When did you trust Christ?
I was saved in 1994 when I attended a Christian Union at college. I became friends with some Christians, and they invited me to the Christian Union, where I heard the gospel. It was only at college in 1994 that God called me to Him. In the first few years after being saved, I went on two six-week Christian missions to Zimbabwe to help build a clinic with a local Zimbabwean Pentecostal church. My early Christian life started with great fervor. I am a work in progress and a sinner, but my prayer now is that God would deal with my hidden idols. I pray for obedience, understanding, and discernment from His Word and Spirit.
What do you hope to gain from participating?
I want to learn about local church ministry and discipleship from a mature Christian. I want to define my calling in the church my family and I attend. My role in the previous church was more defined, but in the current church, it is less so. I was discipled by another leader from the European Leadership Forum, but that came to a natural end in the last 1-2 years. I miss 1-1 discipleship very much. I want to grow in holiness, understanding, obedience, and discernment. I aim to lead my family well, which will hopefully reflect on my ministry in the church. I want a more fruitful ministry reflecting our Lord and Saviour.
What is your ministry?
My family and I left a church plant in a new housing estate two years ago. We had been involved in the churchplant for about four years. My responsibilities there included street outreach and following up on new people we met. From this, I have some good fruit. I have led meetings in Sunday services, and in midweek meetings, I have led bible studies. I have given evangelistic talks at events with invited non-Christians. I have been involved in one-to-one discipleship as well with two younger Christians. In the summer of 2021, I graduated with a GDip in Theology from Union School of Theology. I visit a Christian care home monthly, leading a service and preaching. I have done this for about 18 months. I have been mainly preaching through the book of Psalms. About 12 months ago, my family and I (wife and daughter) started attending a new church, and we are currently getting to know other church members and getting involved in church activities.
What is your leadership role or what were your past leadership roles?
My current role is to lead a Sunday service and to preach in a Christian convalescent home about once a month. This encompasses sermon preparation to preach for 20 – 25 minutes. I also chose hymns and doxologies for the service. As there are several students in our current church, there is a need for their discipleship. We have been at the church for only a year, and at that time, I got to know a few students who have discipleship-type relationships. This has not been formalised into a recognisable ministry by the church leadership. But despite this, the need for student discipleship could develop in the future. The church has other ministry needs, such as evangelistic and apologetic outreach. Additionally, a parachurch ministry could grow at the church based purely on apologetics, much like Christian Heritage in Cambridge, where I have worked. I have talked to the pastor about this, and there is an opportunity for this to develop.
