People of Beverley Minster

The people that know it best give their opinion on what Beverley Minster means to them, the people who work at Beverley Minster and the people of the Minster. This gives you the opportunity to have an insight into how important Beverley Minster is to people, in their life and worship.

What Beverley Minster Means to Me

Dorothy

It is the place where I find fulfilling worship whatever my mood.

It is where I meet friends of all ages and receive their love and support in times of trouble.

When I enter there, I am always aware of the thousands of people before me who have prayed in faith and found help for more than a thousand years, whatever their burdens may have been.

I am aware of the great variety of those who have helped to create the building, from the most skilled craftsmen to the lowliest labourers.

I feel it a great privilege that I am now able to contribute my small part in continuing the life and worship of this place of peace and pilgrimage.

Ian

I joined the Minster choir when I was 7, took a gap year after school when I worked abroad, and now I am at university. Music is a key part of my faith. Through singing I can express my gratitude to God by enjoying His gift to me and also by giving pleasure to others. Wherever I am I feel God is guiding my way, always there for me, helping me to get through the bad times and helping me to help others. He watches over me at work helping me to do the best I can and when I am at the Minster I can enjoy His gift of music, using it in His service and continuing to grow up around it.

Cliff

After 49 years of marriage my wife died. Through the pain of this loss God spoke to me afresh and I felt His love in a very real way. Since then it seems that God prompts me into His ways, even in small practical things. I have become much more involved in the social life of the Minster whereas before I held back. Church attendance is now a joy not a habit and I have joined a Minster house group to study the bible which now means so much more to me. My sole aim in life now is to spread God’s word and help people who are finding difficulty with their faith.

Don

I want to tell you that I am thrilled to bits with my new relationship with God. As a young person I came to believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, but that did not change my life, except I tried to do the right things and to avoid doing bad things. I started to loose my sight a few years ago and, surprisingly, that has caused my faith to deepen; I am more at peace than before. My prayers have changed and I constantly thank God that I still have a little peripheral sight. I want to encourage anyone on the first rung of the ladder of discovering God to persevere in their search and to continue to attend church worship. Jesus says that he sends us the Holy Spirit as our companion and helper, and He certainly helps me in difficult situations.

Sylvia

I have always known the real presence and friendship of Jesus. Through unsettled periods in my life and a time of serious illness God has always given me the right people to help me through the difficult times. I retired recently and through God’s unmistakable intervention I found myself moving to Beverley to be close to my family and first grandchild. My best ‘God moment’ days are shared with my dear and lovely Beverley Minster family, which means so much to me, again enriching my life with love, kindness and friendship. It is such a pleasure to share in its ministry as a church ‘welcomer’, a shop volunteer, a server and a member of the prayer ministry team

David

"The Minster means much to many people world wide, but to me it stands as a beacon of hope and a spiritual presence which watches over the town. It is as if Christ is stood in the midst of his people, and his gospel message which is being proclaimed, carved in stone, is made real by the people, the church who minister to the community around them."

Lee

Lee is the youngest Virger in the country.

For me, Beverley Minster is not only an architectural gem, but also the centre of my life and is my spiritual home. My time as a chorister and then in other roles has prepared me to take the right path in life. I became a virger in 2001 and enrolled with the Church of England Guild of Virgers as its youngest member – I still am. I was able to have a part time job as an assistant virger whilst studying for my A level exams. After a long day I enjoy taking a few moments to take in the silence and sheer space of the building. There is no doubt that I find God’s presence very real in the Minster.

Tony

New to Beverley in 1975, my first impressions were the splendour of the building and the warmth of the welcome I was given by Minster people – reflections of the greatness and goodness of God. Ever since, I’ve valued a rich variety of prayer and worship - ways to respond to God which set the context for family life, work and play. Whilst at the Minster I’ve heard Christ’s call to serve in various ways and often known his care for me and mine. His care for the young has been reflected in Time Out and Sunday Club and in Emmaus. His care for the old was reflected by those who befriended my mother in the confusion of age and His care for me by those who comforted me when Mum died. Thirty years on, for me the Minster is still about belonging and being loved.

Liz

My relationship with Jesus and the Minster started with the baptism of our twins Sophie and Isaac. This relationship grew as I was confirmed after completing an Alpha course. I wanted our children to grow up with a Christian faith and this can’t be done without my personal commitment. As an enthusiastic member of the committee for our group for toddlers (Time Out) I am able to give something back in return for the support I received at a particularly stressful time in my life. We attend the all-age services at the Minster and St Leonard’s and I do gain particular strength form our Live Worship services when I feel very much at peace. I believe the Holy Spirit is guiding and giving me new strength every day and not a day goes by without an offering of thanks from me.

Kristen

It wasn’t until I was about 13 that I realised just how special the Minster is. I was invited to go along to Pathfinders and part of that was going into the Minster during the 10.30 Sunday service. I was amazed at how welcoming and friendly everybody was. Since then I have gone on to become a member of Emmaus, the Minster youth group, and it was the community atmosphere I found at the Minster that encouraged me to keep attending. The thing about the Minster that I find most special, is that the atmosphere can adapt to whoever may be in there, at the time, yet there is always an underlying feeling of awe whenever people walk in.

Jane

I have always been involved with the church since I went Sunday School as a child. Now my own children attend the Minster and there is a real sense of belonging to the Minster family when we take them along on a Sunday morning. As a baptism visitor I find it a tremendous privilege and a very rewarding experience to be invited in family homes and share their hopes for the new child and my faith with the parents. And now I am taking up the management of the Minster shop which will give me the opportunity to speak with the thousands of visitors who are drawn to the Minster each year and who come to the shop to take away a memento of their visit.

Anne

Now that I am retired from teaching midwifery I can play a different role in the life of the Minster.

I am one of the ‘welcomers’ team. I have received much grace, love and forgiveness from God but I find it difficult talking about my faith.

However I believe that when anyone takes even tentative steps to come to church, to learn more about God, to pray or to worship, the very least I can do is to welcome them.

I find it particularly rewarding when I visit families who are preparing for the baptism of a child.

It is a privilege to meet people when, after the gift of a child, they often have cause to wonder about God.