St Thomas Crookes

Trainees' Stories

FORM Testimonies

Here, previous trainees share how they have grown in their faith.  If you are considering FORM and you are still not sure whether it's for you, then read on.   These testimonies say it all!

BEKKI: Form was an incredibly challenging and exciting year for me. My relationship with God is totally incomparable to how it was when I started. It was a difficult decision for me to give up a year for God but He has blessed it so much. I began the year feeling afraid, I loved God but felt inadequate and unsure of how He could possibly use me. Now I know that God uses me everyday in small and large ways and that all I want from my life is to serve him and love others.

ANDY: The fact that you set aside a year to go deeper with God and with others shows that you want to seek first the Kingdom. My testimony is that as you engage with form and seek God and as he leads and prompts you to speak, listen and act then He really does amazing things.

My encouragement to all those doing form is: make space to be with God, be creative and try different things. God really gave me courage throughout the year to open up to others and be honest about my life - I would really encourage everyone to be open from the start. In terms of mission, as you Love others you will see lives transformed. Be yourself with others. Watch for things that God is doing - you will be amazed.

BRYONY: I’m really glad I made the decision to come to Sheffield and do form. I will remember my form year as a year where I grew closer to God, learnt more about myself, found more clarity about what God was calling me to and made some amazing friends!

Form isn’t like going to theological college or Bible school: it’s not about sitting in a classroom. For me form was about learning what it is to be a disciple, and then putting it into practice the next day in the workplace and in my ministry. This was challenging, encouraging, frustrating and exciting, and I’m so glad I did it!

STEVE: I really enjoyed my form year because it gave me the tools and the time to invest myself in other things – both inside and outside church – in a way that wouldn’t have been possible if I’d been in full-time work or study. I loved the variety of input that we had and the structured teaching was helpful, but beyond that there’s loads to be learnt simply from spending time with other people learning to follow Jesus. Expect God both to grow good fruit in your life and to cut away the deadwood. I learnt things about God during my form year that I’m sure will stay with me for the rest of my life.

LOIS: For me form was about learning how to live a life of discipline and of grace, learning what it means to really love God and those around me, learning that who I am and what I do are not the same, and that the first is not defined by the second. Form teaches you about community and His awesome provision. So don't worry if you think you can’t afford it because He can, and He provided for us over and over. God seemed to meet everyone wherever they were at - for me there were no bolts of lighting or huge changes but just a steady consolidation of the truth and freedom I have in Christ. It's also a lot of fun!

SARA: Form was an extremely significant year. It really helped to break God, and the depth of his Kingdom, out of the box. I learnt afresh the freedom and joy of what it means to be in a relationship with Jesus. I learned to listen to God in new ways. I had the opportunity to seek, trust and depend on God - to see God's faithfulness and power at work by being forced to step outside of my comfort zones. God used the year to open and close doors and provided a truly unique and sacred space to work out what life has to offer. It was also great to begin to understand and appreciate the importance of living in community with others. Finally, through the process of being transformed inwardly, God powerfully helped me to focus more on him and ultimately on others - to grasp the simplicity of what it means to know and love the Lord and be the hands and feet of Jesus in this world. Amen to that!