Growing up, Hazel McCorrisken knew Jesus wanted her to speak and share his love in some capacity, but her fears were too great.
Here, Hazel, a member of Helensburgh United Reformed Church in the region of Argyll and Bute in Scotland, shares her experience of completing the taster session for the URC’s discipleship programme Stepwise and her participation in Faith Filled Worship:
I first enquired about Stepwise programme in 2020 and soon realised the timing was wrong as it seemed God wanted me to wait and embrace other commitments, primarily caring for my lovely mum who journeyed on last June, aged 93.
I took six months to pray and think about what was now important and what Jesus wanted me to do. Applying again to Stepwise seemed important and so, almost five years after that first enquiry, I logged onto a taster Stepwise session. where participants can meet others, reflect briefly on faith experiences, and get a sense of how Stepwise groups work. This helped me feel confident in taking the next step. At the time there were no Stepwise groups running in Scotland for me to move onto after the taster session, so I was offered the chance to join an online group in Northern Synod.
On an evening in March, I clicked the link to that first session with trepidation. Feeling out my depths, I questioned whether anyone would even know the town where I live? My fears evaporated when a lady with a Scottish accent appeared on screen. She had lived and worked in Helensburgh, where I live, before moving to England with her family.
The group I joined were just starting the Faith Filled Worship stream. It was held online one evening a month, which gave me time to pray, ponder and prepare, with no rush, pressure or time limit. Faith-filled Worship has 12 sessions over three phases. Sessions one to five cover the fundamentals of worship; sessions six to eight look at ways of engaging with God and sessions nine to twelve consider creativity and challenge in worship. There is opportunity to explore worship in different contexts, helping you find ways faith can become more alive and, for you and others, more sincere and inclusive.
Each month, our little group seems to grow in confidence and I, who find zooms and discussions daunting, gradually log on less hesitantly and almost without fear. I like to imagine Stepwise as a journey, in my case, stepping gingerly into the unknown, with little hidden paths along the way. I get to indulge in the scenery of this journey with every step. I get to breathe in new horizons and my vision changes, enlightens and uplifts.
If you have faith or none, Stepwise enables the sharing of insights and thoughts, with others. I have learned more about what faith is and how to live it out in my own life, Community and Church.
This year two new themes are offered: Faith Filled Environment and Faith Filled Conversations which complement the other themes: Faith filled Life, Community, Leadership and Worship.
When I think of my Stepwise journey, I think of words spoken by Desmond Tutu: “God’s dream is that you and I and all of us will realize that we are family, that we are made for togetherness, for goodness, and for compassion.”
By engaging in Stepwise, I am discovering strangers have become friends; that in sharing our fears, hopes and faith together a wonderful journey of learning is being created. I am not sure where Jesus is leading us each, as individuals, but, together, we are growing in love and faith.
Learn more about the new streams.
To get started or learn more, see the dedicated Stepwise webpage or contact your local Synod Stepwise Contact (details can be found on the Stepwise page under ‘Let us know you are interested).