnancy, Jessica moved to The Living Vine, a home for pregnant women in crisis in Savannah. Through their program and attending our church, Jessica came to know Jesus as her Lord and Savior.

Chris and Yavonna started coming to church because they wanted their children to make new friends. But as they saw how Jesus was changing the lives of the people around them, they started to want that, too.

I was born and raised in church and have always believed God existed, but I lived a very ‘secular’ life in terms of the things I would say, watch and do. I’ve suffered from self-doubt and depression for as long as I can remember. I accepted Christ because I was scared of going to hell, but I’ve never been comfortable with my motivation for that decision.

...

My story began over 24 years ago when my youngest son was born. At birth his lungs collapsed and he spent several days in the NICU. I was so angry at God for allowing it to happen. I asked a friend what I should do with the anger and pain I was feeling. He encouraged me to reach out to God for help, asking Him to carry me through this time rather than directing my...

"Looking back on my life and the way I abused so many things, so many people, the difference now is huge."

Jimmy DeLoach lost his daughter Abbie in the wreck that killed five Georgia Southern nursing students in 2015. Jimmy shares how in his harrowing grief he drew comfort knowing God understands because He, too, lost a child.

"Passion Week. It gets me every time. Just when I think I'm doing good, cruising along, being a good Christian, praying, reading my daily devotional, going to church, volunteering here and there, tithing ... BOOM! Passion Week.

"Every week in church I hear how Jesus died a horrific death to save me from my sin, but there's something different about Passion Week. Maybe it's the timing. I'm all...

"About four years ago I spoke with Marcus, the Effingham Student Pastor, about getting my teenager to join the youth group. Ashley would attend church with me, but did not want any part of the youth group. After speaking with Marcus I knew I could not push her or it would make her even more closed off to it and maybe make her not want to attend church at all. So I started praying daily that...

"My childhood was a beautiful thing for the most part. My mom and dad were sweet people - they loved me. We had a next door neighbor and he unfortunately was a pedophile. After experiencing that early abuse, I was primed for the rebellion that came with being a teen in the 1960s."

Daniel and Jillane share their story about learning to manage their God-given finances in ways God blesses.

Maggie and Reid share how God led them to give up their adoption fund for The ONE Campaign.

Before I came to know Jesus, I was depressed. I drank heavily and used drugs. One of my friends went to Downtown. She steered me away from drugs and alcohol and toward God. She invited me to church with her. The atmosphere welcoming, the people were friendly, the music was wonderful. I was able to understand the services and relate the messages to my life. I accepted Christ and got baptized. I...

I came to know Jesus Christ and was baptized at the age of 9. I was very involved in church. I went on mission trips, sang in our worship group and loved being a part of God's family.

Around the age of 13, I started to think that I had to look a certain way. I started dieting, which led to not eating at all and then developed into a full...

In July 2015, the Trump family finalized the adoption of their five children.

He loved the unlovable and forgave the unforgivable. I found peace and forgiveness. He put love and the will to do right back into this heart.

I don't think I knew the definition of the word "faith" until I had experienced some trials.

When the hard times come ... when the thoughts tell you you can't - He can. We have an overcomer. He's overcome death. Nothing is too big for Him.

I've always known about Jesus. But there is a difference between knowing about Jesus and knowing Jesus.

I was raised in a Muslim family. When I was a teenager, I rebelled against my mother’s wishes and attended church with a really close friend. I gave my life to Jesus when I was 15. Since then I have felt the Holy Spirit’s leading in my life very strongly.

...

Seven months after we got married, Matt was riding his bike to work and he struck the back of an illegally parked vehicle. He suffered multiple fractures and a severe brain injury.

My wife and I got married March 3, 1983, and moved to Miami. She had always been a good church-going girl and frequently asked me to go to church with her. Over the next 30 years she continued to go to church regularly and managed to get me to go along a few times each year.

I had attended church regularly as a child but it was really a Sunday babysitting service for my...

I was raised in a Christian home and attended church with my family. I did daily devotions and prayers with my family and on my own. Through Scripture, I began to understand God's love for me and made a decision to surrender my life to Him when I was about 8 years old.

My husband and I were dating at the time he joined Compassion Christian Church. He invited me a few...

I went through a tough divorce, had major financial issues and basically became depressed. I really didn't know depression could affect me, but it did. I lost 35 lbs., and I just felt broken inside. I decided to start talking to God for help.

I've always attended church, but wasn't really getting it. So I just asked God to give me peace, to help me through the issues I was facing because I...

I was the youngest child in what can be best described as a fractured family. We weren’t Christians. My parents divorced when I was 3 and my father passed away when I was 6. My siblings and I all went in different directions.

Years later, I found myself in a divorce after 17 years of marriage. After the divorce once my kids were grown, despair and loneliness crept in. I felt so...

I asked God to come into my life. I prayed, and He showed up. He was there. Suddenly every bit of anger and confusion and everything was gone. Just in an instant.

My life used to be all about work, making money to pay the bills. There was a lot of turmoil. We had money problems, but there were family difficulties too. My dying father-in-law was living with us and my wife was taking care of him all by herself. Relationships with her siblings weren’t good. She was battling depression because of all the stress. I was at my wits’...

I’m 17 years old with a 2-month-old daughter. I live in Nebraska but while I was pregnant I lived in a maternity home in Savannah.

I did not have a close relationship to God. Even talking about God was uncomfortable for me. I had been in an abusive relationship before coming to Savannah and things had been bad for the past four years. At the maternity home we were required...

When I hit 15 and was able to drive, I left the church. I like to say I wandered the desert for 40 years. It wasn't until my children had children that I found God again.

I spent a good portion of my life in and out of different foster homes, and one group home in particular. There was a church next door. I used to see fathers walking out with their sons on their shoulders and laughing, and the kids just had this smile that I didn't have. I didn't understand why I didn't have that family.

I came to know Jesus when I was 12 years old. My grandmother was a big influence in my life and taught me a lot, but I didn’t fully understand the commitment that following Jesus would require.

I got married early, aged 22. My husband and I tried to have a baby for over a year but had difficulties conceiving. We tried everything we could and had tests done, but...

I was raised a Catholic, but in the last few years I really strayed away from my faith. I wasn’t going to church that often and just felt alone.

Within the past year I made three good friends who were all Christians and all attended Downtown. They were all such happy, energetic, positive people. They invited me to go with them to church and I loved it! Everyone...

I told Victoria that I would come to church with her on one condition: if she got me chocolate.

I was raised in a conservative Christian family. My dad worked to support us and my mom stayed at home and home-schooled the seven kids. My dad was the youth pastor and my mom volunteered with the elementary kids. I learned to love God as a child loves his father.

When I was 15 we moved to Utah. I got my first MySpace page and was introduced to the world outside of...

It was Easter weekend, 2014. We were on vacation in Savannah when my 5-year-old daughter, Brooke, got sick and was admitted to Memorial University Medical Center as an urgent case. I stayed at her bedside most of the time but was allowed to leave the children’s ward to attend a church service on Easter Sunday. One of the nurses recommended Compassion Christian Church.

That morning Cam delivered a wonderful message from Ecclesiastes 3:11, “He...

I grew up in a loving Christian family. My parents attended Compassion Christian Church, so I’ve been coming here since I was four years old. But I was only physically at the services, not mentally.

Looking back, I see that I was living only for myself. I wanted to be in a band and tour the world, get all the girls and prove myself. Then one day the band I was in broke...

I've spent most of my life believing that I could handle everything on my own. I always believed that Christ existed because that's what I was taught, but I never fully accepted Him or allowed Him to be the leader of my life. Although my family and I belonged to and attended a church on a regular basis, I didn't put God first.

Last year a devastating event...

I have considered myself a Christian since I was a young teen – but looking back now I realize that was just the first step of my journey.

My father was a mechanic and a master woodworker, seemingly able to fix anything except his marriage. After my parent’s divorce, my sister and I lived with our mother, who struggled every day to make ends meet. The division in my family...

God has blessed our family tremendously through Compassion Christian Church. While we have not always been faithful in our giving, He has always been faithful in His provision.

My wife and I contributed very little to the Relentless Campaign. We had made some very bad financial decisions that affected our willingness to give. We were struggling financially and facing foreclosure. We pledged a mere few dollars per week on top of our weekly giving, which can...

I cannot remember a time I did not know the Lord. I was raised in a Christian home, attended parochial school from kindergarten through grade 12, and went to what seemed to be a million church camps from elementary school age until I finished high school. I even attended an integrative program as part of my graduate studies that taught me to incorporate spiritual formation into my counseling sessions.

Being raised...

Before I came to Jesus Christ, I was lost. I felt that there was nothing special about me that would make Him want to be in my life or allow me to be in His. I was ashamed to talk about Him. I knew Jesus existed but I didn't actually know Him. I felt unloved and hated myself. I was angry and negative about everything.

One day I was overcome...

From a young age I have experienced abandonment again and again by the men in my life.

My father left when I was five. I reconnected with him when I was 22, and he died later that year. My stepfather, who I loved dearly, died of cancer. My married life was plagued by alcoholism, mental and physical abuse, adultery and finally divorce. Then I met a man who loved me for who...

Before I came to know Jesus Christ, I was living as the world told me to. I lived for myself, pursuing my own goals and my own dreams. I thought I was a good Christian by just going to church and giving money when I felt compelled to. I was angry and selfish when things didn’t go my way.

When we moved to Savannah, we looked around...

Things were going well in my life. I had a caring husband and two healthy children. Who can ask for more than that?

But I started to become anxious about everything. I hated being in large crowds of people. I wouldn’t fly places with my husband. I constantly expected bad things to happen to my family. My mind filled itself with worst-case scenarios. The constant worry, anxiety and self-doubt...

I come from a very broken family. My father took drugs, abused my mother and later abandoned us. As a child my grandmother took me to church, so I learned Bible verses and listened to the Word with other children. That was a source of comfort to me, but because of my situation at home I was very skeptical about whether Jesus was really taking care of us. It felt like the world had...

After my parent’s divorce eight years ago, I lived with my father. It wasn’t a good situation. His life seemed to revolve around money. There was so much tension, anger and criticism at home. I felt so trapped. I had been raised to follow Jesus, so I prayed and received encouragement from my Bible, but this was frequently taken away from me.

Eventually I moved in with...

I was a severely depressed, sad and angry person. My husband was in the Army and worked all the time while I lay around all day and did nothing. I barely had the energy or will to care for my own children. I felt worthless.

I left college early one day and was driving when I had the overwhelming urge to wreck my car. I decided my husband and kids would...

I grew up in a two-denomination home. My mother was a Catholic and my father was a Methodist. My parents did not have me baptized as a baby because they wanted to let me make the decision myself.

When that time came, I went through the baptism classes at the Catholic school I attended. However, when the nun would not answer my questions and told me not to worry about them,...

I grew up in Savannah in a Christian home. As part of our homeschooling, my family had morning meetings in the living room where we would read the Bible and pray together. My parents found Compassion Christian and brought our family to worship services nearly every Sunday. I learned to love worshipping God with all my heart and God has shown me that when my heart sings to Him, I will be joyful.<...

I grew up in a family that went to church irregularly. We were typical Christmas and Easter Christians. I was baptized when I was 12 because… well, because that was what you did. But I completely walked away from church and Jesus in January 2003.

On Jan. 4, 2003, my mother, younger sister, 11, and baby brother, 2, were killed in a car accident. On the way home from skiing one night, my father fell asleep at...

I struggled with not feeling "good enough" around others. I never let it show; it was an inside struggle. I was self-confident, but at the same time I felt like the world was on my shoulders. It was up to me to make ends meet, to succeed, be accepted and so on. I worked hard and tried to be the best I could, staying up late worrying and planning. I drove myself to be stronger....

I grew up in a Christian home my whole life, but I didn't want to follow Jesus. I traveled down a lot of roads that lead to destruction. I was lost searching for how to better myself. I was a nervous wreck. I became apathetic and suicidal.

After trying many different things to find fulfillment in life and finding that all the paths that I was traveling down were...

My life before I knew Jesus was horrible. Growing up in Washington I lived in a ghetto with my mom and two older sisters. Both my parents are schizophrenic. My mom was never there for me as a kid and my dad was never really around.

When we moved out of the Projects my mom decided to move in with my uncle and his kids, but it didn’t work...

I knew about God and what His Son Jesus did on the cross from a very early age. I was taught the Gospel as a child in Sunday school and believed it. I had a personal relationship with Jesus through my prayer life. I guess you could say I knew Him, but I did not truly "know" Him in a lot of ways until I got older. I saw Jesus...

"Because of our schedules, our marriage - our relationship - we didn't really have one."

Before I knew Jesus, I was hiding from a very dysfunctional childhood. My job was very demanding and busy. Eventually my lifestyle caught up with me.

After my first child was born, I became very ill and could barely get out of bed in the morning. I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia, but I had a lot more going on that I didn't realize at the time.

I became a...

My parents are both mentally ill, alcoholics and drug users. Almost everyone in my family is sick in some way. Almost none of them are Christians.

I have been neglected and abused most of my life. I have gone hungry, been homeless, lived in hotels and seen horrible things. Left alone without parents, I was taken in by relatives who were conflicted about having custody of me. From age 12 to 23, I was an atheist....

Before I came to know Jesus, I thought I had the perfect life. I worked very hard and was successful in my real estate job. I had my dream home, the Mercedes and so much more. I shopped non-stop. The mall was my friend. I had several boyfriends and was married twice. I traveled all over the world and did everything I wanted. I was living the American dream.

Then...

I was the last person friends and family thought would end up in prison for any reason, much less convicted of felony murder.

I was a police officer for 16 years in Barnesville, GA. I had worked my way up to be a captain over the Criminal Investigation and Administrative Divisions and was working on my master’s degree in public administration.

I became an EMT because our county did not have a hospital....

I came to know Christ at a very early age. I was in the garden of a chapel in Palm Beach with my godmother when I was 5 years old. "I am the resurrection and the life" from John 11:25 was written on a wall. I asked my godmother to explain resurrection to me. It was during that conversation that I prayed to receive Jesus Christ as my personal Savior.

...

"A couple of days after Christmas I woke up and my wife told me she was leaving."

“My life before I knew Jesus, I thought, was a normal one. It was filled with chaos and stress, very unfulfilling and full of heartache and pain. I was a single mother living my life as I thought I should.

I didn’t go out a lot, I stayed at home with my children, didn't do drugs or drink and I worked a full-time job and provided...

I am a single mother of a 2-year-old. I thought I could do this alone without help from my dad or mother or even Jesus--I was WRONG.

After going to church for a few months and learning so much of God and the Bible I knew then that I was ready to change to become a new person and be completely brand new. So, Easter weekend I made the decision...

“I was baptized as a young child and attended church regularly. As a teenager I fell away, never denying Christ but definitely not living as I should. A little over two years ago I attended a small church in Beaufort, SC, where Jesus just grabbed ahold of me and it’s been an exciting journey ever since.

I felt like I finally had a home. I was shown that it...

My life was very dull. I was always a believer in Christ because that was how I was raised. My Grandpa was always the huge motivation. He was a pastor and he inspired so many people. He was always encouraging me to keep my faith in The Lord.

A couple years ago my dad decided Missouri's economy was terrible, so he took a job in Savannah. I rarely saw...

“I want to share my most recent testimony that has brought me back to the church from a lengthy backslide. I am beginning to find a deep happiness again that I have felt was missing the past few years in my life.

Our home happens to be just down the street from Compassion Christian Church. I attended one fine Sunday. That's all it took!

After my son...

This is how Cena McEleney describes what the Lord has done in the past year in her life, culminating in her baptism on the Friday of Easter weekend this year: “God has stepped into a ridiculously messy situation and has brought such blessings and good out of it.”

Here is the rest of her story: “I grew up in a Christian family, but during my teen years my family stopped going...

Krista Tatlock believes God not only hears our prayers; she believes that they spur Him into action and tether us to His heart.

As we prepare for the National Day of Prayer on Thursday, May 3, one local family reflects on a recent traumatic experience that illustrates just how dependent on prayer they have become and just how willing God is to answer our prayers.

“If it hadn’t been...

Pat and Eddie's story about their young daughter's last words reminds us that we have nothing to fear in death.

You can change the course of a life, maybe a family, for all eternity.

Here are a few examples of how an invitation to Compassion Christian Church changed everything. Be bold. Invite!

Jeanne 
A little over 30 years ago, we were a very young married couple with a toddler, fairly newly arrived in Savannah at Hunter and we would have called ourselves...

The stories of life change through Jesus overflow from people who have found him through Compassion Christian Church.

Looking for Help

Anita Browne vividly remembers the whole package of cookies she ate out of the first bag of food she received from Lighthouse, a ministry of Compassion Christian Church that provides food for the needy.

The frosted yellow sugar cookies with sprinkles were the first thing she had eaten in four days. They were also the only food in the bag that her...

The same power that overcame the grave lives in all believers, and we celebrate that new life  through baptism. For each individual, it’s the beginning of a new story full of forgiveness and hope.

"When people think about prejudice, they often think of racism. But it's not always black and white. Prejudice can come in many forms."