Neil Hudson's Story

It was during the teenage years that I began this journey with God that we call being a Christian. As a younger teenager I attended the Keswick Convention where overwhelmed by the beauty of Derwentwater, aware of the Christian teaching and influenced by a girl I fancied, I began to wonder whether there was a God and if there was what the implications of that might be. The feelings remained for a while, but it was only as a later teenager that I took a stand for being a Christian. They were circumstances that it would be hard to engineer. The BBC had looked for a couple of young people involved in the Salvation Army to make a schools’ programme with. I was found – a long story but it involved complicated family connections, and they came and made their film and I wondered what my 15 minutes of fame would bring.

Six months later, it brought a call throughout the sixth form of the school I attended to go to the TV room. Those were the days when cutting edge schools had ONE TV!! So there we were and then it became apparent that we had gathered to watch a schools programme about the Salvation Army – with me as the focus!!! So my school friends who could barely have guessed at any religious inclinations saw me spouting on about belonging to this church. At the end of the afternoon, one of the lads passed me and asked, ‘You don’t really believe that, do you?’ And in that split second I think I had the moment of conversion – a readiness to publicly announce my allegiance to this remarkable man, Jesus. From there my Christian life developed and I became a disciple – often a remarkably thick-witted, but normally well-meaning, disciple.

Eventually we left the Army over the issue of the Baptism of the Spirit, my parents having been influenced by the Charismatic movement in the late 70s, and the Army being uncertain of it all at that time. We found ourselves trying a number of churches, when you were in the Army all the other churches looked the same and a little strange (yes, I know, kind of ironic!). It did get stranger. We attended the local Elim church on the first day of a new pastor’s ministry. He visited us later that week and at that time invited my father to be his assistant pastor. (Things in Elim tend to be a little more structured nowadays!). We took it as a fairly blatant invitation to be part of something and joined Elim. My father became a minister with them, as, in time, I did as did my brother. It was a job lot!

After a year abroad I went to London Bible College. College began a broadening of my understanding of faith that has continued. I think of myself as an uneasy Pentecostal – aware of the richness of some of the history and spirituality, but also aware of how it can be so easily hijacked by showmen (and at times I fear that I fit too well into my own tradition!). The other mentor that has shaped my ministry and understanding of faith was Eugene Peterson. As a young man I devoured his books and followed his recommendations to read other works faithfully.

Up till very recently, my adult life has revolved around the Elim church in Salford and Regents Theological College. Most of the time I have had responsibilities in both places simultaneously. At its best the church has meant that the teaching has been rooted into a stable community, it has provided the workshop for me to think through my view of church and has been the support mechanism for myself and my family. The central ethos of the church would include grace, friendship and being engaged with our community.

I worked at the College for 10 years, holding various administrative responsibilities as well as my teaching areas. In terms of teaching I have covered a lot of church-world-mission areas – Islam/Judaism, Church and Society, Mission in a Pentecostal/Charismatic context, Communication Skills, New Religious Movements, Homiletics, Pentecostal Spirituality and History etc.

My doctoral work related to Pentecostal history and since receiving the award in 1999, I have been engaged in doctoral supervision and examination. My academic writings have normally been in relation to this.

In September 2006, I began work with the London Institute of Contemporary Christianity as a Church-Life Consultant on the Imagine project supporting churches as they think about the central task of encouraging people to follow Jesus in every area of their lives.

I am married to Maggie, a teacher and have two teenage children: Beth is at university and Joel is doing his A levels. We have 2 cats, but I regret that and it isn’t particularly relevant!

As many white males of my age, I graduated from Melody Maker (definitely not NME) to Q to The Word and Uncut, and whilst trying to stay up to date with new music still find that U2, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan and Neil Young help me most work out what this aging business is about! I try and read the Booker nominations each year and then follow leads in magazines and newspapers.

The rest of the time sees pathetic attempts to stay fit at the gym or on the squash court, reading or being with friends.

What have I learnt:

• Life throws a number of unexpected issues at you, the test is how you respond to them.
• God is absolutely faithful, but can be hard to get a handle on at times.
• Jesus had a view of the world that takes a lifetime of thinking about to get to grips with.
• Laughter’s very good for the soul.
• Wrinkles are life’s authentication sign.
• Most things we worry about never happen.
• The things that cause us the most pain, we forgot to worry about!
• Telling the truth normally throws people - but it is the simplest way to live.
• The biggest lessons in life can’t be reduced to a one-liner!!!!