Eleanor Blower

I grew up in a Christian family and so have known about Jesus as long as I can remember. I was christened as a baby in a church in Blackpool where my parents got married but lived in Church Stretton so attended the Methodist church there since I was about 4.

In 2003 my Sunday school group began reading through a booklet about Confirmation and all 4 of us said that we would like to be Confirmed into the Methodist church, at the time I felt I was ready and really wanted to do it but I don’t recall having much spiritual emotion and I think I just did it more because it sounded like a good thing to do and because my best friend was also going to do it. I now realise that I didn’t know God at all and didn’t have the right reasons.

Just over a year ago I moved to house in Normanton on Soar and my family were invited by ‘the Stow’s’ to a bring-and-share lunch. I remember talking briefly to Colin Shipway who introduced me to Hannah. We went to eat outside with the other members of N:Courage and I was amazed at the amount of people around the same age as me and just older. Over the following weeks I realised how much faith some of these people had and it didn’t take me long to work out that one of the purposes God had for me moving here was to develop my faith through Quorn Baptist Church and the influences of those at N:C.

A few months before we actually moved house I watched a video in RE at school about ‘near death experiences’ (which is when people believe that their spirit has left their body, and then re-entered, having watched from above people operating on their body). I talked to my dad about his views on it, the conversation developed into talking about heaven and then about prayer and he told me that instead of praying ‘please don’t make us move house? I’m not going’ I should pray ‘why are we moving house?’. As much as I refused to believe it, moving, we both knew, was inevitable. The more God tried to tell me ‘this is where I have put you, and this is where you will stay’ the more I didn’t want to stop arguing. A number of signs were given to me but I wouldn’t accept them and continued to ask ‘why am I here? What purposes do I have here?’

However, since I have been here many things have happened which I am deeply grateful for, the best of which was, of course, my baptism. This, along with other things, would never have happened had I remained in Church Stretton. My faith has grown so much over the past year and I thank everyone so much for being so welcoming and friendly.

On Sunday 4th October 2004, I was overwhelmed by the action of being baptised, I felt closer to God than I ever have before and sitting there I knew I had to do it. But when Howard gave the invitation for anyone else I just couldn’t say it, my Dad along with my best friends weren’t there, I didn’t have a change of clothes and my mascara wasn‘t waterproof! I was almost going to say something when Howard moved on, but the disappointment I then felt! I knew God was telling me I should have gone for it but even so I was praying ‘should I, or shouldn’t I?’

I remember looking up to the order of service to find a space for when I could ask. I decided it might not be a good idea to interrupt the sermon and so decided on after the sermon before the laying on of hands (because I didn’t actually know what that meant!). The time came and I thought I have to but I can’t…I had no choice, the words had slipped out and before I knew it there I was changing into Alina’s WET clothes! And so were Howard and Alistair, sorry! Trust me to be the awkward one!

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