‘I am so blessed to have found where I belong’

Vicki Manley (Hereford) thanks God for an inclusive corps community that encouraged her to follow a calling.

I have been attending Hereford Salvation Army for just over two years. I became an adherent last July and now sing in the songsters every Sunday.

I am totally blind, but this doesn’t stop me from doing anything. I have the words of each songster song emailed to me so I can Braille them out and, therefore, proudly join in. I also have a Braille Salvation Army songbook, which means I am just the same as everyone else!

A few months ago, our congregation was asked if anyone would like to cover meetings while corps leader Major Pamela-Jayne Johnson was away. I thought about it for a bit and I feel it was a call from God that prompted me to text my friend, Ruth, to ask if people needed training to lead a meeting. I learnt that The Salvation Army believes in the priesthood of all believers, so anyone could lead a meeting.

I was extremely keen to follow this up. It was something I’d never done, and I knew it would take me out of my comfort zone.

Songs of Praise helped me come up with what I wanted to talk about. I was listening to a programme on the Sermon on the Mount, which has so much important guidance on what Jesus taught about how we should live our lives. I picked Matthew 5:3, 6 and 9.

After numerous meetings with Ruth, lots of learning, research and compiling our meeting plan and notes – plus a little help from my personal assistant – we were almost ready for the big day!

At last, the day of the meeting arrived. I was a little nervous, but very excited. I felt God’s assurance with me through the whole meeting, as well as having support from Ruth and our corps. I was totally out of my comfort zone, but I wasn’t fazed, even when our timings didn’t quite go to plan.

This has made me realise that I can deal with anything. It showed me that the tiniest seed of an idea can grow into a big reality. I never imagined I would do anything like this, but it was an absolute joy and a privilege. I really loved doing it!

Sometimes, when you have a disability, it can be hard to find places where you feel you fit in and belong, but it’s really important for us all to have these. You need confidence to go and try and eventually find people who are ‘your people’ and want to learn alongside you and journey with you. I am so blessed to have found my church, where I belong, and I want to say a huge thank you to Ruth and everyone who helped me.

With the right support, encouragement, belief and inclusiveness, you really can do anything!