Early in the new year three generations of the congregation of St John’s Church in Peasedown reaffirmed their baptismal vows. Denise Burrows who is in her 70’s, 20-year-old Mollie Hayward and Fleur Turner who is 52 all separately asked the Revd Matthew Street, Rector of the Benefice of the St J's Group with Wellow if they reaffirm their baptismal vows. At the service led by Revd Matthew, all three reaffirmed their vows together. Matthew said, “It was a delight to start 2023 joining Denise, Mollie and Fleur as they shared their individual faith journeys and then reaffirmed their baptismal vows by full immersion.”
During the service each candidate was encouraged to share their testimony prior to the reaffirmation of their infant Baptismal vows. In her testimony Fleur told how she was baptised when she was a few months old and was confirmed as a teenager but that throughout her life she had become what she described herself as being a “wishy washy Christian”.
Reading her testimony out loud in front of everyone at the service Fleur-Louise said, “My faith came and went like the seasons and didn't get in the way of my friendships or of the things I wanted to do. And praising God certainly wasn't at the top of my to do list. In fact, being a Christian was something which at the very best was fairly important if and when it was convenient and at the very worst was something that I kept under wraps out of embarrassment at what people would think. Lord I'm so sorry for that.”
Fleur described how throughout her life she had “done so many things I'm not proud of. I've been tetchy and thoughtless and impatient and careless and selfish and resentful and so many, many things.” And went on to explain that now she felt that “…it was as if my whole life had been in black and white and was now in vivid colour! Everything made sense and even if they didn't it was ok. Having Jesus in the driving seat is illuminating, it's exciting and it drives me forward day by day.”
After the service Fleur said, "Reaffirming my Baptismal vows was incredibly empowering. It gave me a chance to tell everyone that I am a soldier of Christ and I will do whatever he asks of me in full obedience and reverence. I am so grateful to Matthew and his team for making it possible for us that day."