My Orange Chair Story

Annette

I love this church and I cry everytime I go.  A good cry becuase I feel the love and when I leave there, my soul is full - just like when you are done eating and you have the full feeling.  I was raised catholic too and had issues with the practices and never felt a relationship with God.  I am from Southern California and in Sept of 1991 I lost my two beautiful children in a house fire. People thought I was going to go crazy and for that first year I was.  I read the entire bible looking for answers to all my questions. The very people who tried to save my kids to me to a church - it changed my life.  Many people thought "how can you love God after what He let happen?" and I wasnt really sure how to explain it.  But this tradgey changed my life in so many ways and strengthened me too.  I move up here in 1992 to start my life over and Ed Cortese introduced me to this church and I just loved it.  I am not as active as I would like to be and the times I do come it was from a strong yearning to feel that full feeling.  Funny thing is - everytime I go - it feels like you are talking about my life and what is going on with me.  ITs like God is pulling me there by my soul and helping me, once again.

Another thing I love is that there is humor, real life topics, and the relation of the bibles teachings to fit into today. I love that it is casual and comfortable and I love that when I am hungry for Gods help I can go there and get full.  Thank you.

Nicole L. Washington

I can't quite remember the first time I sat in one of those many orange chairs. I just remember the feeling of not belonging here, of wondering what I was doing there at GVCC, waiting for the service to begin. I just know that I have been enwrapt in that church ever since I first sat in one of those orange chairs. I had lead a long, hard life, even for a 15 year old. My parents were divorced, addictions ruled the adults in my life. Some where along the way I had lost hope and faith in all good things. I had become a pessemist and cynic. Thus, a part of me said that I was wasting my time. It was to late now, my chance to make myself a new was gone. My chance to do any good in this world was gone and past.

A few years back, I had wanted to commit suicide. I had felt this was the only way out, and some times I still do. These days are fewer now, but they still remain a lingering thought in the back of my mind. What would life be like without me? Would people be better off without me, as I percieve? Of course, I could never go through with it. I was, and possibly never will be brave enough.

Once I was baptised by Green Valley, I felt like a different person. Like my spirit had been renewed. I knew after that, I wouldn't be made useless, or remain idle with despair. I had always felt myself as a sort of "Guardian Angel" to people. Even if I wasn't outgoing or an extrovert, those I held close, I always wanted to help, and I always gave advice to those who needed it most. I was always willing to comfort others, even those I did not like so much, but never myself. I remember that there had always been a voice inside my head, telling me the right things to do. This voice I finally came to realize was God, speaking to me at the most random of times.

I have come to believe in God more, maybe not fully and completely, but I do know that he does make miracles happen, for he has made many happen for me. He has given me loving, caring people to be with when I need them most, to laugh and smile with. People that can help me change what the humanly forces and sins here have made me. I worry less, and love more. I am going on my 2nd missions trip this year, serving those who do not have the luxuries we do here in America. I am no longer as much of a pessemist, I am more of an optimist. I have taken off some pieces of my mask, and let my true self shine. I thank God, those who still love me and stand by me even after all I have put them through, and GVCC, and their orange chairs, for always sticking to God's plan for people. I especially thank those orange chairs, for always being there when people have needed them most. For giving those who are weakened by the lack of Gods love and trust, giving them a place to sit and rest for a while.

~ N. L. W.

Brittany Brunet

I was just a freshman in highschool. I was okay with life, home life could have been better, friends could have been funner, school could have been easier. Everyday I would go to school then home,school, and home again. Thats what my life consisted of. One day at school someone told me about R.O.C. at GVCC. I told them I would go. Monday came around and I was at Gvcc. I didnt think it was all fun and I didnt really want to learn about jesus. It wasnt until I left that I saw Tanner wrestling with these boys. It reminded me of my brother and I. Well how my brother and I were so close and we would always wrestle. I wanted that back more than anything. Well those days were over. Once my parents split up for a year Kyle my brother are relationship had changed. We grew apart. It had devasted me. He was my bestfriend. We did everything together. I never trusted anyone since my parents split up. I was a new person after the split up. I wanted to gain that relationship back with my brother and I thought church could teach me. So I started attending church on saturdays and sundays. Saturday I came to church and it was not a good time in life home life was not good friends had been pressuring me into bad things, brother was constantly yelling at me for every little thing I did wrong, I was hurting myself mentally for not being good enough for everyone else around me. I walked in and the song marvelous light started. I was watching the side screens. The words of the song moved me. Durning the song my whole body was tingly I felt as if god was holding me the whole time. By the end of the song I was sitting in the holy orange chairs crying. I realized that when im singing these songs that I forget about everything that was going on in my life. I forget about the pain that I was just feeling before I got to church. That night was the night that changed my life. I was was now a child of god. Ever since that night I went to church as much as possible. Now a days im there everyday helping out as much as I can. Green valley church is my home away from home. I cant thank god enough everyday for what he has done in me throught out this year. I have become a christian girl who is slowly re gaining her relationship with her brother and showing christ to him and hoping one day it will be back to normal.

Tami

AS A COLLEGE STUDENT I FOUNG GREENVALLEY CHURCH AFTER COMING OUT OF A TEENAGE LIFESTYLE THAT INCLUDED DRUGS,LOUD MUSIC AND LOTS OF BAD THINGS!THANK GOD I MADE IT TO GREENVALLEY. AFTER A WHILE i FOUND MYSELF TRULEY IN LOVE WITH GOD! I WAS MARRIED IN 1997 TO A NON-BELIEVER AND MY THOUGH IT WAS VERY HARD MY STORY IS IN MY BELIEF IN GOD AND MY STORY AS A CHRISTIAN AND MY ORANGE CHAIR. i FOUND MYSELF PREGNANT WITH MY FIRST CHILD IN 1998. STILL COMING TO GREENVALLEY AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. I WAS SCARED TO DEATH TO HAVE A CHILD AND I THOUGHT FOR SURE THAT I WOULD DIE OR THAT SHE WOULD DIE DURING THAT BIRTH. I BEGGED GOD TO LET ME KNOW THAT SHE WAS COMING SO THAT I HAD AMPLE TIME TO GET TO THE HOSPITAL,STILL NOT REALLY KNOWING WHAT TO EXPECT.EVEN AFTER ALL THE BIRTHING CLASSES AND SO ON.GOD AND I TALKED QUITE OFTEN.IT WAS A WED. NIGHT SERVICE AND I WAS IN MY 36TH WEEK. THE SERVICE WAS GREAT I WAS EMOTIONAL TO SAY THE LEAST AND BELIEVE IT OR NOT ONE OF THOSE ORANGE CHAIRS IS WHERE MY WATER BROKE. I REMEBER LOOKING UP AND THINKING THAT THIS HAD TO BE A JOKE.BUT SURELY HE WAS NOT JOKING.MY DAUGHTER  KAYLA WHO IS NOW 9 YRS OLD WAS BORN THE VERY NEXT DAY. NOW THAT 'S PLENTY OF NOTICE DON'T YOU THINK. DON'T WORRY I DID CLEAN THE CHAIR:)THANK GOD FOR GOD!

Sandy Popejoy

My orange chair story is probably different from most.  I came to Green Valley in 1993 and yes, the orange chairs were there then!  When I asked, why orange chairs, I was told it was an ordering error, years before.  Now that sounded reasonable, but I wanted so badly to replace them.  The following year I was invited to become a staff member at GVCC.  For the first few months my montra was "Let's get rid of the orange chairs", Let's get rid of the orange chairs!  However, I quickly learned that there were many more important things to spend dollars on than replacing orange chairs.  Loving God and loving people had absolutely nothing to do with getting rid of those orange chairs. Suddenly I learned that filling those chairs with lost and hurting people was the most important thing ever!  The rest is history.  Many have found Christ sitting in those beautiful ORANGE chairs!  Lives are changed every week.  I love them and all of you!

Wendy

I grew up catholic. My mother had strong beliefs. When I left home and moved to El Dorado County I had no clue of where a catholic church was. I did not attend church at all for a while. I started working with a gal by the name of Nicole. We became fast friends. She discovered the "orange chair" and would come to work and tell me all about it. She would invite me all the time and I would refuse to go. I felt that it would be wrong for me to betray my catholic religion by attending a community church. After a few months of Nicole coming to work and singing all these great songs she learned at church, I decided to check it out. I convinced my best friend Bryan to go with me. Bryan was at a low place in his life at the time. With much persuasion he decided to go, even though he swore that when we walked it the church would fall. When I first walked through the doors I looked to the left, then the right, searching for the holy water to bless myself as I walked into the house of the Lord. That is what I was accustomed to. There were no pews, just rows of orange chairs. Scott Sinner was the pastor that night. He told a story he called "the slippery rock". I remember looking over at Bryan during service, he was sitting up strait in his orange chair, listening to every word Scott said. When service was over and we were leaving Bryan looked at me and said, "he was talking to me, I know he was." The story Scott told touched a place in Bryan and made him realize he needed to change things. I knew at that moment that I was going back next week. That was 6 or 7 years ago.

BK

Sometimes the orange chair is as big as the one that Lilly Tomlan used to sit in.  I feel like such a child /an invisible woman and so distant from everyone in the room.  There are times when I just can't come to church.  Other times I feel overwhelmed that I find myself sitting at Green Valley in a characterized orange chat... on that day, at that specific time, totally clueless as to why I was there or what/who had brought me there.

Marilyn Condon

I thought my life was pretty good. Not a lot of problems.  I thought I was on the right path. I thought for sure I would go to Heaven or a Spiritual World of some sort because I was a good person, was good to other people, and never had done anything major wrong in my life. I was a good kid in school, Graduated both High School, went to Jr. College and then finished at my BA degree at a 4 year state college. I have always been responsible been promoted where ever I worked. I dated my husband for 9 years and got married before having children. No real regrets. I had a good childhood with stable parents who are still together today. In 2001 my husband and I were blessed with our daughter and in 2002 with a son.  We lived a modest lifestyle not a lot of "Stuff” But we were Happy. At least that is what I thought.

When I was younger I was not brought up in a religious household, both my parents said they had issues with religions in the past so they no longer went to church.  They always let me go with my friends to a variety of churches.  They wanted me to make my mind up for myself.  Well..... The way I saw it was if my parents did not need church neither do I.  Church was just a place for weak people who don't take responsibility for their actions. They think they can just to church and get forgiven for anything they do.  I thought that was just WRONG!  By the way... The whole story about Mary... Come on now who really believed she was a virgin. Ha HA!  I thought that was just the way they covered up her tramping around.  I would openly say those things in the past and I believed them.

Well when our children started to get old enough to start preschool I looked around for preschools to put them in because I thought it was important to get a good school foundation before they started Kindergarten.  WOW! Was I surprised at how expensive it was?  How was I going to pay for preschool on what we make???  Well... I thought and thought and figured out we could go to CHURCH for FREE and get or children some social skills.  I wanted to USE the church for my gain.  I was not seeking GOD.  I did NOT need him to fix anything in me or my life.  Well... week by week I listened, sitting in my orange chair, First... cross armed and smug... Looking at all those around me and JUDGING them. Trying to figure out why they were there and thinking very terrible things about them.  But what I got in return was not the same.  Everyone seamed to be nice to one another.  It did not matter if they looked like they just came in from under a bridge or out of the boardroom.  I was so confused.  Little by little I became more interested in this whole JESUS thing.  Was there more to it???  GVCC had such a variety of people. From Sweet looking Grandma's to Bums. 

I kept coming... I got my self a book "Beginning the Journey" by Zondervan. (Highly Recommend)  It helped me understand the basics of Christianity and the bible.  I tried reading the bible before but nothing ever could hold my attention. This book breaks down the bible with only 5 books Genesis, Deuteronomy, John, Acts and Romans. Not so overwhelming. It relates to today and some of the daily conflicts the bible has with today’s Christians.

I was committed to get my children social skills so we attended every weekend.  Quickly entering and exiting the building.  I did not want to socialize myself with these people. It was probably after 8-10 services when I realized I was there because I needed to change. I was not perfect; in fact I was not a very nice person to anyone who was what I believed to be "BELOW" me.   I began to understand the power of HOPE and GRACE.  Without HOPE and GRACE we might as well write off most of society.  People make mistakes! But we can decide to Change. Those of us who have been so fortunate in our lives to not have major conflicts take so much for granted. 

It took about 2 years but finally I decided to believe in GOD... Believe JESUS was his son... Believe that Mary was actually a virgin. GOD did create Immaculate Conception.....  I was baptized with my Husband and kids 2006 in the American River.

None of my friends who knew me before can believe I am a Christian.  I talked so much SMACK about anyone who went to church and outright calling Mary a Whore!   So even I have changed.

Bottom Line... You don't have to be down and out.  You don't have to be on Drugs.  You don't have to be a recovering wife beater.  You don't have to be just out of prison. You don't have to have lost a loved one.  You don't have to be a liar or thief to need GOD.  Everyone needs to understand that Jesus came to forgive and save.  That includes just denying him.  GOD made this wonderful world.  We were made in his image.  We need to act with compassion and love for each other, help one another.  This is not a race to see who the few are that can get into Heaven.  It is more of a contest to see who can help others to understand who Jesus was and how he acted and emulate Jesus as much as we can.  We need to be here for each other.

I no longer run in and out of the building so quickly, I have made new friends, I have even stepped up and help teach one of the LIFE SKILLS Classes PRISIM (By the way I have lost 90 lbs) Thank you GOD for the strength and support during that process.

I am so much more fulfilled now that I am a Christian. I see situations in such a different way. I pray to God to use me however he sees necessary. I look at each day with the knowledge that I make a difference in people’s lives. I am here for a reason.  I was put in that Orange Chair for a reason.