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This is a text-only version of an article first published on Wednesday, 22 January 2020. Information shown on this page may no longer be current.
A richer inner life has helped Paul Armitage from Wokingham live out his faith more fully from Sunday to Saturday thanks to embarking on a Personal Discipleship Plan (PDP) . Paul is a scientist who became a Christian in his 20s and was baptised at the same time as his second child.
He quickly got actively involved in church, volunteering on several rotas and becoming the treasurer.
But there came the point where Paul was seeking something more; recognising his prayer life and Bible reading had stagnated.
So he joined the first group of people in the Diocese to work with a Personal Discipleship Plan. The Personal Discipleship Plan is a simple series of conversations to explore your gifts and where God might be calling you next at home, at work and in the local community.
In the video below, Paul talks with Revd Tina Molyneux, Diocesan Discipleship Enabler, about his PDP journey and the changes he's seen in his everyday faith.
"What I found with the Personal Discipleship Plan process was that it was very encouraging in its nature and it was really about me and me figuring out what it was I should be looking for.I met with my mentor every three or four months '' "It was just enough structure to stop it being aimless but not too much structure to feel prescriptive , " says Paul, who feels the process has helped him become mission focused in his local community and wider.
"Faith in the workplace and mission in the workplace is a really big part of where this has gone for me," says Paul.
A Personal Discipleship Plan (PDP) helps churchgoers to go deeper in their faith and to confidently live out their faith at home and work.
"Everyone's journey is different," says Tina, featured in the film above. "We take time to listen and explore what God is doing in someone's life we can then together equip for the next step to deepen faith and point people towards practical ways explore and live out faith. "We promise that anyone who has a conversation with their minister or a mentor will not be given a new job or rota in church! It's all about positively encouraging people to do more of what they enjoy, to energise the inner life to live a confident and fruitful daily faith. "The stories we've heard about PDP conversations range from encouraging someone to becoming a foster carer, setting up a free village weekend breakfast, to writing short stories, to exploring ways to offer a contemplative space for the local community.
And we can't wait to hear yours!