Susanna Ford is a PhD student at the University of Manchester.
When did you trust Christ?
I grew up in a Christian family and was taught about the Lord Jesus during my young years. When I was about eight years old, I realised I had never made a personal decision for Jesus and I needed to do so. I asked God to forgive me then and accepted the Lord Jesus's death on the cross on my behalf.
What have been the defining moments of your Christian walk?
My parents, grandparents, and the Church I grew up in gave me a solid foundation. When I was about sixteen I started going to Young Life, a UK Christian young people's discipleship group, and made Christian friends my age. YL also introduced me to United Beach Missions, and I have volunteered on UBM teams during the summer for many years. This time has been formative for me as a believer. I have grown in my walk with the Lord and am active in evangelism.
What do you hope to gain from participating?
Attending the Forum would enable me to make contacts with other believers working in academia to provide encouragement, fellowship, and potential guidance as I decide what to do post-PhD. I want to use my work for the Lord and God's glory. Previously I gave a testimony at the UK Truth in Science summer school and would be keen to be more involved in this kind of work, as I believe it is meaningful to the Lord's work.
What is your ministry?
I volunteer with the Sunday school at my Church in Manchester. I volunteer with United Beach Missions in the summer, especially the Christian Answer, UBM's open air witness city weeks.
What is your leadership role or what were your past leadership roles?
As a student, I haven't yet had many opportunities for true leadership roles. However, I am very involved with United Beach Missions and with my Church, teaching Sunday school.
Why should someone invest in your ministry?
I am undergoing my PhD in an area of immunology and neurobiology and am aware of how secular the work is. I would love to be able to use the qualifications I have to promote the glory of God in the academic arena. Additionally, I have found that younger people studying science have benefitted from hearing from another Christian in science. I am keen to do more mentoring, as the upcoming generation needs to be bold for the Lord.
