Deborah Anderson being baptized by Chris & Theresa Broom

“Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.’” Matthew 28:18-20

Chris: I was baptized as a true disciple of Jesus Christ in 1990 in New York City (NYC). I had moved to Manhattan right after high school to study at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy. I grew up going to church, and yet as a 23 year old single, I was very frustrated with the trials of life and the world we live in. I remember standing on the corner of 45th and Broadway watching so many people pass me by. I prayed to God and said, “please help me help you touch their lives.”

Soon after this prayer I was invited to the New York City Church of Christ. I will never forget the people God used to change my life forever. I was on the subway one night when Tom Hughes, a brother who was simply riding the trains to share his faith, reached out to me. He introduced me to Randy Tinnin who was very diligent in following up and studying the Bible with me. I learned that even though I went to church almost every Sunday, my life was controlled by sin. Every night after work I would go out looking for what I thought would make me happy. Sometimes I went to a bar, where I would get drunk and look for a girl to go home with. Other times, I would end up on 42nd street at a peep show. I was always embarrassed when I left those places. I would put my head down and leave as quickly as possible so no one would see me. But God saw me. I was not living in a manner worthy of the gospel (Philippians 1:27). Larry Salberg, one of the evangelists in the Performing Arts Ministry, taught me about discipleship and that was all she wrote. I knew I was not right with God and nothing would keep me from what God was calling me to.

God’s plan to touch people’s lives, including my own, was so clear. Before I could help to change the lives of others, I had to change. I claimed to believe in Jesus and yet my life looked nothing like His. 1 John 2:6 says, “Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.” I had to stop being a religious hypocrite and become a disciple of Jesus. Then, I simply had to open my mouth, as Tom had with me, and call others to be disciples of Jesus as well.

I was baptized just three days later, and have never once entertained the thought of leaving God’s kingdom. I am so grateful for men like Randy and Larry who had been praying very specifically to meet someone who would become an evangelist. I thank God for using these men to put that dream on my heart. I also thank God for men like Mike Faltin and Mark Steiner who took me by the hand and showed me what it meant to be a fisher of men. Then I met Steve Kinnard. He became a real father in the faith to me for my first two years as a disciple. He instilled in me a deep respect and love for God’s word. He taught me so much about how to think and live in order to please God and be effective in winning others to Christ.

I’ll never forget the day Steve and his wife Leigh told me that they were hiring me to work in the full-time ministry. We were all so excited. God then put a series of men in my life to continue molding my character. Arthur Grayson, Jim Brown, Sam Powell, Scott Davis, Danny Macaluso and the men I mentioned earlier all loved me and put up with me as I did my best to follow them as they followed Christ.

In 1994, Steve Johnson appointed me as an evangelist as Steve Kinnard and Sam Powell stood by my side. It was also that year that Steve and Lisa Johnson set me up on a blind date with an incredible woman that is now my wife of almost twelve years. Theresa and I have two children: Austin and Maria.

In 1999, God called us to leave NYC and lead the Syracuse Church of Christ (now renamed the Central New York Church of Christ) in upstate New York. We are forever thankful for the years we spent there and the relationships we gained from that time. One of these treasured relationships is with Ron Drabot, another incredible man of faith. Ron lives in Charlotte, North Carolina and leads the Charlotte Church, but Syracuse was Ron’s hometown. Even though he lives many miles away, his heart is and will always be in Syracuse. Ron has been an incredible friend and example to me through many difficult times. I would hate to think of where my life would be without Ron and so many others that God used to direct me.

Theresa: In 1980 I began my freshman year at Boston University. During my second day on campus I was met in the cafeteria by Sue Lee Anderson, who invited me to church. Immediately I began to go to church and participate in Bible studies. I’ll never forget the night that Lisa Johnson and Sue studied the Bible with me all night because I did not want to “beat around the bush” with the topic of baptism. I left very early the next morning sobered at the fact that I had never learned this before in all of my years of visiting many churches. God’s teaching on this topic is clear. I also felt angry because in my pride I thought that I was already in a “right” relationship with God since I had “accepted Jesus into my heart” and prayed for forgiveness earlier that same year. Three days later I was baptized because I knew that it was the “right” thing to do and I wanted to avoid going to hell. While I was in the fellowship after my baptism a fellow student came to encourage me by saying, “now we have another worker [in the Church]!” My lack of trust and bitterness lashed out at her: “That’s what YOU think,” I thought, “I don’t work for anyone but God.” Even though I thought this in my heart I said nothing out loud.

During the next 2-3 years there were times when I felt frustrated and powerless over my heart sins of bitterness, anger and lack of trust- especially toward men. I remember a class taught by Sue Anderson where she shared that the word “repentance” came from the Greek “metanoya” which means change of attitude AND change of action. I had changed many actions during my spiritual journey in 1980 including drunkenness, shoplifting, swearing and lying. I had even replaced these with other actions such as reading my Bible, sharing my faith, attending church and leading Bible studies. But as hard as I tried I could not overcome heart sins.

I am eternally grateful for Steve Johnson. God used him to teach me about unlimited patience, kindness and gentleness. It was easy to see his consistent and pure devotion to the church and to his wife, Lisa. While the women studied the Bible with me back in 1980 Steve waited patiently until the early morning hours in his car. When I went to the Johnson’s little apartment in Somerville, Massachusetts as a freshman, Steve would sometimes be found in his hammock praying. At other times he would be in between appointments (Bible studies) at MIT or in the South Shore Ministry. A little over two years later when it was announced that the Johnsons would move to New York, I was the first to run up to them in fellowship and invite myself to go with them, “where you go I will go,” I said. They said “yes!” I spent many late nights at their apartment in the early days of the New York mission team- especially since they let me live with them for a few weeks. They are truly family to me. I was the tenth person baptized in the New York City Church of Christ- this time as a truly broken and repentant disciple. In Christ, Steve became my true father in the faith- I have no one else like him. He will always be a hero to me.

My prayer is to live a life of gratitude to God for all that he has done for me. God has put many wonderful people in my life for over a quarter of a century. He has not failed to discipline me throughout this time. May I always praise my God in a loud voice (Luke 17:15). And may his teachings be upheld in my life for the sake of my own salvation and the salvation of many others (1 Timothy 4:16).

Chris: Theresa has always said, “it does matter who disciples you.” One of the things Theresa and I are most grateful for over the past few years is the discipling relationship God has given us with Kip and Elena McKean. We so appreciate their help in our lives and in our church. We love the friendship we share with them and the church they lead in Portland, Oregon with all our hearts. Their ministry is one that we desire to imitate. In just a few days we will be traveling to Portland for the 2006 World Missions Jubilee. We eagerly await this “family reunion” with disciples from around the world. We are going to learn as much as we can so that we can return to Chicago and build a church here that is sold out for God.

We are committed to our partnership in the gospel and want to work with anyone who shares our dream to evangelize the world. Just last Sunday, Anthony Franklin traveled to Syracuse to preach for the church there and kick off their week long youth camp that Ashley Boea also traveled back to be apart of. That same day we said good-bye to our dear sister Renee Rondinone.

From left: Christina Walsh, Renee Rondinone, Maria Chiappetta and Brittany Parlour

She is going back for her second year of college in Central New York where she was converted February of this year. It has been so exciting to see her grow and change over the summer. We are confident she will continue to share her faith with the same zeal in the Mohawk Valley. On Monday night, at our leader’s meeting, we witnessed another miracle of God. It was incredibly emotional to see Deborah Anderson baptized into Christ.

Deborah Anderson (left) with Theresa Broom

She has not just become a part of our church family, but the Broom family as well. (Not only do we share a love for God, but for sushi and country music, too! She is truly the sister I never had.) We are proud of her and the courage she has shown as she made this incredible decision to surrender all to God.

We are so grateful for so many: those God has used to forever change our lives, those God has brought into his wonderful kingdom through our service and those who fight by our side everyday. God has truly given us a purpose on this earth that goes beyond ourselves. It still blows my mind that we have been chosen to be God’s ambassadors to a world where so many live in the frustrations we once did. We will do anything to help God touch their lives.

Chris and Theresa Broom

Categories: Testimonials
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