Joe King

My family emigrated to the UK in 1961 when I was approaching my fourth birthday. Since then I have lived in and around the Thames Valley, moving to Reading in 1975. 

When I was in my late teens, I thought I was a Christian, as I attended church each Sunday, joining the youth activities on Sunday evenings. I didn’t doubt there was a God, but the truth and reality of Christ’s saving work was a bit puzzling. 

It was a difficult day for me when I realised during a Bible study in the book of Romans that there were a number of aspects of the things we read that I didn’t know were true of me. “Was I really saved?” I found I couldn’t answer this with any certainty. But the others in the group clearly could, and so started a period of searching for answers. 

I was helped greatly by two things. First, joining friends and attending a Baptist church for the first time, I heard exposition of the Bible like I’d never heard it before. Then secondly, it was what the preacher was addressing. week by week he spoke about the basic truths of what the Bible teaches, rather like our summary of doctrine. For the first time things began to fall into place and I could with sincerity say that I knew what it was to trust Christ as Lord and Saviour – and that I was following Him. I was a Christian! 

Baptism as a believer followed, and I now look back on over 30 years of being a Christian. 

I spent six years at Reading University in the Maths department, the last three of which involved working for a PhD in numerical modelling. I now work for an oil field services company in the software division where I have responsibility for our technology strategy.