Our Stories: Angus Mitchell
I grew up in a Christian family and had what I would describe as a very English upbringing; quite reserved and somewhat sheltered, but overall a truly blessed childhood which stretched out into my teenage years. I would say I always had a ‘faith’, but up until around the age of 13, didn’t really practice one, probably partly because I didn’t truly know what it meant to have one.
At age 12 I started going to the Christian conference New Wine with my family and some of my church, and we have been every year since. New Wine is something that has really helped my faith to develop and deepen over the years, and now serves as a cornerstone for the “Mitchell summer”.
It was around this time I had moved church and had started to get involved with the youth group. The youth in my previous church had consisted of my brother and I, so it was great to mix with other Christians my age and form friendships which have continued to this day.
For my year out (last year) before university, I decided to dedicate a year of my life to God and did a New Wine Discipleship Year, similar to City Church’s ID year. This year not only furthered my faith, but also deepened my relationship with God; at a time in life where so many people turn away from God, I chose to do the opposite, and this is something which made my transition to university much smoother and easier, certainly in terms of my faith.
The very nature of university is about relying on yourself and purely yourself for the first time, and for many it is the first extended period of time out of ‘the nest’, and many people struggle, in fact I think everyone probably struggles. I was never particularly phased by university because I’ve sort of reached a point in my life where I just go with whatever seems to be happening, but I have definitely struggled with this. This is why I found not only a strong and reliable faith so important, but also a strong and reliable church.
My university experience so far has had its fair share of ups and downs, but City Church has proven a place I can go and put aside all that doesn’t ‘really’ matter and focus on what does. I’ve also found City to be more or less the perfect church for me personally, the worship is incredible, the talks are always engaging, and the people are so welcoming and friendly.
People say these are the formative and most important years of our lives, if that’s the case then being settled in a good church is vital, and even though I've only been here five months or so, City is where I feel settled.
I’m so excited for my future here, at university and at City Church, and I know I’ve chosen the right places to be.
About the Author
Angus is currently in first year at the University of Kent studying French. He has enjoyed living in the City of Canterbury having moved from the middle of nowhere in September. He dislikes making phone calls and using maps and likes cricket and getting lost.
