Testimony of John Plantz

I was born in Winnipeg, MB and grew up in a small town called Camper, MB. (formerly a Jewish farming community).  My parents sent me to a Bible camp every year from the age of 5-17.  Looking back I am very grateful for this because back then G-D was not given a place in our home.  At camp we were encouraged to memorize scripture, but as far as I was concerned it didn’t mean much to me.  I realize now that some of those verses must have got through because when I was about 17 I began pondering the reason for  life. At that time I was faced with a lot of difficult situations.  I had been struggling with a poor self image, was bullied during my teens, and thought a lot about suicide.  These thoughts were not helped in science class where we were told that we were part of an evolution cycle and that we came from apes.  Life was not going very good.  There didn’t seem any plan, purpose or reason for being here, so why stay.

Sports became an outlet to relieve frustrations and anger, and G-D got my attention at a baseball tournament. I had come up to bat and within 3 pitches had struck out for the first time in my ball career. I had played in a men’s league since I was 13 and now was 18.  It was a pride thing that no one could strike me out.  My response was to immediately heave my bat and use the name of the L-RD in vain, where upon a man in the crowd stood up and said “It wasn’t Jesus who struck you out, you swung at a bad pitch”.  That made me even angrier.    Later on that day that same man came to me asking if he could take 10 minutes of my life to share the good news of Jesus with me.  I wasn’t interested but he took the 10 minutes anyways and after the sharing the gospel of Jesus with me challenged me to go to church. For some reason I went, and heard the message again.

In the summer of 1975 I applied to Royal Canadian Airforce and to the R.C.M.P.  but was turned down by both.  I then applied to go to the University of Manitoba but again it was too late to be accepted.  G-D then used Jalmar E. (director of the Silver Bay Bible Camp near Ashern) to tell me he could get me into a college with a great sports program, not telling me it was a Bible College.   I applied to the college and was accepted.  It was during registration that I noticed it was heavy on the Bible, but I stayed because of its sports accomplishments.  During my first year at Briercrest I met a man by the name of Harold M. who seemed to have it all together in spite of a very severe stuttering problem. There was something different about him. Somehow knew I needed and wanted that.  Harold was in the Pastoral Major and was to preach chapel one morning. I couldn’t believe it but when he preached he never stuttered once until he had finished with these words “ HANG IN THERE”. Harold was a prayer warrior, a faithful Bible reader and he would witness openly about his personal relationship with Jesus the Messiah.  That left a deep impression on me. On Dec. 14, 1979 I attended an evening service at Grace Kildonan Baptist Church in Winnipeg with a few friends.  We watched the film called “Time to Run”.  The person in the film was running away from G-D, his girlfriend, his parents, his life but in the end he accepts Christ into his life.  He was running just as I was.  That night an altar call was given, but since I was already at the front no one came to talk to me.  It was when everyone else was gone that a youth pastor came and asked if I needed anything.  I said I would like to accept Jesus into my life and repent of my sins and let the Holy Spirit guide me.  He was surprised by the request and wasn’t sure what to do, but we struggled through it together and I became a believer in Jesus the Messiah.  I was glad to be a Christian, knowing that Jesus died on the cross to pay for my sins and that He rose from the dead on the 3rd day to give me eternal life.   He has been working in my life ever since and has called me to share the good news of Jesus Christ our L-RD and Saviour with others.

In 1983 I married my lovely wife Irene. G-D has blessed us with 5 sons, 1 daughter, and soon-to-be 2 daughters-in-law.

I graduated from the Briercrest Bible College in 1978 with a Diploma, and in 1979 with a B.R.E. and a teaching certificate. Later I returned to get my Master of Ministry with studies in Archeology in Israel. From 1978-88 I worked as a youth pastor, “circuit preacher”, and in native evangelism in Saskatchewan and Manitoba, sometimes full time and sometimes part time while working on a variety of other jobs.
 
While at Briercrest in 1989-92 working on my Masters Degree and archeological studies in Israel we received the call from G-D to become involved in full time Jewish Ministries and have been in that field to the present.