The story of a military investigator
This talk took place at 7.15pm on Friday 19th July 2024.
You can listen to it by pressing here
Today, Grayson Fuhrman pastors a small but growing church in Chingford. However, his road to that job has taken him to some fascinating, but also distressing, places. As a criminal investigator for the American Marines, Grayson had to deal with some evil behaviour from others. How did he handle that personally? What does he believe is the answer to the dark side of humanity? Come along and hear. Grayson will be telling the story of his life in the military, his work as an investigator, and his transition out of that on Friday 19th July. All are welcome. To give you a taster, here is a brief introduction from Grayson:
I was raised in a Christian family near Richmond, Virginia, in the United States. But I rebelled against my upbringing and had some troubling years as a teen and testing times at university. Then in 2007 I enlisted into the Marine Corps, serving with the 2nd tank battalion. That led me to Iraq in 2008 where I was involved in a wide range of missions.
However, God had plans for me too. Just months before my deployment to Iraq I met Sarah, a lovely English woman. Through her God brought me to salvation through faith in Jesus Christ and transformed my life. After returning from Iraq, we married and then in 2010 I was selected to join the Marine Corps Criminal Investigative Division. After training as a federal agent, I worked on many cases from general crime to domestic situations. In 2012, we moved to Japan and, amongst other duties, I worked on identifying human and sex trafficking rings that often sold and enslaved children. I saw the terrible depths of depravity that exist in our world and worked to rescue those entrapped by it.
Later in my career I transferred to forensics and training. But God was leading me to what I see as even more important work and so I transitioned out of full-time military life. That was a really difficult step to take and the change was demanding. But I left active duty in 2015, joined the Marine Reserves and went to seminary to study for Christian ministry. After those courses, I worked with children and young people for a couple of years, and studied for a masters degree in counselling.
Then in 2019 we moved as a family to the UK. I started to work amongst the needy on a low-income estate in Luton. Two years later, I was called to be the pastor of Kings Road Baptist Church in Chingford. Sarah and I are still there today with our four children and a dog called Winston. And I’m still working hard to see those entrapped by sin rescued from it. But that’s not just in the underworld. As I learned of myself in 2008, sin has its hold on all of us. When God investigates our lives, we stand condemned. But there is a way to be forgiven, a way to saved from sin’s trap. That’s through the Son of God. My work as a pastor today is to bring that message to all.