Lionel’s story
My name is Lionel Newcombe. I grew up in England and lost both parents when I was young—my mother when I was three and my father while I was at university.
I didn’t have many friends at home, which is why I enjoyed my time at boarding school—I was always in the company of others and could get stuck into sports, in particular my beloved cricket.
When I was in my twenties, my Christian cousin pointed me in the direction of a Christianity Explored course in London. But at that point in my life, committing to Jesus felt far too restrictive and boring.
However, after a number of failed relationships and poor work choices, I finally realized I needed Jesus. My boss at the time was a Christian, and despite my less than strong performance at work, he graciously invited me along to a series of Bible talks near our office.
I eventually gave my life to Jesus after another Christianity Explored course that was run by the workplace ministry I was connected to. From there I was mentored by a full-time workplace gospel worker, who met with me each week to pray and study the Bible. And a bonus is that we have been great friends ever since.
I’ve now moved to Australia and am married (to an Aussie) with three young children. I have the comfort of knowing Jesus as my friend and knowing that he is there for me through whatever challenges life has to offer. I am also enjoying bringing the message of Jesus to my work colleagues with the encouragement of City Bible Forum.
I still love cricket… have a guess which team I go for?
Susan’s story
My name is Susan. I am currently a Senior Consultant at IBM. I am an accountant on paper but an IT consultant in practice.
I come from a non-Christian family and my first encounter with God was through Scripture classes in primary school. I don’t remember too much from this other than the free snacks and that I was given a Bible, which I put away into storage for more than a decade.
In 2011, when I was doing my internship at IBM, I met a workmate named Nic. I recall our conversations about God and his faith in Jesus during our one-hour lunch breaks. During this time, he also invited me to his church, but I was hesitant at the time and didn't take up the offer.
It wasn’t until mid-2014, when I returned to IBM as a graduate, that I reconnected with Nic. He invited me to a young workers’ event put on by City Bible Forum. As Nic was the MC that evening and had generously paid for my ticket, it was hard to say no. The talk I heard that evening really challenged me to think about my priorities in life and it got me thinking about how I wanted to live—so I signed up to do a short course to investigate Christianity. From there I’ve never looked back.
I am extremely grateful for my new life in Christ. He has blessed me with dear Christian friends like Nic and Caroline. Caroline leads a work-based discipleship group run by City Bible Forum. These people (and others) have been so generous and patient with me—answering my questions, and showing love and concern.
Becoming a Christian has changed me. I have gone from being independent and headstrong, to being vulnerable and dependent on God. More importantly, I know that this life isn’t about me; it’s about God, my relationship with God, and how I can glorify his name by day and by night. I now spend my Sundays—which were previously empty—serving at church.
I’ve learned that it’s easy to ‘talk the talk’ but so much harder to ‘walk the walk’. As CS Lewis once said, “relying on God has to begin all over again every day as if nothing had yet been done”*1.
I thank God that my workmate Nic kept persevering with me so that I could come to know God through Jesus and have new life.
How are you doing with… your workplace evangelism? Which rockets have you implemented since starting this book? Have you been able to talk about Jesus more?
Note 1: CS Lewis, Letters of CS Lewis, rev. edn, Harcourt, New York, 1988, p. 395.
