Stories of faith

If it hadn't been for the church I don't think I would have coped. When Gemma started coming to the local Food Bank for help and support she ended up finding a new faith and a new place to worship.

Kath Sutcliffe's presence and warm, engaging laugh will be familiar to the people of Bacup. She is the Senior Family Support Worker with Bacup Family Centre (BFC) and founder of Embrace.

When I pray I feel the presence of the Holy Spirit and it helps me to feel calm and put everything in Gods hands.

Bob's life has not been easy. Until his forties he had what he calls an elastic faith - just there when he thought he needed it - and he thought he had everything he needed. But his life changed on one October day.

For many of us, talking about sexuality can be difficult, but talking about this in the context of faith can be very challenging.

Connor loves his job as chaplaincy assistant at St Catherine Academy in Bolton, where he spends much of his time providing pastoral support to teenagers. His own experience of hitting rock bottom enables him to identify with the issues facing many young people.

It never ceases to amaze me what the Holy Spirit can do with people in a short day! Always interested in ideas and stories, Marie Pattison finds herself on a spiritual journey that has taken lots of twists and turns.

Barbara couldn't handle religious platitudes but knew instinctively that God was with her. She reflects that life can take unexpected turns that you would never imagine.

Stephen is passionate about using his leadership skills to benefit the Church. He is a senior manager at the BBC in Salford and has just taken on the additional role of being a Reader in the Church of England.

I feel a strong sense of calling and I hope our work will lead to positive change, and that individual change will translate into something bigger that benefits the city.