Bible sticker leads to church plant

Iain Taylor  |  World
Date posted:  1 Feb 2024
Share Add       
Bible sticker leads to church plant

Matt Viljoen

A car bumper sticker can change your life. Ask Matt Viljoen. Born in South Africa where he trained as a vet, Matt moved to Broadstairs in Kent with his wife and two young children in 1999. But on his way to work one morning, he saw a bumper sticker with the name and frequency of Christian radio station TWR.

Matt was intrigued. Having grown up regularly attending church, he and his wife had already committed themselves to that way of life, as ‘cultural Christians’. But shortly after they arrived in the UK, the Viljoens met another South African couple, one also a vet, who had come to faith in Christ. Their new friends led them to Christ.

The Viljoens had joined a thriving evangelical church and were growing in their faith, but Matt wanted to go deeper. Unaware that a Christian radio station even existed in Britain, he tuned in at his first opportunity, and heard teaching by Chuck Swindoll on ‘Insight for Living’. He was hooked instantly and his life began to change course. ‘I’m a positive kind of person, so listening, especially listening to the Swindoll sermons … I wanted to teach other people,’ he said. ‘So in the practice, in the consulting room, I would start evangelising people. … The consulting room was my training ground.’

Share
< Previous article| World| Next article >
Read more articles on:   church planting
Read more articles by Iain Taylor >>
World
Rwanda: Thousands of churches shut

Rwanda: Thousands of churches shut

The Rwandan authorities have begun shutting churches en masse, a process that is being driven by ‘dictatorial paranoia,’ according to …

People
Bear Grylls launches show with cast of The Chosen

Bear Grylls launches show with cast of The Chosen

TV survivalist Bear Grylls is set to launch a new reality show, featuring the cast of Netflix series The Chosen …

Subscribe

Enjoy our monthly paper and full online access

Find out more

About en

Our vision, values and history.

Read more