Meet Scott
Scott had just moved from Melbourne back to the ‘sleepy suburbs of the Shire’ three years ago when he received a flier about our church in the mail. ‘It was a point in my life where I was settled down to some extent but I felt that life seemed a little monotonous and unfulfilled.’
His parents and siblings are not religious but as a child Scott had gone to church with a close friend whose mum was a believer. A weekly chapel service at Newington College also kept the God question fresh in mind during high school. ‘That prolonged my very, very shallow Christian beliefs. Nevertheless I was never a non-believer but I couldn’t say that I was a true believer.’
When Scott began coming along to Jannali Anglican with his wife and daughter Emily, it was largely to learn from the Bible and expose Emily to the scriptures. ‘It was a bit of a deep dive for me because the more I learnt through that year the more I realised that I didn’t know about the Bible.’
For various reasons, this year he has often been coming along by himself to the Saturday night service. ‘I’m now more focussed on my own growth in Christianity than on my family because that’s the starting point – to come to believe in Jesus, and to come to believe the gospels. And from there I hope that through my belief and through my behaviours and teaching onto my daughter, that it will instil in her.’
Scott has been looking forward to Christmas. ‘This year will be particularly exciting because my daughter and I will be able to fully devote ourselves to Christ and less to presents and Santa Claus.’ Scott will be at one of our Christmas services. If you spot him, say g’day!
(Image: Scott and Emily)