Di’s Story
I have been part of the All Saints community since 2020 and because we were then in the midst of the Covid pandemic services were all online. I had been an active member of another church in the city for many years. However during the pandemic I sensed that God was calling me to somewhere and something new. I didn’t anticipate this at all so I waited for God to reveal his will to me and because all activities were so restricted at that time I watched different broadcast church services, searched the Bible, read words of wisdom and it became more and more clear to me that I should explore All Saints. For me this was quite a change as I had always been part of a non conformist church. However I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the songs at ASW were all familiar to me and I very much liked the style of worship.
The following are a few extracts from prayers and words of comfort and encouragement I received during Covid “I believe you will make a way for me and provide for me, if only I trust you and obey. I will trust in the darkness and know that my times are still in your hand. I will believe you for my future, chapter by chapter, until the story is written…” A prayer attributed to St. Brendan the Navigator.
“Trust in the Lord and do good. Then you will live safely in the land and prosper. Take delight in the Lord and he will give you your heart’s desires. Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him and he will help you.” Psalm 37: 3-5
“We have all been forced into a wilderness experience by Covid – living with uncertainty and ever changing situations….. We need to 1) seek God and pray – practise Sabbath and silence. Endure or embrace this time; 2) join a community – a church family/midweek group; 3) immerse ourselves in Scripture and the promises of God.” An extract from a Rich Johnson sermon in 2020.
So having made the decision to join All Saints I decided to join Revive, a group for women meeting on Wednesday mornings. However Revive wasn’t meeting in person only on zoom due to Covid restrictions. This worked well for me because with the different women giving talks or testimonies online it enabled me to get to know more about people new to me quite quickly.
I had never ever been part of a women’s group throughout all my church life mainly because I didn’t feel it was for me, but having joined Revive I have made so many new friends and my prayer life has deepened. I feel almost that God had been preparing me for this new venture in my faith journey and this confirmed for me that I was where God wanted me to be and doing what he wanted me to do. It is a privilege to be one of the leadership team of Revive and seeing what God is doing in and through the women of Revive who come from different churches in the city.
I have always been thrilled that at All Saints there are a number of different opportunities for prayer throughout the week. Prayer has always been very important to me and I am one of the participants in the weekly Foodbank prayer group and the monthly Persecuted church prayer group. In addition, at the end of our Revive meetings there is always a time of sharing and prayer in small groups. It has been a great encouragement to hear and see what God is doing and for the trust that exists so that women are able to share their deepest needs in a safe space. “The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. James 5: 16
I do not think it is enough to just turn up at church on Sundays because you need connection to help build up your faith and share your life in all its ups and downs. It took me a while to make a decision about joining a lifegroup so what really prompted me to do so was when my daughter was taken ill and hospitalised while on holiday abroad with her family 3 years ago. It was something completely out of the blue and although I was praying hard I needed to feel that others were supporting in prayer too so a close friend who was in a lifegroup circulated the details to her lifegroup and we saw amazing answers to prayer. After that I knew that I needed to get on and join a lifegroup which I have never regretted.
Each one of us has a different story but we are all one in Christ who sees us, knows us and loves us. This is a part of my story but it’s not the end of the story. There is more to come and I trust in a God who holds the future.