Next Sunday, our friend and almost-Curate David (and others) will be ordained at Guildford Cathedral.
He writes…
I have had a varied experience of faith, which makes me careful and sensitive around others in church. Born overseas, my baptism in the Church of England was delayed to a point where I have clear recollections of the moment. I was taken to church as a child along with my siblings by my mother, which was usually a friendly and enjoyable, if slightly confusing, experience on occasion! The Bible verse below is one shared with me by my father that has stuck with me. I became an altar server in my teenage years and was awed by priestly robes and the proximity to worship. I also witnessed someone close to me experiencing safeguarding issues, which has increased my sensitivity to this part of the Church’s history, and in many ways has been a helpful experience in setting the context for what I regard as the better role of protecting others, through God’s ministry.
I often felt that God came to me when a child in the manner of a guardian angel and I experienced the closeness of being guided by the Holy Spirit on memorable occasions as I grew up.
I returned to regular church attendance along with my fiancée. Her father was a retired army padre (chaplain) and gently encouraged me to take a more active role in our local church, reflecting the moral code accompanying my work in Human Resources into family and local life. The kindness and care from church figures made my life happier and became a focus in our married life with four sons.
It ultimately initiated the rehabilitation I felt after leaving the world of work early due to health concerns, and I became licensed as an Occasional Preacher and assumed the role of Treasurer for the parish. In time, the counsel of our local rector contributed to my conviction that prayer is the route to gaining personal salvation, from which I received the call from God towards ordination. I remember the joy that accompanied being touched by the power of the Holy Spirit as I entered training.
My personal experience of being saved by Jesus will lead me to encourage others to place their faith in prayer and God; to step back from feelings of desperation towards acceptance of God, seeing us as we are – sinners seeking redemption, receiving the love of Christ. The journey beyond being saved to aid others’ paths towards Christianity is the most compelling mission I have taken on in my life.
The Bible verse my father first shared with me when I was young, that has stayed with me along the way, is:
‘Do to others as you would have them do to you.’
Luke 6:31