There are times in the life of a congregation when we lose sight of God’s presence and work among us. Our focus becomes speaking about problems with finances and dwindling membership numbers, when we need to be testifying to God’s faithful presence, especially in times of questioning and transition. At times, preachers too, can find it hard to see God at work. Along with our congregations, preachers become exhausted on many levels: physically and emotionally, but especially spiritually. It is my thesis that in our collective exhaustion, the use of testimony when partnered with preaching can be an effective tool in transformation and renewal. My definition of testimony is telling out loud the truth of how we experience God at work in our lives and in the life of the church. It is my intent to show that as congregation members embrace the act of giving their testimony during a sermon, their faith and awareness of experiences of God will increase. I believe the congregation, the ones testifying, and I are strengthened and drawn closer to God and each other by listening to one another’s faith journeys. This is not a scientific report, but rather, a subjective reflection based on four sermon-testimonies and subsequent congregational responses. What follows is a testimony to God at work among us in the context of the First Presbyterian Church of Jonesboro, a small Presbyterian Church (USA) congregation in a suburb of metro Atlanta, Georgia.
