The following are stories of people whom God has “gathered” to our fellowship from the north, south, east, and west. In each of these videos, you will learn how God has miraculously worked in their lives. We all have God Stories to share…what is your God Story?
Serge Baron
Serge shares his transformative journey from a turbulent youth, marked by multiple marriages and a near-fatal accident, to finding solace in faith. Ignoring divine warnings, he survived a crash, prompting a spiritual awakening. Despite setbacks, including a near-death experience due to medication, he found his church home at FBC Aztec. Embracing baptism and salvation, he faced challenges, but the supportive church community became his anchor. Now deeply connected to God, he reads the Bible fervently, finding newfound understanding and purpose. Serge sees FBC Aztec as his eternal family, a sanctuary where his faith thrives.
Donald Clark
Donald revealed a dark period of addiction and incarceration a year ago, during which he turned to Christ. Finding relief and a sense of belonging, he cited the Bible verse Hebrews 13:5, promising God’s unwavering presence. His past had left him feeling abandoned, but through Jesus, he discovered love and light. After almost a year in incarceration, he returned with a desire for others to see the light of Christ within him. Donald praised FBC Aztec for its exceptional love, comfort, and compassion, highlighting Pastor Mike as a guiding friend. He attributed his transformation to God, expressing a commitment to sharing love and God’s glory. Without Jesus, he acknowledged, there would be nothing left of him.
Matt Bascom
Matt reflects on his transformation through faith in God. He describes a life of constant pain and setbacks until he surrendered to God’s guidance. He shares a pivotal moment when, in desperate financial straits after COVID-19, he unexpectedly got a job offer from Orkin, despite not actively seeking one. This opportunity led to blessings, a new job, and meeting the love of his life, Jerrie, thanks to God’s intervention. Matt emphasizes that everything happens for a reason and expresses profound gratitude for the positive changes that unfolded when he surrendered control and followed the path laid out by God.
Mike Colson
Growing up, Mike gave his life to God. He was saved and baptized at age 14. He and his family always went to church, but at some point their church split and they stopped going. Mike did not drink or party in high school but in 2003, he deployed to Iraq and while there, he started drinking. After he came back, he had a drinking problem and had a hard time keeping his life together. Eventually, he met his wife, and they had children. When he left the Navy, he found a job as an Aztec police office, but he still struggled with drinking. In June of 2012, a kid he grew up with committed suicide; Mike was first on the scene. It devastated him and he eventually quit. He did different jobs after that but drinking continued to be an issue. After an incident on his job in November 2020, his drinking got even worse, but…God began to speak to him. He got together with Pastor Mike and some other men, and they walked with him as he slowly came back to a relationship with God.
Gina Carter
Gina grew up in church in Bloomfield. Eventually, after she had grown up, she had a family of her own and moved to Aztec. Gina felt that she needed to find a church home that was hers and not her parents and felt that God wanted her to lead in some way. It turns out that the house she and her husband bought was a block from First Baptist Church, Aztec. After visiting a couple of times, Gina thought, “This is where we need to be.” She started leading a women’s Bible study, then Pastor Mike became pastor at FBCA, and Gina said he has a way of knowing where people belong—completely God-driven for him. He started introducing her, saying, “She heads up our women’s ministry.” And before she knew it, she was indeed leading the women’s ministry at FBCA. God has put on Gina’s heart a passion for seeing women connected to Scripture and to Him.
Walker Moore
Walker Moore recently shared some exciting news! He says that when you step out in faith, God just does things that are incredibly miraculous. Walker’s been working in Ukraine, Panama, Mexico, and Peru, and for about a year now working out of a storage unit. The other day God blessed him with a 1,500 square foot office space at no cost—the people are going to pay for the heating, electricity, the telephone, the wi-fi, everything! It’s five blocks from his house. In the video, Walker takes us through the office space and shows us what God provided—beautiful decorations and desk items, computers, telephones, everything already in place. He has a study office with a stained glass window. There’s even a kitchen and two storage areas—everything came equipped! Walker says, “Where God guides, He provides.” And, “…trust God today…for what you need…being his word and praying…[He will] continue to be faithful.”
Clark Danner
Clark moved to Aztec in 1958, and this is where he really started going to church. He went to the Nazarene church in junior high and high school. He was into the religious part of worship but never understood or could get the feeling of what God was trying to do. It still didn’t sink in too much until years later when he had several physical conditions. There was a man by the name of Don Johnson who, every time Clark turned around, was praying for him. Don would be with him when nobody else would. He was an inspiration and let Clark know that he and God were there to help Clark through everything. Don told him that First Baptist Church, Aztec, had a new pastor and Clark really needed to come over and listen. Clark visited and eventually decided to join the church. On August 10th, Clark got sick. His son came over and called for the ambulance and as the EMT and everybody was trying to help him, one of the first people he saw was Pastor Mike. What a feeling it was for him to know that the church had people to stand with him and try to help.
Karla Weaver
Karla grew up in Oklahoma. Her first exposure to Jesus was in Nash, Oklahoma. That’s where she went to church. Karla was baptized when she was eight. As she grew up, she graduated from high school, went to college a few places, and then kind of fell away from where she should have been with God. Karla did her own thing, made her own decisions, and totally fell apart. She became Jehovah Witness but couldn’t find that feeling she’d had before in her Baptist church growing up. She had a son who passed away and had her son’s funeral here at First Baptist Church Aztec. After a couple of years, Karla decided to come back to church and started attending FBC Aztec. She got to know some people, met Pastor Mike, and reconnected. Karla says she found her peace; she found her road again. She’s found that no matter what mistakes she’s made, God still loves her. She chose her path before, but now she’s following His path.
Rick Watson
Rick was struggling with his anxieties and health problems. They were giving him deep trouble. One Sunday, he was getting ready to go to church. He got into his truck and had a vision. The vision was of a glass jar full of quarters or maybe coins. He thought it was kind of strange. The image disappeared. He then headed to church and after he parked, again the vision came to him of the glass jar, but this time it wasn’t coins—it was like lead slugs. As he was sitting there, the Lord said to him, “This is what you are carrying around. These are your burdens.” And Rick tried to pick up the jar in the vision and couldn’t. Then he saw the hand of God reach down and take the jar, and He swept it away. It disappeared and he felt God was telling him that those burdens were for Him to take care of if Rick would just release them. So Rick would like to ask us, what is in our jar? What are we carrying around that belongs to God that we need to let go of?
Sierra Sanders
Sierra says she had a great childhood growing up. She had gone to First Baptist Church, Aztec, her whole life, and this church has been her family. On December 7, 2017, however, Sierra was a senior in high school when the school shooting happened, and it was one of the hardest and worst days of her life. As students were evacuated from their classrooms that day, they walked past a barricade of police officers. Sierra saw a member of the church who was an officer in that line. When she saw him, she knew she was safe. That night, church members and community members gathered at the church to pray…this church family meant more to her than ever before. In the days that followed, she questioned God. Sierra was angry and upset. God gave her a verse that stuck with her and helped her through it. Previously, she had planned on going into education but because of the shooting, she changed her career path. She instead decided to go into law enforcement. The first responders that day had made her feel safe. Even later as she went to college to pursue this career path, she missed the church family until she was once again able to come home.
Jerrie Bascom
Jerrie struggled with giving God control over her circumstances. She wanted to move to Oklahoma and start her life over, but everything about it felt forced. She packed up and moved anyway, even though there were clear obstacles. When she got there, nothing fell into place. She admits that she was trying to push her will over God’s. After a time, He brought her back to Aztec, but she still faced hardships, like child custody battles, her living situation, etc. She finally gave up and told God to take control of her life. As soon as she did this, instant peace and happiness washed over her, and things began to happen very quickly. Her parents introduced her to her future husband at First Baptist Church Aztec, and her new marriage, the blending of their families, a new home and job seemed to all fall into place. Praise God!
Richard Kovacs
Richard had always believed in God but felt that he hadn’t been putting God at the center of his life. When he married his wife Connie, things started changing for him. He wondered what was missing from his life. He and his wife talked about church and what that meant to them, then they started the search for their church home. Connie mentioned going to First Baptist Church, Aztec. Richard had been here before for various other events but had never really attended regularly. The first person he saw when they walked into church that morning was Gary Cleaver. He and Gary had worked together in the past. Richard and Connie weren’t too far down the aisle in the Worship Center when Richard realized suddenly that this was to be their church home and what he had been missing in his life was putting God at the center. He then recognized Pastor Mike from when they had met fishing a couple of years earlier. They had the opportunity to get together and meet. God confirmed that what had been missing in Richard’s life was putting Him at the center and doing for God rather than putting Him to the side. Richard and Connie have continued to attend ever since.
Will Lee
In 1996, Will was in a very bad car wreck—a month after getting married! He was in the hospital in a coma and was very likely going to die. God woke him up in the coma and gave him a vision of all the people who were actively praying for him at his church and at his wife’s church, First Baptist Church, Aztec. He showed Will things he couldn’t have seen or known. God said, “I can take you home now, or we can answer these prayers that are being prayed for you.” Will was ready to die. He was in a lot of pain and would be glad to go to Heaven, but he agreed to stay. God said, “I’m going to ask you to draw in breath, and I am going to breathe my breath of Life back into you.” Will started to do that, and God woke him up out of the coma and delivered him from the hospital. He has continued to see the power of prayer, prayer where people are healed or saved and has been able to pray for others and intercede for people in need.
David Knight
David always believed in God but did not attend church. His wife was a follower of Christ and their children, but David was off doing his own thing. It wasn’t until he was about to lose his father that he began to feel Christ working on his heart. He talked to God more, even after his father passed, but he didn’t know that First Baptist Church Aztec was praying for his salvation. One Christmas, the church was having a Candlelight Service. David was busy taking care of things and didn’t intend on going to the service but felt that God was telling him to go and see what the service was about. He snuck in the back door. His wife didn’t know he was there, and God told him, “Today is the day. You are going to follow Me.” He talked to Pastor Mike after the service and accepted Christ. David felt relief and like a weight had been taken off of his shoulders. He says things have been different since then. God has helped him with his anger issues, and he is growing every day—he’s even in-charge of a Sunday School class now!