Previous Deacons
Gillian
(1994 - 2004)
I was brought up in a Christian family, so that church always played an important part in my life. When I was 15, I went to a Girl Crusader camp, where I came to realise that you don’t just grow up a Christian, but have to make a positive decision for yourself. I asked Jesus to be my personal Saviour, and was baptised and became a Junior Member of Tankerton Evangelical Church.
In skipping over the next few years, suffice it to say that from my marriage I have two lovely daughters, Catherine and Helen, who have both been baptised at this church. The three of us moved in with my parents, and received much support from them, and when my father died, from the Church Family.
Having MS has meant that I can’t cope with a full time job, but this has given me the time to give to being a deacon, Sunday School Secretary and also act as Clerk to the Governors at the Endowed School - all things which I can do sitting down. (I don’t think I’d have time to work full-time!) Being able to take an active part in our church means a great deal to me, as I feel that I can give something back to God in thanks for all He has done for me.
Through my service over the past few years as a deacon, I feel that I have been helped to grow in my faith as I have seen the working out of God’s plan in my life and those around me. It is not always obvious at the time why certain things happen as they do, but looking back, it is always possible to see God’s hand leading us and guiding our lives.
My favourite text is Romans 8 v 28 -
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.”
I don’t think that this means that our lives will always be without difficulty, but that He can use all situations for the good of other Christians as well as ourselves, and that we are part of a much bigger overall plan, which God has for all His followers.
In my spare time, I like to read, play the flute (and the piano when no one is listening) and knit. I have even got to grips with using the computer!
Gillian