In the old Saturday morning cartoon, Super Friends, a set of twins would say, “Wonder Twin powers, Activate!” Then they would do amazing things and save the day. In Colleyville, Texas, there are modern day wonder twins. Catherine and Creighton Crandall decided a year ago that they wanted to bring religious leaders in the community together to share, “Why I Believe in Christ.” On this recent Palm Sunday, after a year’s worth of work and preparation, six leaders from six Christian denominations gathered together with an interfaith congregation of approximately 300 attendees and shared their personal journeys to believing in Christ, an amazing culmination of testimonies about the saving power of Christ’s atonement.
I first heard about the twin’s efforts a few weeks ago. I was able to ask what inspired them to put this event together. Catherine explained, “I have always been interested in my friend’s beliefs. They often ask me what I believe [as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]. After I answer their questions, I ask them about their beliefs. I thought it would be great to get everyone together.” Creighton stated, “I’m hoping it can make an impact if we get representatives from other faiths to talk about Jesus Christ.”
Creighton began the devotional, with a thank you to the faith leaders who “probably were wondering why these two teenagers kept bothering them. It turns out that Palm Sunday is extremely busy.” He went on to introduce the former mayor of Colleyville, Richard Newton. During Mayor Newton’s tenure he began a ministerial alliance with the intent of gathering faiths together “to honor the Holy name of Jesus.” Many of the participating clergy knew each other from that forum.
Highlights from the evening included Pastor Lee Johnson, Bear Valley Community Church, explaining, “I like MLK. A little-known story about him, he was born Mike Lee King Jr.” MLK’s father learned about Martin Luther’s conversion to Christ and renamed his son and himself to inspire them to be Godly men. Pastor Johnson explained that he is also inspired by Martin Luther, “He was in law school, St. Anne’s, he pleaded to God that ‘if you save me, I’ll be a monk. I am not ashamed of the gospel.’ He felt the answer that ‘the just live by faith.’” Pastor Johnson went on to explain that “I wanted that but I thought I had to earn the gift. I knew I could never be good enough.” It was by understanding Christ’s gift of atonement that he felt peace and knew his path.
Other testimonies echoed that profound gratitude for the role of the Savior in bringing peace and purpose to their lives:
Reverend Anne Marie Berg, First United Methodist of Colleyville, painted a beautiful image of an alarm clock, which can’t be ignored, and a sunrise, which slowly fills the sky and slowly we see that Christ is with us. “‘Light began to come more clearly; dawn is at hand.’ Acts 20:24.“ Reverend Berg came to know, “Nothing, not even my life is more important than completing my mission. I’d seen Christ show in countless ways and grace, that the life I’d been given was a gift from Christ and suddenly the God I’d heard of was real.”
Adult Formation Minister Joe Tremblay, Good Shepherd Catholic Community, a father of six children and married for 29 years, shared his church’s goal of “reproducing our love for Jesus. Our number one vocation is to get each other to Heaven.” He credits his mother for her devotion to prayer and her continually questioning him, “Do you pray to Jesus?” In casual and serious conversation, we talked about the Lord.” With those messages resonating in him he did pray and “Embrace his faith.”
Pastor Blake Jones from Colleyville’s Journey Church, grew up a pastor’s kid in a family of pastors. “We were a family that honored Jesus Christ.” As Pastor Blake grew up, he saw his family, parents and siblings doing amazing things in church. He began to feel discouraged and lived a dual life. He was deciding to join the Air Force when he heard and felt, “Son, you know this is not what I have for you.” He decided to do “what I was raised to do – believe in God, because even when I walked away, God remained faithful.” Pastor Jones realized like Romans 8:38 says, “Nothing can separate us from God’s love.”
Pastor Lanre Sobo, RCCG Glory House, taught how God can change us. He first spoke of the apostle Paul and his conversion. “After Saul wreaked havoc among the church, in Acts 9 it describes that, light struck him down blind, and he heard, ‘Saul, Saul, why persecuteth thou me?’ From that point his [Saul’s] life changed, even his name changed, Saul to Paul. In college, I was lost, so lost, one day I met Jesus and my life was changed.” Pastor Sobo described his personal transformation “I had trouble concentrating, through Christ I was able to change. I finished school. I changed my life. 30 years He [Christ] has been guiding me.” Pastor Sobo concluded, “He asked me to believe. John 14:1 ‘I believe in Him’, I choose to.’” Pastor Sobo then challenged everyone, “Believe in Him and your life will never be the same.”
Bishop Edward Smyth of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, recalled at 12 years old knowing that “Jesus Christ was the creator. When I looked around me, I saw beauty everywhere. I realized these things testified of Christ.” Later during medical school, he felt similar wonder and amazement of God’s power, “The incomprehensible processes of the human eye, I felt that there was no way that this was random.” Bishop Smyth believed in Christ and he wanted his father to believe also. He shares, “I came to know that Heavenly Father answers prayers. I prayed for my father.” Bishop Smyth told us that his prayer for his father and his father’s conversion was not answered immediately “Ten years later, he [his father] was baptized in the River Jordan.” Bishop Smyth quoted John 3:16, “’For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.’ I know that only in and through the atonement of Jesus Christ, can we be saved.” He closed by entreating the congregation to “Believe and trust in Christ.”
Catherine then thanked the beautiful interfaith choir, who shared their belief as they sang the hymn, “I Believe in Christ” and all the speakers for their powerful testimonies of faith. She also shared that each participating clergy would receive a framed print of Carl Bloch’s, The Sermon on the Mount.
Marcia Jackson, who conducted the meeting, described the underlying principle fueling the evening’s devotional. She quoted Dieter F. Uchtdorf, an apostle of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, “The unity we seek is not to have everyone stand in the same place; it is to have everyone face in the same direction—toward Jesus Christ. We are one not because of where we’ve been but where we are striving to go, not because of who we are but who we seek to become.”
The evening came to an official end with a Benediction by Karen Roeming, a former care giver to the twins and member of Cross Creek Church. She expressed her gratitude for Christian leaders who “in our difference, share the love of God.”
After the devotional, many shared treats and time together. One participant, Roger Morgan, shared “It was an incredible effort by two youth who had a vision over a year ago and managed to bring together pastors and ministers and congregants from six different faith communities to share the common belief of Jesus Christ. It’s unbelievably incredible to me.”
We were all edified and many share another participant, Drew Johnson’s sentiment. Johnson presides over several congregations (including the Crandalls’) in the Colleyville Stake of The Church. He said, “It was beautiful and inspiring to celebrate our shared belief in the Savior and how His atonement changed the world and continues to change each of us daily if we let Him. I am grateful for Catherine and Creighton for bringing us all together.”
At the end of a yearlong effort, Catherine and Creighton, can see and be proud that they used their wonder twin powers to gather diverse people to testify of the most amazing thing – the love, life and atonement of Jesus Christ.