Tanyon Berry was recommended on Sunday, November 21st as a Deacon Candidate. On December 5th during our Members Meeting, church members will vote. The following is his testimony explaining how and why he feels called to be a deacon.
I grew up hopping between churches and going through periods of time during which I didn’t attend church at all. I certainly had no concept of church membership or community. The church was a building, not a group of people, and it was a place I only visited and thought about on some Sundays. At about the age of seven at one of these churches, I prayed a magic prayer and was told that I was now a Christian and would go to heaven instead of hell. To me, that was all being a Christian meant. Although I went through a period of time where I was zealous about being a good person, my faith was deception and there was no life in me. I gradually stopped believing throughout junior high and high school as I struggled with increasing depression. Things only got worse in college, and I stopped calling myself a Christian when I realized that I didn’t even think I had faith anymore. But God would use this all for my salvation. I attended a Cru meeting with Lindsey, who I had recently started dating, and was connected with one of their staff members who shared the gospel with me. It was the first time I truly understood who Jesus was, particularly that He was to be my Lord and not only my Savior. I saw that I had been trying to run my life, and I sucked at it. I was so relieved to hear that Jesus could be in charge instead of me. I saw obedience to Christ as the freedom I needed, and He saved me. He has been healing me, loving me, and continuing to save me ever since.
One of the greatest ways He has done this has been through Church on Mill. I became a believer in April of 2016, and the following August, Erik Naylor connected me with Michael Swain, who was new to the church at that time. I became involved with the college ministry and began attending church here regularly. I was immediately drawn in by the love you all showed me when I was new, and I learned to seek God in His Word and to cherish the Bible as His immutable truth. I was baptized and became a member five years ago in November of 2016. I quickly began serving on the audio visual team, first as a sound volunteer and later to run slides, and I found that serving in the church was a blessing to me as a young Christian in many ways. Most notably, it increased my sense of commitment to the body, it deepened my familial affections for the people, and it provided me with a tangible and meaningful way to serve the Lord my God who rescued me from the dominion of darkness.
Over the last five years, Church on Mill has been family to me. My GC has walked with Lindsey and me through engagement and marriage, older brothers have discipled me and helped me to disciple younger brothers, my joy has become fuller, and my desire and ability to serve God and make Him known have grown. God has given me the blessing of continuing to run the visual equipment, and has taught me humility through it. Our job is one in which most people don’t notice us unless we make a mistake or the equipment malfunctions. It is not glamorous or often praised, and I have been tempted multiple times to think it insignificant and desire a position that gives me more glory. But God has taught me through serving in the booth that to serve and be unseen is blessed. To quietly enable the congregation to sing praises to God brings Him great glory. My Father sees. He has humbled me and taught me that my reward is from Him, so I need not look for it from man. Though I am weak, He is strong, and He is day by day renewing my heart that I might be a suitable leader to help the church worship Him well. After learning more about being a deacon and praying for clarity, I believe God has positioned Lindsey and me to serve you in this way and is calling us to serve as deacons of corporate worship.
