Bringing God’s Word to a new home
We had the pleasure of chatting with Maureen – a Bible sharer in Norfolk – about her experience of sharing the Bible with residents in her care home.
Thanks for chatting with us, Maureen! Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
My name is Maureen Barker, and I was born in 1943. I have two children: Iain and Helen. I live in De Lucy House, an Assisted Living Care Home in Diss, Norfolk. My late husband John and I retired to this area after living in Cambridge.
I was christened and confirmed in the Church of England, but first sensed God’s call at a Baptist Youth Service. Two years later, I publicly accepted Jesus as my Lord and Saviour.
In 1966, John and I were married and began to worship at Cherryhinton Baptist Church near Cambridge. During the years which followed, my faith was deepened and strengthened but the closer I became to God, the further away from God, John became. It was 10 years later, when I was Baptised, that God used my obedience to bring John to Himself.
John and I then both served in the Girls’ and Boys’ Brigade, until we retired and moved to Norfolk in the year 2000.
After John died in 2018, I lived alone for two years, but worsening anxiety and panic attacks led me to move to De Lucy House. The doctor advised that I needed to live among people again, and within two weeks I moved here.
Q: How do you find living in De Lucy House?
I love it here and now I have purpose again: bringing Jesus into De Lucy, staying in touch with family and friends, and befriending less able residents. I’m a Volunteer Resident Ambassador, helping identify and communicate residents’ needs and welcoming newcomers. God has opened up ways to help residents and serve Him, and I love the interactions I have with my De Lucy family!
I also lead Worship Time and Bible Time here. God has gone before me in all of this and is with me every day as I seek to serve Him.
Q: How did you find out about The Word One to One?
The minister at Diss Baptist Church, Jonathan Armstrong, encouraged us to take copies home and invite someone to read with us.
Q: Why did you choose to read it with friends?
Because I had no excuse not to – it was a way I could still serve the Lord and prayerfully bring someone to know Jesus for themselves.
Q: Can you tell us about reading with Barbara and Stella?
Barbara was the first De Lucy resident I read with. She was 90 when we met. When I asked if she’d like to know Jesus more, she jumped at the chance. She was nervous at first but loved that The Word One to One was in plain English.
Our friendship grew steadily as we read together, and we began meeting two or three times a week. Although she’d gone to church all her life, she had never realised Jesus loved her personally. The joy on her face when she realised this – it was beautiful to see! When we came to the Commitment Prayer I read it through for her first, before asking her if she wanted to ask Jesus to be her Lord and Saviour and she couldn’t wait!
It was so lovely to be able to reassure Barbara that she now belonged to God’s family and she would be with Him forever. She passed away a few months after her conversion at the age of 93, and it was a joy to go to her funeral knowing that she had gone to be with her Lord whom she loved.
Stella (93) actually moved into Barbara’s room. She is a lifelong Christian and we began reading Our Daily Bread notes together, then we alternated with The Word One to One. We’ve read John’s Gospel and Acts together, and Stella is even finding pieces of the Old Testament that she hadn’t come across before.
Our friendship definitely blossomed from reading The Word One to One together and we began to share our personal experiences of our lives. Now, we pray regularly together – and through reading The Word, our eyes have opened to more truths and it’s deepening our faith. Stella has become more outspoken about her faith and has drawn much closer to God.
“Our friendship definitely blossomed from reading The Word One to One together and we began to share our personal experiences of our lives.”
Q: What prompted you to start Bible Time?
Our Activities Co-ordinator, Charlie, suggested something for residents with church backgrounds.
When she asked me, I realised The Word One to One would work well. We meet Sunday evenings for a short service: we pray and sing along to hymns on YouTube, and each resident who wishes to, reads the Bible verses while I read the notes in The Word One to One. A resident then reads the summary and I read the significant verses, before we all share the reading of the Bible passage.
Q: Has Bible Time helped you make friends or deepen friendships?
Yes – residents from all four units come, giving us time to connect personally that we don’t normally get elsewhere. Meeting together in a small group and reading the Bible with The Word One to One has given us a common interest and time to develop friendships, and we often stay on chatting together after we meet, too!
“Meeting together in a small group and reading the Bible with The Word One to One has given us a common interest and time to develop friendships.”
Q: Have you seen people at Bible Time grow in their faith?
It’s early days for Bible Time, but I know that one lady has just had her Bible brought in to De Lucy for her, and I’ve offered her an un-dated copy of Our Daily Bread. I felt able to ask another lady who comes to Bible time if I could pray for her after she was taken ill, and she said “Yes, just a short one”!
Q: Has doing this improved your mental health?
Living in De Lucy House has helped me control my anxiety, and I no longer have panic attacks. God knew where I needed to be and has used my De Lucy family as well as my church family to help me regain control of my mental health, rebuild my self-confidence, deepen my faith and give me a home where I feel loved and supported.
Q: How does reading the Bible help day to day?
It brings me closer to God, reassuring me and giving me strength for each day.
Q: Do you have any advice for someone who’s thinking about reading the Bible with a friend?
I think I was more nervous about asking people than actually reading with them. I found that if I offer the invitation while we’re already having a conversation, it didn’t put them on the spot.
I explain that it only takes about 20 minutes to read an episode, and that we could meet once a week or more if we both have the time. I also tell them that accepting the invitation doesn’t commit them to anything long-term. After reading together, if they felt it wasn’t for them, I reassure them that their decision wouldn’t affect our friendship in any way!
“I think I was more nervous about asking people than actually reading with them.”
I’d encourage people not to take offence or be discouraged if people refuse your invitation. I’ve had a lot of ‘nos’ but it’s a joy when people say ‘yes’. Also, don’t make the invitation too big a thing in your mind. Our part is to give people the opportunity of getting to know Jesus and then offering our time to read with them for as long as they’re happy to do so.
Whenever I read with someone, I make sure to read the whole episode beforehand, as reading the notes and summary first helps me to answer any questions that might come up while we’re reading. I also encourage people to ask questions as they come up as we read together – most of the answers are in the notes, but if they aren't, just say that you’ll try and find the answer and will let them know later. Just don’t forget to!
Q: How does your role at De Lucy House fit with your wider church life?
Although I am still able to worship at Diss Baptist Church regularly, I’m not as able to serve in the Church as I was.
However, I was blessed a few years ago when Jonathan, my Minister, told me that the service I give in De Lucy House among the residents, is looked on by the Church, as part of their Outreach to the Community.
I am so grateful to have The Word One to One, St. John’s Gospel and now Acts, available for me to use in my Outreach.
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