Meet Rachel, our speaker…from Edinburgh.

Can you tell us a little about yourself including your family, what you do etc?
I moved to Edinburgh when I was 13 and loves the city so much I stayed ever since! I enjoy coffee shops, reading, gardening, and am developing a love for running. I completed the Edinburgh Half Marathon this year and quite enjoyed it!

Since 2012 I have worked at Charlotte Chapel as their Women’s Ministry Coordinator. Since September 2020 I went part-time there and started working at the FIEC as their Director for Women’s Ministry. This role involves promoting gospel work carried out amongst women and by women in FIEC churches, alongside equipping and encouraging women’s workers. 

Before being in full-time ministry l trained as a Primary School teacher and taught Primary One (Reception) for four years. I then went on to complete the Ministry Associate Programme at Chalmers Church in Edinburgh.

Which two or three Christian books apart from the Bible have most influenced your faith? 

I remember the first time I read Pilgrims Progress and how struck I was by how it so beautiful articulated the Christian life. Hole in our holiness by Kevin De Young really got me thinking about the importance of pursuing holiness. I think my generation can shy away from holiness from the fear of seeming legalistic. But this book challenged me to see that holiness is becoming like Jesus. And I should be longing to see this my life more and more. Gentle and Lowly by Dane Ortland was a wonderful book from last year. I really appreciated digging deep into what the Bible has to say about Jesus’ heart towards me.  

What lessons have you learnt that you would want to pass on to a younger Christian version of yourself?  

So many! But I think the one that has a great influence on so much of life, is the importance of rooting my identity in Christ and rejoicing in the fact I am a child of God. This truth profoundly changes how I see myself. I can worry less about what others think of me, my relationship status, if I am successful or the circumstances of my life. Instead I can rest in the fact I am a child of God who loves me and cares for me.  

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