Case Study - Paul Cleasby
I live in Brandon and attend St Peter’s Church. I had a meeting with Revd Dennis Cobburn as I was keen to find out how I could challenge people to just read a gospel. I was frustrated because so many people claimed different things were in the bible that were not.
Dennis was talking about organising a Brandon Envoy community. I didn’t know anything about Envoy and had never heard of it but as soon as he said it was about sharing faith, I was in!
I have learned so much through my Envoy journey. One of the main things I learned to do is to listen more. I have also learned to pray for God to create opportunities, to recognise them and then speak when the doors open. I used to think that I could only share my faith at special events through the church, but through Envoy I now know that can happen wherever I am. I now look for opportunities to share my faith at work, walking the dog and at home with friends, not just at special events.
Since being part of an Envoy community, I now feel released to share my faith. I used to worry that I will might get it wrong and say the wrong thing. But even if I do make a mistake, God will sort it out. He is big enough and his Spirit is with me. Sharing faith is now about partnering with God and this is what has freed me to the most.
To anyone thinking of doing Envoy I would say go for it! I would tell them that through Envoy they will feel released to tell people what they believe. I would say that our faith is not a secret, and there is nothing to be scared of when sharing our faith with others.