“As soon as I came to this church, I knew I was finally home,” were the words that True James Williamson shared with a group of church members at a recent midweek meeting. Williamson first visited the Panama City Adventist church in Florida, United States, with his wife, Geri, who had been baptized years earlier but had not been attending since.
Though True was an unfamiliar face at the church, he was well known in the community because he volunteered every year to dress up as Santa Claus for the Christmas show in town. People thought that with his fluffy white beard, he definitely fit the bill.
Geri eventually decided to come back to church after 12 years of not attending, and that is when everything changed. Immediately, the couple began Bible studies with one of the church elders, and True made a decision to be baptized and become an active church member.
“It looks like Santa himself was getting baptized,” quipped one church member, recalling the ceremony, which took place during the Christmas season in December 2018.
True’s desire from the outset was not just to be a church member and warm the pews; he made it very clear that he intended to be active and bring people to Jesus. Since becoming a baptized member, he has been actively witnessing and sharing his faith.
“Ever since learning about the teachings of the Bible, I just can’t keep my mouth shut,” he said.
As an avid motorcycle rider throughout his life, True had an extreme burden to reach out to the biker community. He was able to connect with a Seventh-day Adventist biker community named Sabbath Keepers Motorcycle Ministry. Today, True is the director of the Florida chapter for the motorcycle ministry and hosted an event for all motorcycle riders who love Jesus or want to get to know Him better.
On Saturday (Sabbath), April 13, 2019, bikers from all over the region came to share their testimonies and invite their fellow biker friends to find answers to life. For the special worship service, held at the Panama City Seventh-day Adventist Church, those who were not bikers were encouraged to wear a leather jacket to make the visitors feel welcome at the service.
The Williamsons invited all to partner with them in prayer and action.
“We would love to see many find themselves riding to the foot of the cross!” they said.
The original version of this profile was posted on the Southern Tidingsnews site.
