When I was 18, as a result of a significant encounter with God, I decided that I would go back to Church.  It was a promise I made to God in that moment of special meeting with Him. I hadn’t been to Church since I was 13 but I expected it would be quite an easy thing to do.

A young lady I was working with at the time suggested that I went to her Church, a neighbouring Anglican Church to the one I used to attend.  She told me that she went to the early 8am Communion service so we arranged to meet outside the Church at 7.55am.

I must admit, I was just a little nervous about going back to Church. I was glad that I would be with someone I knew.  So, on a cold and wet Sunday in Autumn I arrived early and waited.  She didn’t turn up.  I stood in front of the porch and steeled myself to go in alone.  I didn’t go in. I suddenly felt too apprehensive, so I went home.  At work next day she apologized that she had overslept.

We arranged to meet the following week.  Again she didn’t arrive so again, I went home. This was repeated the week after! In fact, I discovered later that she rarely ever went to Church but because I was going she thought she, too, might come back to Church.

On the fourth Sunday I was reminded by God of my promise so this time, I was determined.  I pushed open the porch door and walked into a rather large and gloomy building.  A figure hovered in the shadows and suddenly bore down upon me.  It turned out to be the Vicar who thrust a collecting plate in my hand and told me to take the Collection.  (My first step, it seems on what I call an Opportunity for Christian Service Programme!)  Having no clue when the collection was taken nor really where, in the battered BCP was given, the service of holy Communion began, I decided to enlist the help of one of the six other people at the service. She was rather off-putting (though later became one of my greatest friends).  Needless to say, the Vicar waited in vain for his Collection!  It was an unpromising beginning but a promise was a promise so I kept going and eventually people started to talk to me (it took about 6 weeks, though the Vicar in week 3 asked me to run the Sunday School!).

That experience has always reminded me that going back to Church after a time away isn’t as easy as it seems.  I don’t know why I felt so intimidated by that Church building (which, with the lights fully on, was rather lovely).  All I know is that I did.  Even once I’d got over that, it wasn’t easy to become accepted.

So, the initiative ‘Back to Church Sunday’ which we are taking part in at the end of this month, is one I welcome.  The idea is that we actually invite people to come with us, and to look after them when they do.  It’s simple but it can make a world of difference to someone who, like me, would like to come but are a bit scared.

It’s a bit of evangelism we can all do at very little cost to ourselves beyond wanting to share God and our Church with someone.  Who knows what may happen as a result!