The course brought me closer to God

Martin works as an ophthalmic photographer along with a busy life at home and at church: read more to find out what Martin’s learned on Foundations and why he wants to encourage people to take the leap and sign up.

Hello to everyone reading this. My name is Martin, and I am 48 years old with a young faith year count of six in total. I have recently completed the Foundations for Ministry (FfM) course. After sitting and thinking, 'Should I or shouldn’t I go on this course?'

I highly recommend that you do, regardless of your age or the length of time you have been in faith. I say that because the FfM course not only deepened my spirituality and understanding of the Bible, but it also helped me to know myself better and recognise the gifts God has given me. The course also brought me closer to God, as you could feel His presence every time we gathered as a group to discuss that evening's topic.

The course leaders, Simon and Jenny, have made this course a relaxed way to learn, with fantastic support from the group leaders and guest speakers on the topic of the evening. Every person delivering the course is more than happy to answer any questions about the topics they are talking about.

Now this sounds like a lot of work to do, and some of you might be thinking about your family life or barriers that could get in the way. If I told you that I am married, work full-time in a hospital, have three children, and was a Church Warden at the time of completing the FfM course, would that help? The course was neither time-consuming nor overly content-heavy, and it wasn’t aimed at someone who could recite Bible verses off the top of their head while speaking in parables. ‘I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.’ Philippians 4:13

FfM has given me the clarity of thought to know what my next steps will be in my faith journey, and also how to get there. It has also given me a community in which I can have confidence in as we had people the wanted to become ordained, readers, pastoral workers, children’s workers and most of all, people who just wanted to know more about the offerings of the Church and Bible in an informal setting and then go back to worshipping without feeling the need to go any further with their studying.

In conclusion, if you have read this far, take that leap of faith and sign up for FfM. You never know where it might lead you, as no one knows the plans God has for us and remember – ‘For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.’ Jeremiah 29:11

Book now for the course in September

Foundations for Ministry is a course for anyone who wants to explore how they can serve God better in the church and the world. Booking is open now for the next 10 week block starting in September, with courses running in Ellesmere Port and Bramhall. You can find out more about the course and how to book Here