Camille Garvey was born into an Adventist family. Life got busy, and the Garvey family stopped attending church. When Garvey asked her mother why, she expressed concerns about the judgment and coldness members often displayed.
Although they stopped attending, they still honored the Sabbath by listening to worship music and watching sermons. Garvey and her siblings attended Catholic school, where she developed a fear-based relationship with God due to the legalism and judgment of members.
A close relative eventually lost their walk with God and was determined to disprove Jesus’ existence. Garvey soon came to believe that all she’d been taught was a lie. “To be honest, there was a sense of relief in pulling away from that because I had to — I could drop the guilt,” Garvey said.
As she pulled away from God, Garvey began learning about spiritualism. She developed depression and began having suicidal thoughts and ideation. She couldn’t find peace. “I kept trying to numb as much as I could. Feelings would come up to the surface, and then I would feel so overwhelmed with all the feelings,” Garvey said.
Until the COVID-19 pandemic, Garvey was able to pull herself back from going too far with various vices. Once things got settled and she had time to think during quarantine, she lost all self-control. “It literally scared the life out of me,” Garvey said. She realized she couldn’t keep living this way.
Garvey knew she needed things to change but understood that she couldn’t do it alone. She began revisiting speaking to God as a forgiving father. She began asking God if Jesus was really real, if He had died for her and if He loved her unconditionally. Garvey asked God to reveal the truth about Jesus to her.
“I had a moment in my room where I was at my wits' end and I realized the Holy Spirit was revealing to me all the sin I was carrying and the separation I had from God. And that is what was really killing me," said Garvey.
"I just laid on my bed and had this real honest, guttural cry like I needed help. I was just dying for that peace and presence for years, and I couldn’t get it. When I finally just asked Him and surrendered, it was undeniable," she continued. "He was just this presence in my room and this love. And that’s when I had my first true encounter with God.”
Garvey began to study the Bible for herself and came to see God as loving and merciful. She began looking for a church. She remembered the Sabbath from her childhood and found Volunteer Park Church in Seattle. The people were kind and welcoming — not judgmental as she’d remembered from her youth. She had finally found a loving God with a loving family.
Garvey has taken on a personal mission to spread the news of the loving God she knows. She does this through VPC’s community outreach programs and volunteering at a crisis center. She prays that God speaks through her to those who need Him.
Garvey was born into the Seventh-day Adventist Church, but didn't see the love of God due to the coldness and judgment of church members.
Credit: Brenda Cardozo
One night, Garvey realized she the peace and presence only God can provide.
Credit: Brenda Cardozo
Garvey began praying to God, thinking of Him as a forgiving Father.
Credit: Brenda Cardozo
Garvey remembered the Sabbath of her childhood and found Volunteer Park Church.
