Page 16 - News Autumn_winter 2025 fv

I HID

IN THE

WARDROBE

Sophie was brought up in Winchester in a very Atheist doesn’t happen. So, there must be a spark of life within us
family. In fact, there wasn't anyone, even in her wider which isn’t made of matter. Which led me to ask, when we
family, who was a Christian. Growing up, her dad was die and our matter decomposes, where does that spark
quite hostile to religion. For example, often the 6 o’clock go? I decided in that moment, I believed what the Bible
news would report a disaster, and the BBC would said.
interview witnesses. The witnesses sometimes referenced
God or prayer, and her dad would laugh at them, saying I told my Mormon friend at school, and she was over the
moon! She said that it was an answer to prayer, and she
they were believing in nonsense. Sophie grew up thinking invited me to her church youth group. I was so excited
all religion was nonsense.
to go. I asked my mum (the softer parent) if I could go.
"Despite the hostility to religion of any kind at home, my But she was totally against it. My mum said the Mormons
parents sent me to a Church of England primary school. were a cult. I was devastated. She did agree, however, to
At school I learnt about the rhythms of the Christian come with me to an Easter service at the local Church of
calendar, sang Christian hymns and learnt about simple England church - because they were respectable!
Christian stories. I didn’t understand the Gospel though. I was hungry for anything to do with Christianity. While I
When the vicar would say “Father, Son and Holy Ghost” at was hiding in my wardrobe, I cut up Christmas cards with
the end of prayers, I thought he was talking about the sun nativity scenes on and stuck them in my best notebook. I
not the Son of God. had no idea what worship was, but when I read Scripture
When I went to secondary school I became good friends which spoke to my heart, I felt I needed to respond. So,
with a Mormon. She was very open about her faith and I created art in response. I used the best craft materials
talked about answers to prayer she had all the time. She I owned and spent hours delicately putting Scripture
was passionate about her faith and my hostility didn’t put artwork together. I wanted to honour God.
her off. I told her believing in God was like believing in I found the “Where to find help when” section of my New
Santa Claus. However, she persevered and used to pass
me notes in class with Scripture on. As I got to know her, I Testament very useful. I would chew over the various
verses it recommended.
became less hostile.
On the 28th of January 2008 members of the Winchester My dad soon learnt that I had chosen to be a Christian.
Branch of The Gideons came to my school. Peter Keel Rather than laugh at me as I feared, he gave me an
enormous heirloom family Bible. I was overjoyed at this
took an assembly and branch members handed out a gift because it had the Old Testament in. An upgrade from
New Testament to every child. For the first time I owned
my very own Bible! Some of the children at school didn’t my little New Testament! Again, I just started to read at
the beginning in Genesis.
show any respect for the New Testament. But I knew it was
a special book to my friend, so I kept it. While at university, I was baptised, and my parents came
to the service. They remain Atheists though. I regularly
I was warming to the idea that the Bible might not all be sing at church so that I have reasons to invite them to
nonsense. Not knowing any better, I just started reading services.
at the beginning in Matthew. Because I didn’t want my
dad to find out I was reading a Bible, I would hide in After the Covid pandemic, I completed a year as a
my wardrobe and listen for footsteps as I read. I found ministry trainee at All Saints, Crowborough. I now work
as I read the Bible, I was becoming a better person. I as the church cleaner and will be continuing my theology
was changing from the inside. I could sense this was not studies in September with the Sussex Gospel Partnership."
like any other book I had read. These words had power. Sophie is pictured sharing her testimony at Connexions
Pondering these things, I thought about how I had been 2025.
taught we are merely atoms and matter. If that were true,
you could put all the right parts of a human together
and they would suddenly come to life. But we know that

16