Faith
I am passionate about many things in
life, the first and foremost 'thing' being God. I was brought
up in the Church of England (Anglican), went to a Roman Catholic
school and have been part of various congregations including Pentecostal,
Baptist and Anglican churches. I was curious about theology and
its concepts so I studied A-Level theology which expanded my knoweldge
and broadened my understanding of Christian theology and its history.
Exploring new and exciting ways to
develop and maintain my faith I now find an integral part of my
life. I am part of an alternative worship church group which is
part of an Anglican church in York. We are called 'Visions'.
Visions is a reflective and thoughtful but also provocative space
which people of different age groups and social backgrounds come
to on a regular basis. Here I find I am able to worship, pray
and reflect in an unpressured environment, whilst still being
encouraged to think about difficult issues, including world issues
and and also social issues, which may re-examine who we are and
how we live.
This is not to say I disregard or disapprove
of other forms of worship and churches. I believe God is always
there to be found if we want to find him in all varieties of buildings
and denominational worship. For example a cathedral building
has an amazing presence of God in the silence and mind blowing
architecture. It took me quite a long time to realise that I had
to always be open to God in all spaces rather than to keep preconceptions
or scepticism at the front of my mind. This is of course not always
easy as being open to new or different things can seem to an individual
as being open to attack or vulnerbility. I am speaking from experience
here and not theory! It could of course feel exactly the same
to a visitor to Visions, so I am not singling out particular cases;
it affects everyone.
Following what I have said, it can
be said that I do not particularly bind myself to a particular
denomination. I believe that it is my faith that brings me close
to God, who in turn binds us as Christians together in his Church,
which knows no human titles or names.
