Beth Kneale

Beth shares the job of GBWA Secretary with Catherine Shirtcliffe.

I am a member of Abbey Baptist Church and have been for a number of years.

I was born in Devon, but my dad’s work took us to numerous towns, ending up in Southport where I spent most of my secondary schooling. I wasn’t an academic and got average grades in exams.

I became a Christian at the age of 11 after attending a holiday Bible club and was baptised at the age of 13. I was brought up to go to church and did so three times on a Sunday. I am the middle one of six children. My mother was a Christian as I was growing up, but not my dad. They got divorced years later.

As a teenager I did voluntary work among children with learning difficulties. I wanted to be a residential social worker, but since the course was full I had to take a succession of low paid jobs and never quite got back into studying.

I married Graham who is now the executive officer of United Beach Missions. We have three children. David who is out in East Asia with Grace Baptist Mission. He gets married this year in July to Ivy who is from Shanghai. They met at Leeds University.

Steve is at Liverpool University at the moment and completes his degree this year. Sarah is taking her ASs and hopes to do nursing at Liverpool University this September.

After marrying I did several jobs, from child minder and nursery worker to cook - all trying to balance the family finances while looking after three children and a husband. Just like all busy mums!

I applied for a night shift at a local Christian care home - a lovely place to work, and one day while taking my children to school I had a major car accident and had to give up the job I loved. After a few years an elderly lady asked me to help her. When she got to the point that she couldn’t cope at home any longer, I suggested that she try a week or two in the care home. While visiting her there I was offered the job of care team leader. I was shocked to be asked and had to pray about it, wondering if my back would be up to it. After prayer I was convinced it was the right thing to do. After three years I was asked to take over the acting management post which I did and am very much enjoying the position, in Pilgrim Homes at Framland in Wantage, with 22 elderly residents and almost 50 full and part-time staff.

Here there are challenges every day whether from residents, their families or the staff. Managing a care home you have to be well organised and a good people person; there is so much paperwork nowadays and yet you still need to be approachable for the staff and residents.

I spend what spare time I have doing beach missions in the summer, and I organise the catering for the reunion each year. I take part in the monthly open air that our church runs in Abingdon.

I love to cook for dinner parties, I play the piano, guitar and love to sing. I read when I have a few spare minutes and have taken up walking as a hobby recently.

At the care home there are many problems - I pray about these problems and ask the Lord to help me and he has never let me down. Caring for the sick and dying is not really a glamorous job, but I see my work as serving God just as much as serving the elderly people. I try to serve him to the best of my ability and he helps me to share and show his love to the residents. I want them to have the best quality care that I can give and, with God’s help, I trust this happens.