Monday 30th July 2007
Judy Schurer was confirmed at St James the Less, Pangbourne this summer.
She says: "Although I attended Sunday School as a child and was married in church, I have only ever been a sporadic churchgoer, mainly at special times like Christmas and Easter.
"The turning point for me was during an attack of sciatica last year when I could hardly move without severe pain, and I found myself praying for some relief. Several months later when the pain had started to subside I saw the invitation to ‘Back to Church Sunday’.
"I felt that I should go along to say thank you as it seemed wrong to only pray when I wanted something. I was made very welcome – and was even given a bar of delicious Fairtrade chocolate as a treat!
"During the service John [the vicar] mentioned that he would be starting a group for anyone interested in preparing for confirmation. I had never got round to being confirmed so, after giving it some thought, I decided it would be interesting to find out more. I was a bit nervous as, being a grandmother, I was a lot older than the other members of the adult group, but I needn’t have worried as we all got along together really well. Indeed I think that the age gap helped to bring a different, and sometimes amusing, perspective to our discussions.
"Our Confirmation service on 15 July with Bishop Stephen was a really happy and memorable day. The church was full as there were 29 candidates from St James the Less and four other local Churches, together with their families. All in all, for me it has certainly been a case of ‘better late than never’!"