Sue Hancox - Church Life
My coming to faith is not very interesting but here goes:
My mother’s family were heavily involved in Catshill Methodist Church, my grandfather was a lay preacher and my mother ran the Sunday school and helped with the youth club.
When my parents got married (my father had no really church upbringing in fact he still says I go to chapel) they moved to Marston Green where I was born and at the age of 8 we moved to Alvechurch where my church life really began.
As there was no Methodist church in Alvechurch I went to the Baptist church (ABC). Sunday school in the 1970’s was in the afternoon total separate to the rest of church, eventually we were allowed to join normal Sunday morning worship but even then, we sat apart from the rest of the congregation.
I had a couple of very good teachers (I still have regularly contact with one of them, Helen and Frances are also very fond of them), they planted the seeds which helped me grow as a Christian. There was no Brigade’s but we had a Seeker Club which ran every Monday evening for 8 -13 years old and a youth club for 13+, Seekers was very Christian based club but they made it fun and I have very happy memories of my time there in fact I was a leader up until I had Helen.
From the age of 13 until about 16 (just before leaving school) I stopped going to church, perhaps it was becoming a teenager, starting senior school in Redditch, church life and God were not important to me. Then one day I had a letter addressed to me inviting me to a new youth club they were starting up at ABC.
Young Peoples fellowship was small group of 13 – 18 year old youngsters with one leader, we were allowed a lot of freedom on how the group was run, and we had guest speakers, lively discussions, trips (visits to BBC at Pebble Mill, Coventry Speedway and house parties) and holidays. It was during this period I starting going back to church and rediscovered what Jesus meant to me.
On the 22nd May 1983 aged 20 I was baptised at ABC. I have had my ups and downs in my Christian faith but I do believe if you plant seeds of Christian ideals / values you never know when or how they will flourish.
The verse below was chosen by me at me baptism.
By baptism we were buried with him, and lay dead, in order that,
as Christ was raised from the dead in the splendour of the father,
so also we might set our feet upon the new path of life.
Romans 6v4
TUESDAY BIBLE STUDY – fortnightly starting 11th May.
Six sessions entitled ‘Inspired by Hope.’ Each study contains stories of 'hope in action' from the charity ‘Embrace the Middle-East’ as we explore what the Bible tells us about hope.
Options: 2:00pm – 3:00pm socially distanced in the hall with the windows open
8:00pm – 9:00pm on Zoom
Please text or email me if you would like to attend either of these gatherings, so I can order enough booklets for everyone – Stephen
07456 826 326 / turvesgreenbaptists@gmail.com