Online evangelism training in practice
Rachel Erwin
Rachel Erwin shares how one woman’s remarkable journey revealed the transforming power of the Gospel – and what happens when the local church is equipped and ready to respond.
Claire Woodward’s story begins long before she ever set foot in Queensway Chapel.
Adopted at the age of five alongside her sister, Claire was brought into a loving family after a difficult early start – her biological father had left shortly after her sister’s birth, and her mother had since entered an abusive relationship, Rachel Erwin eventually abandoning the two girls in a military hospital abroad. When a couple came to visit and chose to adopt them both, Claire and her sister found themselves suddenly surrounded by love and care.
Claire Woodward
Life continued with its share of both joy and hardship. Claire married Dave, they raised three children together, and though the pressures of life led to a temporary separation, they found their way back to one another and remarried in 2008. Throughout it all, Claire had always believed in God – but the resurrection of Jesus remained something she struggled to grasp.
That changed when Claire’s mother became ill and passed away. At her funeral, How Great Thou Art was sung. As Claire joined in the words, something shifted – a profound conviction that what she was singing was simply, undeniably true.
A few months later, Claire experienced a powerful moment in which her life seemed to unfold before her eyes – a sudden, deep awareness that God had been present throughout her entire journey, in every hardship, every loss, every unexpected turn.
Searching for a church near her home in Melksham, Claire came across Queensway Chapel. One Saturday evening, while running an errand to the shop next door, she met one of the congregation’s long-standing members. A brief conversation became an invitation to the Harvest Supper being set up inside. At that supper, those present were invited to put their trust in Jesus. Claire responded – and has since experienced the transforming work of the Holy Spirit drawing her closer to Him.
Claire now attends church regularly, is actively involved in the fellowship, and is being discipled by one of the women in the church community.
At Queensway Chapel, Claire met Rachel Erwin. Rachel is training through the Connect Evangelism Training Programme – Counties’ initiative to equip everyday church members with the practical tools and confidence to make Jesus known in their local communities. As the church’s Evangelism Coordinator, Rachel had been gaining exactly those tools when Claire’s path and hers converged.
Rachel shares: “I have never seen anyone flourish as amazingly as Claire. Her transformation has been radical – not just emotionally, but spiritually too. It has been such a privilege to watch Jesus transform her life and then see her pour into others.”
Claire’s story is a reminder that when the local church intentionally invests in evangelism, the impact can be truly transformational – not just for one person, but for all those that person goes on to touch.
Rachel Erwin is married to Martin, and they have three daughters. Together, Rachel and Martin have served at Queensway Chapel for ten years. Rachel is the church’s Evangelism Coordinator – helping the church family as they introduce others to Jesus.
To find out more about the Connect Evangelism Training Programme, visit: countiesuk.org/training
This article was adapted, with permission, from a piece previously published in idea magazine for the Evangelical Alliance.