Our guest speaker Friday night was Pastor Doug Wooten from the Asbury United Methodist Church in Madison, AL.
Our neighbors, Bob and Glenda Sharp, along with their Sunday school class members, donated funds to DAP to purchase water for the crisis in Mississippi. We went to their class to thank them for their kindness. There we met so many nice people including the Pastor and his wife, Karen.
Born in Portland, OR, Pastor Doug grew up in a Christian home. He knew about Christ but did not know Him personally.
As a teenager, he played basketball and that became his god. He ‘ate, drank and slept’ basketball. He had one foot in the world and one foot in the church.
At the age of 19, while attending a Bible camp meeting, he heard the song, “He Touched Me.” After the meeting, riding down the road, crying and weeping because of his past, he felt Jesus physically touch him.
The text, John 3:16, came to his mind, and for the first time, he knew God would forgive him of his sins . Next he heard Jesus’s audible voice saying, “Doug, I have something for you to do.”
He could not wait to tell about his encounter to the youth pastor and his friends.
Pastor Doug believes that experience was his direct call into the ministry. He is a retired Army Chaplain of 28 years and has been pastoring over 20 years. He told stories of how God has worked in his life.
In conclusion, he encouraged the men to claim Philippians 1:6:
“And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue His work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.”
We were all inspired and encouraged by the pastor’s personal testimony.
Pastor Doug Wooten
