I have not always lived in Westhoughton: I was born in Padiham near Burnley and came to live here in 1978. I came because I started a new job in Bolton, teaching at Deane Grammar School (now Deane High School). The first thing I did was to start looking for a church.

So why did I do this?

I was brought up to go to church services, Sunday School and so on at my local Church of England but as I entered my mid teens I became disillusioned with the church and began to feel that it was just a group of people following a dead ritual. My disillusionment became so great that when I was asked if I should like to be a Godfather of a close relative, I refused, on the grounds that I was not a Christian.

Student in Liverpool
I went away to study in Liverpool and while there decided to begin reading a New Testament I had been given at school. I began to realise what a fantastic man Jesus was and came to the conclusion that to be a Christian involved following Jesus to the letter and that I could not do that nor, I decided, could anyone else. During this time I used public transport a lot and found on a few occasions that fellow passengers would begin chatting to me about their life and how it had changed after they met Jesus. So when a student friend asked me to come to a Bible study, I went along more out of curiosity than anything else. I did not say much but because of what I did say it was obvious to my friend that I did not fully appreciate what was going on.

No, I am not a Christian
As a result, my friend asked me if I was Christian to which I answered emphatically, 'No, I am not a Christian.' At that time I was self-conscious and tended to be quiet-spoken, and even to this day I am not quite sure he heard me.

At a later opportunity he explained to me in private how he had met Jesus, and from the Bible how I could meet Jesus. I went away with some literature and that same evening in my room I invited Jesus into my life. I must admit I did not feel any different but found over the course of time an eagerness to know the Saviour better, meet with those who knew him and that my concerns about the end and meaning of life were replaced with a joy in knowing that one day I would meet this wonderful Saviour, Jesus, face to face . Now HE is the most important thing in my life