Rev. Dwayne M. Doyle
My journey with Christ began in 1980 when I asked Jesus Christ to come into my life and help me. I am married to the Rev. Janet R. Doyle and have two lovely children, Sarah Elizabeth and Andrew Lawrence Doyle. I grew up in Medford Lakes, NJ which is about 45 minutes east of Philadelphia and 45 minutes west of Long Beach Island, NJ. I went to Shawnee High School in Tabernacle, NJ where I excelled in wrestling. I continued to wrestle at Ursinus College in Collegeville, PA. Here I was a philosophy and religion major.
My faith came to a serious juncture while a freshman in college. I was struggling with what my purpose was in life. I had read the first four gospels of the New Testament and was convinced that if Jesus wasn’t the answer to all of the world’s problems, I didn’t know who else could be. But it wasn’t until some missionaries from a local Baptist church came knocking on my dorm room door that I realized I really hadn’t put my trust in Jesus Christ. They asked me if I was a Christian? To which I answered, I was. They asked me if I believed that Jesus was alive and that he could help me? To that I couldn’t answer affirmatively. How could anyone really know if Jesus was alive? They responded that they all believed Jesus was alive and had helped them.
Two weeks later, I was challenged again by more missionaries from their church. They all believed that Jesus was alive and had helped them. They invited me to their church. As the communion plate came around, for the first time, I refused to take it. I wasn’t sure if I really was a Christian and I had read in the bible that we shouldn’t take communion in an unworthy manner. Later that day, I lay prostrate in my dorm room and asked Jesus, “If you are alive, please come into my life and help me.” That was the beginning of my faith journey and I have continued to put my faith in Jesus ever since.
(There was one time in college that I fell from the faith and had to recommit my life to Jesus. There was another time in my life when I questioned the God of the Old Testament for things that I thought were hard to accept, but later, after much reflection, was able to trust the actions and decisions of the God of the Universe.)
Today, I continue to put my faith in Jesus Christ and would encourage anyone to take seriously the claims of Jesus Christ. He is God come in the flesh, Emmanuel, ‘God with us’. I have never regretted the decision I made to humble myself, confess my sins, and ask Jesus to come into my life and help me. It is not a weakness to ask God to take control of your life; it is a strength. And in addition to asking Jesus into our lives, he has also given us the Holy Spirit to live in us and walk alongside us.
Finally, we are not alone in this journey; those who have put our trust in Jesus Christ, are a part of his Church here on earth, which is his body. Jesus also commanded that we take his Good News to all of the world (Matthew 28:18-20). Wherever we are in the world, we must spread his light to all who live in darkness. It starts with you and me and can spread to our families, friends, neighbors, community and our world. Jesus is the answer and hope for all the world today!
I am looking forward to working alongside and serving all of you at Calvary Baptist Church. Thank you for calling me as your pastor along with Pastor Nancy.
Love in Christ,
Rev. Dwayne M. Doyle
