Where are you from? I grew up in Portsmouth, within sight of the sea, and I still miss it.
How did you find St Margaret’s? On our second week in Oxford we were looking for a church to join. I was put off by the big crucifix outside and it looked very gloomy but we thought we’d check it out as it was our parish church. Our oldest son, Jamie, was just 2 1/2 and our second son was just a day or so away from being born. The lovely Nigel Knight saw us on our way and guessed we might be headed to church so he got chatting to us and we were welcomed in by him.
What do you do here? I’m on the PCC and some of the church rotas; what I try to do is look out for people who are new and say ‘hello’. Sometimes people slip off really quickly but from my seat at the back I’m often in with a chance!
What do you like about the church? We initially warmed to the church because we were totally accepted for who we were. No-one bothered about our jobs or qualifications or anything. Now Martin and I have been here so long that the church feels like family -which can be a good thing and can sometimes be annoying, just like other families.
What are you looking forward to over the next few months? We’re going to be discussing the church’s response to the Climate Crisis in the PCC in November, so I’m looking forward to seeing what we do as a result and being part of that.
What three words would you use to describe your faith? Oh 3 words? I’ve had a faith since I was a teenager and it has changed considerably on the way.
For me it’s important to be honest with yourself, God and others about your faith – there’s no point pretending you believe stuff you don’t.
My faith is rooted in silence, silence is a place of vulnerability as well as nurture. If I fail to take time daily to sit in silence everyone is worse off – me and the people I come into contact with.
The mainstay of my faith though is love. Love isn’t fussy, it doesn’t discriminate, it wipes out prejudice and knows no boundaries – not religion or ethnicity, not even life and death. To know you are loved is surely the most precious thing a human being can know.
So I guess that makes my 3 words – honesty, silence and love.
What is your favourite place? I have two favourite places. The first is our allotment, I find myself relaxing as soon as I arrive and I really enjoy growing a lot of our own food. The second is a Franciscan Friary I go to a couple of times a year on silent retreat, I am at home there.