Depression - Allison's story

At our last Women's Ministry Event we considered how to support our friends who are hurting, in particular those struggling with mental illness.  Over a series of 3 posts we will share what we covered.  

Firstly, to help us understand what it is like to have depression, one of our members Allison, shares her experience.

I have had depression twice in the last 10 years.  I thought it was one of these things that once I was through it the first time, that it would never come back again due to the circumstances at that time.  I also thought the first time it happened that God wouldn’t allow this to happen to me again but I was wrong.  I had no previous experience or understanding of mental health illnesses but now having experienced this twice it is an issue that I am passionate about and that it should be talked about so that we can understand and help other through it. 

How did I then realise that I had depression again?  Just over 4 years ago I was juggling my job and the role of being a wife and mother and all the duties involved with that.  I thought I was managing but after returning from a family holiday the work pressures hit me hard.  I was feeling emotional and tired all the time.  I was low, I was irritable, I couldn’t make rational decisions, I wasn’t getting any enjoyment out of life.  I had no motivation to do anything and I was anxious and worried about everything.

After the first few days I thought I would be ok but after a few weeks’ things got worse.  I was feeling so bad I wished I had never woken up that morning and I wished I didn’t have to face the day ahead.  Then one Friday evening the boys were at Cubs & Scouts and my husband was waiting for them to bring them home.  I decided a good way to try & relax was to have a bath, but once I was in the bath the dark cloud of depression was trying to speak to me.  My thoughts were over taken with you are worthless, you can’t do your job properly, you have been a terrible and useless wife and mother, they would be better off without you.  Then I can only describe an experience of the Holy Spirit as the next thoughts were STOP; do you want those boys to come home and find their mum like that, get out of the bath now.  I have never got out of a bath so quickly, I broke down in tears and cried out to God to help me, it was my first step to a very long road of recovery. 

That weekend God put in my path different women who would direct me to begin to seek help.  There happened to be a women’s brunch on that Saturday morning to which Graeme forced me to go to hoping that I would seek help there.  I didn’t want to go and socialise, I felt I had to put on a front.  I can’t remember what the brunch was about but I remember the importance of being honest as to how things are with yourself.  If someone asks how are you, be willing to share. 

On the Sunday morning after the morning service I was in the lower hall and Alison Watson came up to me and asked me how I was.  I poured out everything that had happened in the last few days and weeks.  Alison is a GP and God definitely put her in my path that morning.  She gave me specific instructions to contact my own GP first thing Monday morning and tell them everything.  She also came to my house that evening to check that I had done that.  She talked about our worth in Jesus and what we mean to him.  She asked me to begin reading through a Psalm each day as reading my Bible was something that I had been unable to do for a long time.  She then also set up a one to one with someone who had been through a similar experience. 

The road to recovery was long and difficult.  There were many doctors’ appointments, physiatrists appointment’s, and one to one study’s.  There were times when suicidal thoughts came back or I would turn to self-harming but the practical help from the medical professionals was invaluable.  I was given medication to take daily and at first the dose wasn’t strong enough so it had to be increased.  I was also sent along to cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) which is where they begin to see what has maybe triggered your depression but more importantly to recognise what are your trigger points and how you are going to deal with them.  If I got worked up or anxious about something, I was to go for a walk.  If I was overly tired, I was to get more sleep.  I was to be honest and open about how I was feeling and if people couldn’t deal with that I was not to worry what they thought as that was their issue not mine. 

Depression is not an easy illness to live with.  It is debilitating.  You feel like you are in pain and no-one can see it. Every day is a struggle, you hate yourself and what depression is doing to you.  Nothing is enjoyable, nothing can make you smile.  There is no overnight cure but it is important to seek help.  I thankfully have been free from depression for 3 years but the 1 year that I endured it was the hardest of my life so far.  I don’t feel I ever will be cured but I have learned to live with it.

God taught me a lot through my time of depression; I hadn’t fallen away from faith but I had become complacent in my faith.  I believe He allowed me to go through depression to bring me back closer to Him, to remind me that I need to rely completely and totally on Him and not my own strength.  When you have depression you have no strength so relying on God is all you can do to get you through each day.   Now I don’t worry about what might happen if I get depression again.  Instead I have come to ask that if God does allow me to go through it again, what is He going to teach me this time?

If you have any questions about this blog or are affected by any of these issues, please do email womenatcharlotte@gmail.com

Women's Event September

Our next Women's Ministry event is happening on Saturday 26th September.  These meetings are an opportunity for women of all ages to come together for food, fellowship and discipleship.  This year we have been looking at how to apply God’s word to our everyday situations.  This month we will be considering the question, 'How do I talk to my friends about Jesus?'

We will meet in the lounge at 7.30pm for puddings, followed by a talk and discussion in groups.  If you are able to come please sign up on the following doodle poll - http://doodle.com/sx6t7eiev3nv9c9b

Also if you are able to bring a pudding, please do email womenatcharlotte@gmail.com and let me know.

Purity is possible

Pornography is a taboo topic among many Christians today--especially women. But women can and do become enslaved to it. Impure images, steamy novels, even television dramas captivate many minds and hearts. One of our members has courageously come forward to share her testimony of how God and his grace has worked through her struggle.  

"I want to share with you something that God has worked in me for the past couple years since I became a Christian, and hopefully encourage some of you if you’re struggling with something similar.

My battle against sin began when I declared myself as a Christian; and there was one private struggle that left me disgusted with myself almost every day. My battle with pornography dominated my spiritual life.

It started out seemingly innocent, a curiosity of the materials on the internet when I started having free access. As with many addictions my initial thoughts sounded something like this: I’ll be able to stop reading it when I need to, it couldn’t possibly hurt, I probably wasn’t going to become addicted, and if no one saw me reading, it wasn’t sin…I ended up addicted to pornography and my life became quite out of control. 

Pornography became an escape route from everything I was afraid of, anything that made me insecure. As I grew older, so did my dependence and addiction. I no longer sacrificed sleep or skipped school because of it, so I felt like I was in control even though that wasn’t the case, and a pattern started to emerge. Times of stress, of anger, of frustration, of fear, of rejection, of failure…I became increasingly dependent on porn as a way of relieving my emotions. 

As I drew closer to God, I became more aware of the underlying insecurities behind this addiction. After I became a Christian I struggled with, and continue to struggle with learning to rely on God’s grace and provision.

Some days it was an easy victory, but most days it was a losing battle. I became frustrated and every time I gave into temptation these thoughts would arise: “I need to work harder at being a good Christian, then maybe I won’t struggle with it anymore. I am not good enough, I don’t deserve God’s grace anyways so why bother trying to fight temptation. I’m not “pure” enough. I’m saved…but I need to do better.” In fact the longer I managed to keep myself clear from pornography, the harder I fell the next time I gave into temptation, and these thoughts seemed more and more truthful. Ironically I made this sin an idol; I measured my worth as a Christian by how often I overcame this temptation.

I tried everything. Physically staying away from my computer, finding new hobbies, reading the Bible, chatting with friends, asking people to hold me accountable, reading books written by Christian authors targeted to this particular subject, and at my worst times my computer lived with my neighbour. But I quickly discovered that none of these helped with the internal battle, because they never addressed the problem of the heart.

Ultimately the greatest peace came when I stopped frantically looking around for something that would cure this temptation and entrusted my struggles to God. I started going before him and prayed about how much I struggled with it, asking him to show me the benefit of these struggles. It was all about patience. Most importantly, l realised that the more I was willing to bring my weaknesses and struggles before God, the stronger I grew. As the importance and significance of the cross grew, all my sins had to shrink in comparison.

At the end of each year I wrote down my struggles, asking God for greater wisdom and discipline the next year. In the first year, the only victory was simply being able to seek help and identify the motives. Later it became the decreasing amount of time I spent accusing myself, and it became progressively easier to guard my heart against temptation. As he poured out his love for me, the gap between falling and picking myself up became shorter. The less time I dwelt on my own sin, the more I was able to focus on God’s grace.

Instead of asking “why me and porn?” I started asking “why not me and porn?”. I’m not proud of my sins, but I am proud of God’s display of love and patience through teaching me to fight this temptation.

I discovered the joy of being reborn as a follower of Christ. God created me, and everyone here, and knew about every detail of our lives before it even began. He knew the temptations I would face even before I was born, knew that I would be a sinner, that I would turn my back to him, knew of my insecurities, and his response was to open my eyes and gift me with an understanding of the gospel.

Because I recognised how powerless I am before temptation, I have learned to crave God’s words and presence in my life. I have learned how much God cares about every detail of my life, and most importantly I have learned to be amazed at the meaning behind Christ’s death.

The main problem behind my battle with pornography is not that I access it; the true problem is that I have an adulterous heart that is always looking to replace God with something else. Once I realised this, the struggle itself became a lot more manageable.

So I share with you these works of my heavenly father, who will and who is able to make unbreakable promises and has claimed me as his own. I share with you this verse from Romans that has helped encourage me along the way: “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith." (Romans 3:23-25)."

If this is a struggle for you, please do speak to someone. You could email Rachel at womenatcharlotte@gmail.com. There are also good resources on the subject. Below are two recommended books.

HELP! She's Struggling with Pornography - This booklet redefines pornography in biblical terms and explores its dangers, including those of the socially acceptable forms particularly alluring to women. Learn how the Bible exposes the heart of the problem and provides abundant hope for freedom.
Purity is Possible - In this refreshingly honest, resolutely hope-filled and gospel-soaked book, Helen Thorne speaks the unspoken.  In doing so, she shows how purity is better and more satisfying than fantasy - and that, whoever you are and whatever your struggles, that purity is possible.

How do we behave as Christian in an online world?

Why talk about how we behave online?  This short video might open your eyes (you can stop it at about 3mins 50sec).

It's slightly business focused but it makes a good point.  There is a more update to date video out there.  But this info-graph shows how things have changed in the past four years.

Social medial has brought about a fundamental shift in the way was communicate.  And this is why we need to talk about digital technology.   We want to find a place where our use of digital technology it is informed by the Bible and by an understanding of what digital technology is.  We don’t want to be Christians who completely reject digital technology any more than we want to be those who embrace them without thinking.  Instead we want to be disciplined in discerning to embrace what can be embraced and reject what can be rejected.  

You can listen to the talk here (the first couple of seconds after the video was watched weren't recorded) - 

The handout can be found here - Online Questions

The rest of the dates for 2015 women's ministry events are as follows.  Get them in your diary now.  

• April 25th at 3pm - How can I be a good friend?
• September 26th at 7.30pm- How do I talk to my friends about Jesus?
• November 7th at 3pm - How do I care for my friend who is hurting?

What's going on in February?

In February we have two events for the women at Charlotte. The first is a chance for us gather together as a family and learn from God's word and the second is an opportunity to invite our friends along to get to know others in our church family.

Brunch
At Charlotte we have 4 opportunities a year to gather as women to learn and grown together.  The first these events is a brunch on Sat 7th Feb. We believe these events are really important opportunities for us to model the principles of Titus 2.   In a big church it can be hard for deep relationships to develop between older women and younger women as we don't normally meet.  If you are an 'older woman', the younger women of Charlotte chapel need you; if you are a 'younger woman', you need an older woman in your life and this is an opportunity to find one!  In reality, we are all younger and older women and we all have a role to play in our church community.  We will miss you if you are not there.  

This year we are looking at some of the questions we can wrestle with as we try to work out how to apply God’s word to our everyday situations. We can often find ourselves thinking…‘Help, how do I…?’ 

On the 7th we thinking about how we behave as Christians online.  This session is not just for the ‘internet savvy' as we all live in an increasing online world.  All of us are living lives  which are being shaped by social media.  How do we respond in a godly manner?  We will meet in the Lounge at 10am. Our time together will include brunch and a teaching session followed by discussion. To help with catering please sign up here SIGN UP or phone the office. 

Craft

Following on from the popularity of the Christmas craft evening, and indeed all the other craft evenings the Women's Ministry have held, a number of people have mentioned in conversation how nice it would be to have a more regular craft event.
So we took that feedback on board and are going to be launch a monthly craft evening.  We really want this to be a opportunity where you can invite your friends as a first step to introducing them to Jesus.  We'd also love to meet more regularly with the many women who've already attended outreach events.

So - from Tuesday 17th February we're starting a monthly crafts evening.  Come along yourself, bring your friends, dig out one of those unfinished projects lurking at the back of a cupboard and join us for some chat, home baking and refreshments.  If you don't have anything on the go or have never taken up a craft, come along anyway and hopefully we'll have some ideas for you to get started on something.  We'll have some experts on hand to help you if you're stuck.

We'll meet in the lounge from 7.30-9pm, just come when you can.

Best of the net #6

Singleness and sex
Today the numbers of adults is on the rise in the UK—and it looks like the number shows no sign of shrinking. What can pastors and church members do to honour and care for singles in their midst?  The following articles will get us thinking about this important discussion.

How to Honor and encourage singles in the church.
On the Gospel Coalition website they have a new roundtable video with Jennifer Marshall, Carolyn McCulley and Betsy Childs.  Each of these women have written books and articles about their experiences and what the bible has to say.  Jennifer Marshall has written Now and Not Yet: Making Sense of Single Life in the Twenty-First Century and Carolyn McCulley, wrote Did I Kiss Marriage Goodbye?: Trusting God with a Hope Deferred. Watch the video to hear these three women discuss the idolisation of marriage, what McCulley loves about Psalm 25, advice for the discouraged, and more.

No Sex in the City
In an honest article on Premier Christianity, author and blogger, Carrie Lloyd, talks about her struggles with saving sex for marriage.  She challenges the church to talk openly about sex and the importance of communicating the great value of purity.  

Sex and the single woman
In this article, again on the Gospel Coalition, Fabienne Harford, director of women’s training at The Austin Stone Community Church, shares her struggles with singleness.  She says, "...it turns out believing that sexual fulfillment is designed for marriage doesn’t make you any less of a sexual being.  Understanding and even loving God’s view of sex doesn’t make you want it less.  Singleness presents a series of hardships, but for me learning to live without physical intimacy has provided the biggest challenge and deepest suffering of this season."

If you have any suggestions of good blogs/articles, please do get in touch at womenatcharlotte@gmail.com

We live in a material world

We live in material world.  In a world obsessed with stuff and money.  A world constructed by a value system that has us preoccupied with possessions and the social image they project.  As Christians we know the pressure to conform to this world.  We are not immune from the allure of the adverts and their seductive messages.  So how do we live in line with the gospel in this material world?  This is the question we considered at our last Women's Ministry brunch.  What does Jesus have to teach us about money, possessions and wealth?

You can listen to the talk here - 
 

Or read the talk below - 
 

The women's ministry brunches are meetings where it is possible to meet older women and younger women, women who you wouldn't normally meet up with.  They provide an opportunity for the development of those deeper relationships we desire with one another.  They provide an opportunity for teaching and learning more about God.  So, if you are an 'older woman', the younger women of Charlotte chapel need you; if you are a 'younger woman', you need an older woman in your life and this is an opportunity to find one!  In reality, we are all younger and older women and we all have a role to play in our church community.  The dates for 2015 are as follows.  Get them in your diary now.  

• February 7th - How do I behave as a Christian online?
• April 25th - How can I be a good friend?
• September 26th - How do I talk to my friends about Jesus?
• November 7th - How do I care for my friend who is hurting?

Events for the rest of 2014

Charlotte Chapel Cake Extravaganza

On Saturday 1st November at 2.30 pm there will be a ‘Cake Ladies’ event in the lounge.   This is a chance for you to relax with friends over coffee and cake.  A super opportunity to invite friends who don't normally come to church to meet your church friends.  

If you would like to come along, contact Rosie Hansen (rosies.kitchen@hotmail.co.uk) and let her know how many places you would like.  If you would like to bring a cake, can you let her know what it would be - we would like a bit of variety!

Women's Ministry Brunch

Our final brunch of 2014 is happening on Saturday 8th November.  We are back to meeting in the lounge at Charlotte Chapel at our normal time of 10am.  Our teaching session will be looking at 'Materialism - how do we live as Christians in a world obsessed with 'stuff'?'

The women's ministry brunches are meetings where it is possible to meet older women and younger women, women who you wouldn't normally meet up with.  They provide an opportunity for the development of those deeper relationships we desire with one another.  They provide an opportunity for teaching and learning more about God.  Hope to see you there.  

Christmas Outreach Event

Our Christmas Outreach event for 2014 is happening on Thursday December 4th at 7.30pm.  This year we will be having ‘Christmas with a twist’.  On the night everyone will get to make a Christmas wreath with a twist (see picture).  There will be lots of Christmas goodies to eat and drink.  There will also be a gospel talk entailed, ‘A twist on Christmas’.  Tickets and flyers will be available soon.  

Mums Group

The Mums Group will meeting twice more before the end of the year, October 23rd and November 20th.  The group meets at 7.45pm at Charlotte Chapel to study, chat and support one another in prayer.  They are continuing to work through ‘Getting to the Heart of Parenting’ by Paul David Tripp.   The group is open to all Mums of pre-schoolers, school age children and  teenagers.  We'd love those with older teenagers to be able to come along and share with those with younger children.  Contact Rachel on rsloan@charlottechapel.org to register your interest.  

Living a godly life

In Philippians 1v6 Paul writes, “Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”  As Christian women we can be confident in our salvation, not due to any merit in us but instead because of the continuing saving work of Christ.  But what do we do in response to that?  This is the question we considered at our last Women's Ministry brunch.  How do we respond rightly to the lavish grace of God that has not only saved us but is bringing us safely to eternity.

You can listen to the talk  
or read the talk below -  

Our next brunch is November 8th at 10am.  The theme of November is 'Materialism - how do we live as Christians in a world obsessed with 'stuff'?'

The women's ministry brunches are meetings where it is possible to meet older women and younger women, women who you wouldn't normally meet up with.  They provide an opportunity for the development of those deeper relationships we desire with one another.  They provide an opportunity for teaching and learning more about God.  So, if you are an 'older woman', the younger women of Charlotte chapel need you; if you are a 'younger woman', you need an older woman in your life and this is an opportunity to find one!  In reality, we are all younger and older women and we all have a role to play in our church community.  Do get the date in your diary now.  

Supper brunch

Our next Women's Ministry Brunch is happening on Sept 27th at 7.45pm.  Instead our of usual morning brunch we are having dessert together.  The change in time is to make it easier for those who find Saturday mornings difficult to come along.  We do hope you will make the time to come and share in fellowship with all the Women at Charlotte.

The women's ministry brunches are meetings where it is possible to meet older women and younger women, women who you wouldn't normally meet up with.  They have provided opportunity for the development of those deeper relationships we desire with one another. They have provided opportunity for teaching and learning more about God.  So, if you are an 'older woman', the younger women of Charlotte chapel need you; if you are a 'younger woman', you need an older woman in your life and this is an opportunity to find one!  In reality, we are all younger and older women and we all have a role to play in our church community.  

The theme of May is Living a godly life: Character.  We are going to be thinking and talking about how we form godly character in our lives.  What are the key components of a godly character and how we ensure we are growing them in our lives?  There will be a talk from the front and time in groups to try and answer these questions.  

If you are able to come, please do sign up either on the Facebook event page or by emailing womenatcharlotte@gmail.com

What did you do over Summer? Missions and camps #2

Another one of our students tells us about what she did this summer.

Could you tell us a little about who you are and what you normally do during the year?

My name is Rachel and I am from a town called Newtownards just outside Belfast in Northern Ireland. I am a 4th  year Sports Management student at the University of Edinburgh.

What were you involved with over the summer? 

Each summer I go home to Northern Ireland where I am involved in various Scripture Union camps and missions.  This year I was involved in 3 teams across Northern Ireland.  The first team I was a part of was called Enniskillen 360, which aimed to go 360 degrees around the town of Enniskillen with the good news of the gospel.  The week’s programme involved: a kids club each day where we looked at the life of Peter and the cost of following Jesus; dance, sport and art streams for teenagers; a teenager drop-in and detached work in the evenings which involved going into various estates and working with predominantly travelling and roman catholic communities. 

I then spent two weeks up at the picturesque north coast, at Portstewart CSSM. For those who don’t know, CSSM’s are very popular in Northern Ireland, particularly in sea side towns.  Contrary to popular belief, CSSM stands for ‘Children’s special service mission’ and not ‘Come single, soon married’.The mission was absolutely action packed, lasting for two weeks, with a team of 70 leaders, over 350 children each day and three sessions per day, it is safe to say that we all went home and slept for a long time afterwards.  I was working with the 12-14 year olds, where we had around 50 children each meeting.  Our themes for the fortnight were ‘God’ and ‘Jesus’, so we looked at topics such as creation, heavenly father, the cross etc.  We also shared our testimonies, played sport, had a social, did a photo challenge, made most of the beach and had small group discussions. 

My final team was called ‘Millisle CSSM’, a team which I have be a part of for the last three years.  This sea-side town is close to home, only 7 miles from where I live.  It is a much smaller area, with a lot fewer children coming each day, but it is very much a geographical area where Jesus is not known personally to a lot of people.  In the past two years we have seen this mission grow as we now do detached work in the neighbouring village.  I was working mostly alongside the teenagers this year were we looked at the armour of God and did similar activities as Portstewart. 

What were the biggest things you learnt through being part of that?

Each individual team taught me a lot.  Travelling to Enniskillen, give me experience in working with and sharing the gospel with people from deprived backgrounds and of travelling and Roman Catholic communities.  I saw so clearly how people are desperate in need of the gospel and how we need to go out and reach the unreached- we can’t expect them to come to us.  Going into the estates was daunting, as you were always unsure of people’s response, especially as you were going into their territory, but God showed me his faithfulness and his sovereignty over every situation. 

I came away from Portstewart very encouraged particularly by the faith of young teenage girls.  Seeing their passion to understand the bible more, support each other and pray for one another was very uplifting and a joy to see and be a part of. 

Through Millisle, I had the privilege of building on relationships I have been building over the past couple of years with people in the area.  I was also reminded of the importance of continuity of leaders in teams. year Sports Management student at the University of Edinburgh. 

How does what you learnt help you live as a Christian woman the rest of the year?

Despite my mission teams finishing, mission hasn’t.  God has called me to different mission fields-amongst my course mates, my family and sports teams.  Being a servant of Jesus, being on mission and telling people about him is not limited to people I meet over summer nor do I need to be on an organised team to share him with others.  People are everywhere and in need of knowing Jesus personally, God has called me to particular places and I need to be bold in sharing him.  I need to bring everything before God in pray and have faith that God will use me in my weakness for his glory.

What did you do over Summer? Missions and camps

I hope you enjoyed reading the stories of those who were at Contagious.  Some of our congregation were at other camps and missions this summer.  Sophie and Kirsty tell us about their experiences.

Could you tell us a little about who you are and what you normally do during the year?

I'm Sophie and I'm third student at the University of Edinburgh where I study Theology. When not at uni, I'm at home in Kent. 

What were you involved with over the summer?

This summer I have been involved in two different areas of mission.  The first involved helping in a Christian school in South Africa called Tiger Kloof.  There I worked with all ages but primarily with the 6/7 year olds.  I also put on a bible study with another girl covering 1 John.   

The second thing I did was help lead on Iwerne holidays which is an activity holiday for teenagers, where they hear talks from the bible.  It was my first time leading on one of these camps.  I had a great time getting alongside the GCSE girls I was with, and investigating the gospel with them.

What were the biggest things you learnt this summer and how does what you learnt help you live as a Christian woman the rest of the year?

I learnt a lot about working with young Christians and it was amazing to be a part of a school where Jesus was at the heart.  The South Africa trip was lonely at times and so I think it helped me to rely more on Jesus as a wonderful friend who is there no matter what!

On the camps I got to see what a joy it is to serve Christ and I learnt how without him and his Spirit no ministry is effective.  This was a great truth to be reminded of as I go into my third year to just be completely reliant on God. 

Could you tell us a little about who you are and what you normally do during the year?
My name is Kirsty and I work at Virgin Active Health Club.

What were you involved with over the summer?
For a week during the summer I was a leader at an SU Camp in Scoughall.  Throughout the week we were learning about Mark's Gospel and doing various fun activities like Boating, BMX Biking and Bivouacking.  This was an amazing experience and I would totally recommend it to anyone who is thinking about doing a camp next summer.

What were the biggest things you learnt this summer?
One of the biggest things I have learnt from God this summer is that everything is in HIS control and in HIS timing.  We have to keep our focus on him and trust him and let go of our grip on things that we think we need or want.  If something is in God's will for our lives then it won't slip from our grasp, God is much bigger than that.  "A man's heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps." Proverbs 16 v 9

How does what you learnt help you live as a Christian woman the rest of the year?
Having Jesus as my Lord and Saviour has turned my life right side up and I am so thankful for his unconditional love.  I am constantly learning new things about God as I read the Bible and from talking to other Christians.  I pray that I would keep on trusting God, keep my focus on him and his timing in future circumstances.

If you know of someone who has an interesting story to share please get in touch at womenatcharlotte@gmail.com.

Contagious #4

Could you tell us a little about who you are and what you normally do during the year? 

I'm Anna, I'm in S6 and I like to get involved in as much as I can, whether it's in school or out of school - usually something musical or arty.  My health unfortunately hasn't allowed me to do so over the past couple of years but this year I'm better and will be sitting some Highers and AS’s too. 

What did you do over the summer?

Over the summer I went to Mallorca, went on Contagious, went to St. Andrews with a couple of friends and then went camping.  Contagious was a definite highlight of my year so far!

Could you tell us a little about what Contagious is like? 

Contagious was fantastic - the bible teaching was so well done and I felt so happy and satisfied coming home after a week of bible study and activity with a bunch of great, enthusiastic people.  It lived up to every expectation and more.  I've already recommended it to a lot of people as I know they would say the same if they went next year.

What were the biggest things you learnt through Contagious?

I learnt so much at Contagious.  As someone who missed all of their GCSEs due to bad health I was worried about what was going to happen with me and where my life was going to go.   I heard everything that I needed to hear in that week which filled me with encouragement in the knowledge that God has a plan for us and to know that he promises to fulfil it.  Obviously there were so many other things which were equally as amazing learnt but it really struck me to hear that in particular, reiterated throughout the week.

How does what you learnt at Contagious help you live as a Christian woman the rest of the year?

Really what I just answered, in that we have nothing to fear, no matter what happens.  God has everything sorted and to know this gives me confidence and reassurance.  I have already felt a change in my perspective and the way that I think from knowing this alone.  The fact that God can use suffering for the good of those who love him is amazing and I will go on trying to apply what I’ve learnt in my everyday life. 

Could you tell us a little about who you are and what you normally do during the year? 

My name is Zara and I have just started 4th year.

What did you do over the summer?

Over the summer I went to Italy with my family, met up with friends and went to Contagious.

Could you tell us a little about what Contagious is like? 

Contagious is a week long conference with roughly 5 hours of bible study a day.  The 5 hours were split into 3 smaller studies which were all very different but all really helpful and encouraging.

What were the biggest things you learnt through Contagious?

The biggest thing I learnt from Contagious is that God has a plan and it will be done.  God may throw obstacles in this plan but it is all for a greater purpose.  I now know that any plans I have, may not always work out the way I want them to but I now have a greater confidence that God has a better one for me.

How does what you learnt at Contagious help you live as a Christian woman the rest of the year?

Coming back from contagious I am now even more determined to talk to my non-Christian friends about the Gospel and make the most of our conversations.

Thanks to Anna and Zara for sharing.  Next week we will be hearing from those who were on missions/camps this summer. 

Contagious #3

Could you tell us a little about who you are and what you normally do during the year?

My name is Abigail.  I am in 4th year at school.

What did you do over the summer?

Over the summer I participated in two teen Bible teaching events; Keswick Convention Youth and Contagious.

Could you tell us a little about what Contagious is like?

Contagious is a bible conference, teaching young people more about the Bible. We did LOTS of bible studies in different ways (small groups, seminars and big talks.)We also did various fun activities throughout the day and also had some time to ourselves.

What were the biggest things you learnt through Contagious?

The main thing that stood out to me at Contagious was that we are all dead in our sin, and there's nothing that we can do to make us right with God.  However, God's gift of grace makes it possible for us to be with Him.  Also, another thing that struck me was that we can have confidence that God will continue working in our lives and we will be raised with Him, and if we ever have doubts about that, we can look to the cross and find hope in Christ. 

How does what you learnt at Contagious help you live as a Christian woman the rest of the year?

What I learned at contagious has helped me to live as a Christian as I am now more keen to learn more about God and I have also recently really enjoyed going to church on Sundays and listening to God's word.  Also, since Contagious I have felt more equipped and excited to talk to my non-Christian friends at school about Christianity.

Could you tell us a little about who you are and what you normally do during the year? 

My name is Innes, and I am a 5th Year student at High School.

What did you do over the summer?

I went to a Christian Conference called Contagious.

Could you tell us a little about what Contagious is like?

Contagious is a very intense conference for 13-19 year olds, with 5 hours of bible teaching a day but also lots of fun activities and getting to have fellowship with brothers and sisters from all over.

What were the biggest things you learnt through Contagious?

This year, one of the most encouraging things I took away from Contagious was that you don't need to rely on your own strength- it's not how much faith you have, but the power of the one your faith is in.  And since it doesn't depend on us, we are guaranteed to make it to the finish he has set out for us, eternal life with him.

How does what you learnt at Contagious help you live as a Christian woman the rest of the year?

Contagious always gives you confidence to go back out into the world, trusting in what you believe.  It trains you to look at God's word for yourself, so that you can learn and grow in your personal relationship with the Lord.  It teaches you how everything you learn shouldn't just stay in your head but go to your heart, and everything we ever do should come beck to our worship of God.

Could you tell us a little about who you are and what you normally do during the year? 

My name is Lois, and in 4th year at school.

What did you do over the summer?

During the summer I was very busy.  First I went to Rangers camp.  I next went to St Andrews and then to California with my family.  To finish off summer I then went to Contagious which was so good!

Could you tell us a little about what Contagious is like? 

Contagious is great.  You get to learn all about the Bible as well as spending time and getting to know other Christians.  Each day we followed the same routine, we would first go into to small groups and study Romans.  We then had seminars which were very interactive and fun.  Then we would have free time.  In the evening we had the Big Teach which was very helpful.  After that we would have an activity such as a wide game or a movie.

What were the biggest things you learnt through Contagious?

One of the biggest things I learnt at contagious was that God chose us to be with him when he had no reason to choose us.  We didn't do anything extraordinary and yet he chose us.

How does what you learnt at Contagious help you live as a Christian woman the rest of the year?

I came home from Contagious feeling more excited to go to church. I also felt more determined and not ashamed to tell my non Christian friends at school about Jesus.

Thanks to Abigail, Lois and Innes for sharing.  Come back tomorrow for the final instalment of the Contagious interviews.  

Contagious #2

Today another two Contagious attendees share their experiences.

Could you tell us a little about who you are and what you normally do during the year?

My name is Bethany.  I am a Christian, and I am in 4th year at school.

What did you do over the summer?

Over the summer I went on holiday with my family to France, then I went with my Grandparents to Keswick and we went to the Christian convention there.  Also I went to a week long Bible conference called Contagious, and lastly I spent a few days in St. Andrews. In between I didn't to much other than going to church on sundays, spending time with my friends and reading.  

Could you tell us a little about what Contagious is like?

Contagious is a week long conference for people who are in S4-S6.  Each day you have a small group meeting in the morning then have two interactive seminars, after lunch you have a free afternoon where you can take part in some organised activities or just hang out with your friends.  After dinner you have a time of worship and a short sermon which is called the Big Teach. Once that is over we have a small snack then go to sleep.

What were the biggest things you learnt through Contagious?

One of the main things I have learnt from Contagious is that even though we have been chosen by God to be with him, we haven't been chosen because of anything special that we have done, God has chosen me because he has chosen me.  Also an amazing thing that I was reminded of was the fact that before we were Christians we were dead and useless, which makes it even more amazing to think that God chose me even though I was dead.

How does what you learnt at Contagious help you live as a Christian woman the rest of the year?

What I learnt at Contagious will help me live more for God this year because I now have even more reasons to be thankful to him.  Also this has made me more determined to have conversations with my friends at school about my faith, and hopefully read the Bible with at least one of them, because I know that it isn't up to me if my friends become Christians instead I know that if they hear the Bible, God will do the work and hopefully change them.

Could you tell us a little about who you are and what you normally do during the year?

I'm Jennifer and I have just started S5.  I have attended Charlotte every Sunday since I can remember and a lot of my closest friendships have been formed through church. 

What did you do over the summer?

I had a very busy summer this year, I went to a scripture union camp at Lendrick Muir, went to Spain for two weeks with my family, went down to the Keswick convention to visit my gran and I also went to contagious!

Could you tell us a little about what Contagious is like?

Contagious is a bible youth conference based at Strathallan Boarding school.  It is a week of very intense bible study.

What were the biggest things you learnt through Contagious?

I learnt about how God has foreknown us since the very beginning which is amazing.  Also I was reminded how important it is to tell my non Christian friends about Jesus. 

How does what you learnt at Contagious help you live as a Christian woman the rest of the year?

I am going to try and go through the word one to one with one of my non Christian friends from school. Also it made me strengthen the want to live everyday of my life for Jesus! 

Thanks to Bethany and Jennifer for sharing.  Check back on Friday for the final interviews.  

Contagious #1

Let’s hear from the first of our Contagious attendees.

Could you tell us a little about who you are and what you normally do during the year?

My name is Alison and I am in 5th year at school.

What did you do over the summer?

Over the summer I went to two teen Bible events: Keswick Convention Youth and Contagious.

Could you tell us a little about what Contagious is like?

Contagious is a youth Bible conference with LOTS of Bible teaching!  We studied the Bible three times a day in different ways: in a small group in the morning where we focused on the first few chapters of Romans, in a seminar where we tackled big Bible themes such as predestination and justification by looking at what the whole Bible says about that theme and we had a 'Big Teach' in the evening which was basically like a church service where we sang, prayed, learned about things we could do everyday to grow in our Christian faith and listened to a sermon.

What were the biggest things you learnt through Contagious?

One thing that has stuck with me since Contagious is that one of my biggest questions has been answered: 'How can I be sure I won't fall away?'.  Our last Big Teach looked at Judas and how easy it is to 'look' like a Christian and how many people fall away.  I remember Andy asking all the leaders to stand up and name someone they know who has fallen away from the faith-everyone single one of them named someone and that scared me.  However, at the end Andy said that it is not the size or strength of our faith that will keep us going till the end but the strength of the One in whom we have put our trust.  I left Contagious with the words of Philippians 1v6 being very real and precious to me "being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus".

How does what you learnt at Contagious help you live as a Christian woman the rest of the year?

I have learnt so many things at Contagious which help me live as a Christian woman.  I've understood the love of God much more than I used to which helps me keep going everyday.  I've also been more excited to go to church and other Christian events to help deepen my understanding of the Bible and to prepare me for 'life on the battlefield'.  One of the most important things I've learnt is that we should be meeting up regularly with other Christians to read the Bible and pray, not just on a Sunday.  I've learnt that the Church is a gift from God and we should build up and strengthen each other daily.

Could you tell us a little about who you are and what you normally do during the year?

My name is Anna and I'm in S4 at school

What did you do over the summer? 

This summer, I had rangers camp at the very beginning.  Then went to our main family holiday to Wales which was really nice.  Then had Contagious which was AMAZING.

Could you tell us a little about what Contagious is like? 

Contagious is amazing and is really worth going to.  It's really intense with how powerful the teaching is but the way it set up is really good because even tho it's 5 hours a day, it defiantly doesn't feel like that.  It's really interactive and along with the teaching they involve banter in the seminars and big teaches which makes it really enjoyable.  The people are really nice and friendly and they are always happy to listen to you or help you out with any queries you have.   You make a lot of friends as after the teachings there is always some free time.  It's a time to get to know other Christian friends, and having Christian friends always helps getting through life cause being a Christian at high school can be a challenge.

What were the biggest things you learnt through Contagious?

A lot stuck out for me that week and some were: that we can trust God that he knows exactly what is happening in our life and that he has a plan for our lives - "God has a plan it will be done to make his people like his son".  God's plan is to make us like Jesus even though we will never be like him as he was sinless and we are sinful.  Also that anything God has started he will complete, he won't leave anything half complete and just forget about it.  We can't do anything without God’s help and God should play a massive part in our lives. We are dead in our sins however cause Jesus died for us we are given a new life and a new life the dead receive!  And true salvation leads to true change and that's what really stood out for me because if we don't fully believe we can't have a new start and we won't have really changed fully unless we fully believe.

How does what you learnt at Contagious help you live as a Christian woman the rest of the year?

The material you get taught at Contagious is always really relevant and can relate to life situations.  It helps knowing that God has a plan for us and that our life is in his hands to control.  He will always be there for us, and if times are troubled he will know what to do if we fully believe in him.

Thanks to Anna and Alison for sharing.  Check back on Wednesday for the next interviews.