Faith story – Diocesan Evangelist, Jim Fleming
Jim Fleming is one of the first group of 8 Diocesan Evangelists who will be commissioned on St Patrick’s Day. Pictured here with his wife Janet, who will also be commissioned as an evangelist, Jim shares how he became a follower of Jesus:
“I’m an East Belfast lad, brought up on the Cregagh Road, though I was born 12000 miles away in New Zealand! I was raised in a home where my Mum was a Christian and my Dad wasn’t. From an early age my Mum was putting warning signs out for me to encourage me to get on the right path in life. She told me about God’s great love for me but also about the problem that we all face in life, the situation where we, no matter how good we think we are, fall way short of God’s standards.
However, as a teenager I decided I would find my own way. I had friends, girlfriends, parties, etc; all the stuff that I thought would bring fulfilment to a young man’s life. One year we went off to a Boys’ Brigade (BB) camp in Cornwall. Great stuff, all the lads together heading off for a couple of weeks holiday. While we were there we got into all sorts of mischief and unfortunately shoplifting was one of our vices. Disaster struck on the very last day of the camp when some of us were caught by a store detective.
So there I was, on this road that seemed fine to me but it was very much leading me in a wrong direction, leading me to a life of crime, borstal and probably prison. I had ignored all the warning signs that my Mum and the BB officers had lovingly put there. In spiritual terms I was separated from God by my actions, my sin against a holy and just God.
On the way home from that BB camp one of the officers chatted to me about the amazing rescue Jesus wanted to carry out to lift me off my road of destruction and set me on a road travelling with Him, a road that leads to life, proper fulfilment, purpose and ultimately eternity with Him.
What did I have to do to get on this steady, safe road? I had to turn away from all I knew to be wrong and ask for His forgiveness. Immediately I did this! And after hours of internal conflict and worry I felt an overwhelming peace that now I was safe, loved and forgiven.
That was back in 1982. I was baptised shortly after and then spent 30 years attending the same church. I was asked to become a BB officer at 18 and spent 22 years working with boys in that organisation.
However, one thing that I hadn’t become was a Disciple of Jesus. I was still really living for myself, my career and looking after my family. Jesus was still on the periphery of things rather than being right at the centre of my life. That all changed from 2005 onwards through events that God worked through.
In 2008 God led me to get involved with Christians Against Poverty (CAP) and I managed the Belfast East CAP Centre as a volunteer for just over 4 years.
While working with people who are struggling with debt God brought to my attention that the biggest and far more important debt they needed help with was the debt of sin, their separation from God. This then led me on another path to become a member of Willowfield Church and be selected for the first Evangelism Training Course in 2014. I will shortly be commissioned as a Diocesan Evangelist with Down and Dromore and now I am studying the Church of Ireland Foundation Course.”