55 people in groups from CradleyHeath, Evesham, Droitwich, Malvern, Stourport and Worcester have received aspecial certificate from Bishop John, marking the completionof a course designed to help them relate their Christian faith to their ownlife and locality.
The groups took the BishopsCertificate course over 12 months with the support of local tutors. It coveredsubjects such as Christian faith and the Creeds, the Old and New Testaments,Pentecost and the Holy Spirit, discipleship and living as Christians withpeople of other faiths.
Bishop John addressed thecandidates before presenting them with their certificates. He offered congratulationsto all those receiving certificates as well as thanking the tutors and the familyand friends who had supported them. He quoted St Augustine by saying: Toreach out a little with the mind is great blessedness. Go on reaching out alittle, but most of all, go on loving because to know is to love and youreloved by God more than you can possibly imagine.
Glennis Finn from St. AndrewsChurch in Wollescote took the course with the group in Worcester. She said: Itwas brilliant, we had a really wonderful group from diverse backgrounds. Iloved getting to grips with the bible and found the resulting discussioninspiring. Its given me a lot more confidence in my faith.
Jackie Hewlett from Gornal andSedgley parish was part of the group which met at Old Hill in Cradley Heath.She said: I loved the course. We had quite a small group so got to know eachother really well and shared each others journeys. We followed the Churchsyear as we worked through the bible and it helped to link everything together.
Richard Weatherill from GreatMalvern Priory completed the course. He said: It was very good, we had alovely, cohesive group with a good variety of tutors. I studied the bible formy degree around 40 years ago so it was great to get a different perspective. Ivedefinitely got a better understanding of the key elements of the faith now,including prayer.
Linda Bridgewater is fromAlvechurch parish. She said: This was the second time Id completed the courseand each time its brought something different out. I really enjoyed meetingother people and talking about our beliefs.
Liz Bloomer is from St MichaelsChurch in Stourport. She said: The course was excellent. Our leaders made areal difference they used the course material and went into greater depth. Itmade us think and look at things from different angles and we all learntsomething new, no matter how long wed been part of the church. Its helped tobring church services alive because Ive got a better understanding of the symbolismand meaning behind the words we say.
Judith Ford is a member of StBarnabas in Worcester. She said: Ive always been interested in RE and I foundthe course really interesting. It was good to share it with others, but I wasalso able to do quite a bit of self-study.
ENDS
