Saskatoon Baptist Church - Saskatoon

I was born in Portage La Prairie, Manitoba, in 1966.  My parents, who were Hutterites, left their colony when I was 3 years old.  My dad saw a lot of corruption and dishonesty going on in the leadership of this particular colony (not all Hutterite colonies are like that), and he felt that he did not want to raise his children in such a stressful environment.

When I was three years old, my parents left the Hutterite colony with 7 of us children.  We did not have much of anything, and we rented an old beat-up house.  My dad worked very hard to try to make ends meet, and it was a very difficult time for my dad and mom.  They struggled to put food on the table, they struggled to put clothes on our backs, and they struggled with sickness in our family.

However, one thing I do remember well is that my mom would spend hours on her knees praying for my dad and all of us children.  While she would be crying out to God, as a little boy, I would run up to her and say, “Mom, mom, what’s wrong?”  Then she would say to me, “Carl, I’m okay.  I am just praying.”  I’m sure that hearing her pray so earnestly and sincerely softened my heart to the things of the Lord at a young age, and the Holy Spirit was drawing me as it says in John 6:44  “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.”  My parents had many answers to their prayers.  We always had food on the table, clothes to wear, and we got through many sicknesses.

As far as them being saved, coming from a colony, that is another matter altogether.  Although the Hutterites were persecuted by the Catholics in the 1500’s for not believing in infant baptism, they follow some of the same unbiblical traditions that the Catholics follow. They believe that old sermons are sacred, and their focus is on community living as well as many religious traditions. They believe in Jesus, but do not believe that in trusting in Him alone can bring salvation.  It is Jesus, plus doing good works, and following the traditions of the colony such as community living that brings salvation.  Then maybe you will get into heaven.

In 1969, my parents left the Hutterite Colony and rented a farm to live on. There we attended a Holderman Mennonite Church for one year.  The Holdermans have many religious traditions that they follow, but at least they realize that everyone needs to accept Jesus Christ as their Savior.  They even have altar calls in their church services.  In one of the services, my dad and mom accepted Christ as their Lord and Savior.

I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Saviour when I was 5 years old.  I just had my first big crisis in my life.  I was given a bunch of baby kittens to have as my own and I was so excited about these kittens.  I loved those kittens.  I took care of them in our garage feeding them milk and bread every morning.  Unfortunately, they drank some motor oil and became very sick.  They all eventually died and I was devastated.

My mom found me crying, and she knew that this was the beginning of many trials that I would face in life.  She sat with me and explained the gospel message — that I was a sinner, that I needed a Saviour, and if I was sincerely sorry for my sins (repented of my sins) and asked Jesus to come into my life, I would be saved.  She also shared how He would help me through many trials and how one day I would live with Him in heaven.

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave is only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him, should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Then she invited me to receive Jesus as my Savior and led me in saying the sinner’s prayer.  Immediately, the peace of God came over me, and I was comforted. I often thank my mother for pointing me towards Jesus Christ.

Later, at the age of 12, I was baptized by immersion.  I had been attending a public school where it was very challenging at times.  Sin was everywhere, and it was very easy to slide into.  This school was full of sex, drugs, and alcohol; however, God protected me from many wrong relationships, and getting involved in those things. There were many times that I watched my dad and mom on their knees praying for me, and for the rest of their children.  When I did fall into sin, the Holy Spirit would immediately convict me and I knew that as a Christian I needed to stop it.

When I graduated from high school, I played a lot of sports and had many different jobs.  I found myself many times cutting off bad relationships because they were leading me into a sinful lifestyle.  An example of this was one of my football friends who was a tremendously talented player was living with his girlfriend.  My friend and his girlfriend broke up and she married a pastor in Calgary.  My friend then drove to Calgary and committed adultery with her and then bragged about it to the rest of the football team.  I knew I could no longer associate with him and I left a winning football team.

My Dad was a Pastor of the local church for approximately 15 years.  When I was in my twenties, my dad was wrongfully dismissed as a Pastor and excommunicated from the local church.  Spiritually, this turned our family into confusion, and most of my siblings are still there with the exception of one of my sisters.  I became bitter against the church leadership.  I didn’t want anything to do with church.  I started to read a tremendous amount of business and self-help / psychology books. They all mixed Christianity with psychology.  Eventually, a Christian businessman challenged me and showed me that these self-help books of psychology were taking me further and further away from God.  I realized he was right and repented from following those books instead of the Bible.

I then started attending church again on a regular basis. There I met the love of my life, Sharon.  I asked her to marry me, and she agreed.  We were married on July 1^st, 2000.  Since 2000, God has blessed Sharon and I with 5 wonderful children. They are Joshua, Eden, Kayla, Sarah, and Hannah. They have been gifts from God and we appreciate each one of them.  We have chosen to home educate them from the beginning and are so thankful to have had that option all these years.  They have been a tremendous help and encouragement as they serve alongside Sharon and I here at Saskatoon Baptist Church.

My life has been led and directed by God, and I’m so thankful that I had praying parents all of these years.  Today, I am a Pastor here at Saskatoon Baptist Church. The Lord took me out of the business world, and has put a burning desire in me to see people repent of their sins and accept Jesus as their Lord and Saviour. He has also put a real desire in me to disciple Christians and teach them through the preaching of God’s Word how to have a real and personal daily relationship with God. He continues to lead me daily as I submit to Him.