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aptism at my Irvington Church. Soon the pastor, Fred
Troxell, came to my home and talked to me about my
baptism. He suggested I take the computer online Bible
study course, “My Place With Jesus.” John Sheats, an elder at
my church, helped me with the studies.
After I completed the “My Place with Jesus” Bible studies,
the pastor set a date for me to be baptized. It took
place on Sabbath, March 21, in the Irvington Church.
I encourage you to take Bible studies and become a baptized
member of the church. It will show others you have
chosen to follow Jesus Christ as your Savior. I desire to go
to Heaven with Jesus, and I hope to see you there, too.
Alexander O’Connor, member, Irvington Church, as shared with Bruce
Babienco, volunteer correspondent, Lake Union Herald
Mary Burton enjoys studying the Bible and sharing with others what she has
learned.
Michigan Ever since she was a little girl in Georgia,
Mary Burton loved going to church. So much so, that
even during playtime she would play church. The youngest
of a large family, Mary had her nephews and nieces
sit as if in pews and asked them to read scriptures and
give testimonies. She studied the Bible on her own and
wanted others to have the same joy she had, so she started
giving Bible studies to her young charges.
Mary came to Detroit in 1960. It was there she met
her husband and had three daughters and a son. As a wife
and mother, she continued giving Bible studies to her
children and her husband and eventually to her neighbors
and fellow church members. The more Mary stud-
ied the more she wanted to know. Her studies led her
to many questions, which her pastor could not provide
answers to. It seemed only natural for Mary to return the
postcard she received in the mail, responding to an offer
for Bible studies.
When Robert Stewart, Metropolitan Church pastor,
came knocking on her door, Mary was surprised by
the visit. “I couldn’t remember sending in the card,”
Mary said of that encounter, “but I’m sure glad I did.”
Robert introduced Mary to his wife, Sandi, Metropolitan
Church’s Bible worker, and Sandi and Mary began
to meet weekly in July 2008 and studied the “Storicles
of Prophecies” series together. Mary was ecstatic. She
quickly finished the two studies Sandi left with her, then
went online and finished two additional series. As she put
it, she wanted to “learn more and all” she could.
Even though Mary had been in church all her life, she
said, “I was learning things I had never heard.” An active
member of her church, she again went to her pastor with
her questions—especially her questions about the Sabbath,
but he could not provide adequate answers from
the Bible.
Mary struggled with the thought of leaving the
church she loved. She had been very active in the ministry
of the church, and her now deceased husband was
baptized there. But by her second visit to the Metropolitan
Church, she felt at home. “It seemed so bright and
cheery,” she said.
Mary continued her studies and completed the “Revelation
Prophecy Seminar” as well. She soon began helping
others, responding to those who submitted postcards
for studies as she had done. Although her family did not
support her decision, Mary was baptized on December 27.
She was comforted as she remembered how alone Jesus
was in the Garden of Gethsemane without the support
of His disciples.
Mary continued her lifelong mission of giving Bible
studies, including studies with her son and two grandchildren.
She was in the middle of 13 active studies with
her neighbors and friends from her former church when
she became ill and her doctors put her on bed rest. No
longer able to get out, she continues to share the Bible
with those who come to her bedside. Mary’s prayer is that
her health will be restored so she can resume those 13
studies again soon.
Joy Hyde, communication secretary, Metropolitan Church
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