The United Reformed Church

Retired Methodist youth and community worker Tom Hill from Wiltshire shares some reflections on where he senses the presence of God in everyday life.

As a small child, I was adopted by a Christian family. In my teens I became a church member, but it was another ten years before I committed myself to be a follower of the Jesus Way. On leaving school I attended technical college, then did two years national service in the RAF. When I was demobbed, I returned to the family home and worked in the family bakery business. Over the years I moved from working in the bakery and trained to be a professional youth & community worker. After some years working for a Local Authority I applied for and was appointed as a Methodist Youth Officer. Since retiring from full time work, I have worked part time for a charity supporting adults who were abused as children and have got involved in a variety of local charities as a trustee.

I became a widower some twelve years ago. That was hard. I wondered what life would bring next, now that I no longer held the roles I once did, or had my partner beside me. It was then that the message of whole-of-life discipleship, living out my faith in everyday, ordinary life, gave me hope.

Quite often, elders and others in lay leadership positions in local congregations can feel overwhelmed and challenged by the many responsibilities and expectations they face. Val Morrison of the Yorkshire Synod elders’ development group shares how Yorkshire Synod is dealing with these growing concerns.

It is our firm belief in Yorkshire Synod that elders are a precious resource in our churches and in the wider communities they serve. They are people of deep faith who know the life of their churches and their members intimately. They understand the context they live and work in, giving much of their energy and time to leading local congregations in their service to God.

Until recently, all of this service, time and commitment given by elders in Yorkshire synod was pretty much restricted to a local level, without there being much in the way of recognition or encouragement to enable people to undertake the tasks they were fulfilling, or support in feeling confident when new and unfamiliar tasks presented themselves.

Recognising that the role of elders has changed over time and is continuing to increase in terms of the responsibilities and expectations being placed on people, the elders’ development group was set up in the synod to offer tools which would enable those being faced with these challenges to feel confident in dealing with new and challenging situations.

On a visit to Central URC, in Derby, Simon Peters, Walking the Way Project Manager, learned how reflection and prayer led a congregation into community action.

Realising that many older members of the community lived in isolation and with mobility issues, the church developed a weekly ‘3Fs’ group which focuses on fellowship, food and fitness.

Every Wednesday, the church hall is filled with pensioners who choose from a range of activities that includes chair exercises, listening to music, socialising and meditation.

Tim Billingsley, who set up the ‘ALL, Together’ services at Northcliffe Methodist/URC LEP in Shipley, focussing on providing an inclusive welcome for all people, especially those dealing with learning disabilities, shares a little of his own journey with Jesus:

Two constants in my life have been my faith and the urge to make, mend and create. My method of escape as a child came in the form of drawing and painting; I’d use any scrap of paper I could find for my art! Once I found myself able to read, I devoured all sorts of books.

Before doing an Art Foundation course, I did some voluntary work at a day centre for Leaning disabled adults, which I really enjoyed. Later, I worked in a similar day centre in Bradford, and spent time teaching craft to learning disabled adults at a special school.

I loved all of those jobs, but a diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) forced early retirement. I was a Methodist trainee local preacher, but my training was curtailed as my MS affects my concentration and memory.

My faith life was a roller coaster (It still is!). In both my church attendance and creativity, an awareness that God was just out of sight stayed with me. I prayed for Christ to be with me in my MS. I felt a bump at my shoulder, like someone walking alongside me, a good companion, saying ‘I am here with you.’ I saw that learning disabled people had few opportunities to share the Good News, and I felt a call from God to put that right.