God in my life
Although I didn’t realise it, seeds were sown early in my life, Sunday School, Church Brownies and then Church Guides with monthly Church Parade, leading at Sunday School. I studied R.E. for GCE which gave a basic understanding of Christianity but not as comprehensive as current times.
It has not been until recent years that I have a better understanding and awareness of how God has been in my life. When Andy asked me to do this article it made me sit and review what and how my faith had grown and been “fertilised” over the years.
My father’s family worshipped at the Baptist Chapel, my mother’s family were very high Church of England. When Michael and I married in 1969 we had discussions on religious choice as Michael and his father were practicing Catholics, I was Protestant and wanted to marry in my church. In the 1960’s the Catholic Priest had rather strong views on the implications of not marrying in a Catholic Church. I found out at the time that my lovely mother- in- law went through the same discussions 30 years before. We married in Holy Trinity Church in Cookridge, and had nearly 46 happy years. Looking back this started me thinking about the different ways of worshipping the same God.
Michael and I weren’t able to have children but our friends presented us with 7 precious God Children most of them now adults and with their own children. Through my involvement in their lives, and them in my life, I attended many different churches around the country, including the Church of Scotland with different approaches to worship.
At the time I never analysed my feelings, but looking back I realise that whenever I came up against a major challenge to the path I hoped my life would take God gave me the will and the strength to get up and move forward.
The biggest challenge was Michael’s illness and early death but on the day of his funeral I sat in the front pew with the sun coming through the East window and I knew that he was in a better place.
What looking back over these issues has taught me is that however we worship we are speaking to the same God. In our Benefice we have three churches each with it’s own style of worship but we all work together to do God’s work. In this present time of challenge it has become apparent (and I don’t say this lightly as those that know me know of my love of the building of All Saint’s with the peace and walls steeped in prayer) but its not the church (building) it’s the people of whatever belief or denomination and the prayers that matter.