Sarah Braithwaite is the new Anna Chaplain in Upton upon Severn, Worcestershire
A very warm welcome to Sarah who's based at the Baptist Church in Upton. She writes:
I have been a Christian most of my life but as a child did not understand the true impact it would have on life.
My husband, Eric, is retired from civilian work and previously was in REME (the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers) for 24 years. We have a married daughter, Emma, who lives in the UK, and a son, Justin, who lives with his male partner in New Zealand.
Life has served many curved balls but with the strength and support of God I have been able to find answers to the most challenging episodes in my life.
As a teenager working in an old fashioned chemist's, my mother was told that 'Sarah is an asset because she is able to empathise and communicate with the elderly who frequent here.' Little did I know how that comment would remain with me through my life. There were shades of it in my career within Human Resources (HR), and having attended the Baptist church for many years, being involved with all ages.
I came to a cross-roads where I felt God was calling me for something specific. As I searched, our pastor placed a germ of an idea in my mind and, over time, watered with prayer, it grew and became a passion: the realisation that the elderly in the community were the hidden gem that needed support and spiritual care as they reached that stage in life when their spiritual journey changes and the road becomes challenging. To complement my HR, I spent three years training to ‘Prepare For Service’ at Bristol Baptist College.
I now look forward to a new life working and supporting those who have worked and supported others in the past, and are now in need of God’s love and care as they prepare for the biggest journey of their lives.