Image: Scripture Reader cap badge design.
Following our Selection and Recruitment event in December, we are pleased to announce that Peter Woodward will be starting as a Scripture Reader in September. He shares of how he was saved through SASRA and of the calling he now has to serve with SASRA. His testimony was first published in our Spring 2024 Ready magazine, which you can subscribe to receive by email.
By Peter Woodward
I am currently a member of British Army Band Colchester and I have been serving in the Royal Corps of Army Music since 2015.
Joining the Army was the starting point on my journey to the Christian faith. Basic soldier training was a horrible experience for me but attending the church services every Sunday brought encouragement and a much-needed sense of peace.
‘Attending the church services every Sunday brought encouragement and a much-needed sense of peace.’
During training, I was rushed to Accident and Emergency because of a serious leg infection that required emergency surgery and afterwards, I was quarantined in the camp’s medical centre. I was visited by ASR Lee Philipson who, having seen me at church, was curious about my religious beliefs. I admitted that I didn’t know what I believed about God, and he kindly lent me some Christian leaflets, sourced me a pocket-sized Bible and advised that I started reading John’s Gospel. I felt inspired to discover if God was real and if so, to find out what I should do in response.
Peter performing at the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo in 2022. © SASRA
‘The more I did this, the more I felt that God was calling me away from my role in Army music…’
In the years that followed, my focus turned from music to theology and as I moved from different camps, I spent much of my free time studying the Bible with the Padres and Scripture Readers. With their help and guidance, I accepted the truth of Jesus’ resurrection and most importantly, accepted the offer of forgiveness for my sins through His death on the cross.
After being baptised in February 2020, I began using my gifts of music, writing and speaking to serve in church, as well as embracing opportunities to share my faith with my workmates. The more I did this, the more I felt that God was calling me away from my role in Army music and when expressing this to ASR Gavin Dickson, he asked if I had ever considered serving in SASRA. I enquired in Spring 2023 and just before Christmas received the very exciting news that I will be commencing my training as a Scripture Reader in September 2024!
PRAY WITH US
- Give thanks for how God used SASRA to draw Peter to Himself.
- Pray for Peter as he begins work as a Scripture Reader. Pray he would keep walking in the Lord Jesus Christ and ask that God would bear fruit through Peter for His glory.
If you have a gift or calling to personal ministry, experience of military service, and a heart for the young people of the British Armed Forces, please consider talking to us about becoming a Scripture Reader.
