God is always faithful – though we may not yet see
By Mark Seymour
This blog from a Trustee of CViE will encourage our supporters to trust in the Lord, as he shares experiences leading to his appointment to a management role in 2011.
This first blog is about how I obtained the role in a Secondary school as a School Business Manager. In time this role extended to also include four primary schools in a multi-academy trust for which I was on the board as a Finance Director. This trust included some Church of England and non-faith schools. It also included two nursery schools for which I was Chair of the trustees. But all of this would not have happened without the Lord making a way. I had a career in finance, business management and HR and was needing a change from my current position. I had always had an interest in education and was Nat West bank’s education representative from my local town in the 1990’s. Despite all this, only the Lord could make a way.
I hope that my blog will encourage young people, parents and others that the Lord can open doors and make a way where matters seem very difficult. I trust it gives a sign of the wonders of the gift of prayer but above all, how the Lord can work.
In December 2010 I applied for a position I saw advertised and although I had prayed generally for the Lord to make a way for me out of my current position, I must confess I did not pray specifically for the education role as I submitted my application. A lesson from this – I should have prayed before I sent it. The Lord mercifully forgives our weaknesses.
On the Sunday after I had submitted the application, it was so impressed on my mind that if my pastor would quote or speak from the words in Isaiah 30 – This is the way, walk ye in it – I would have a real hope of obtaining the position. Our pastor preached from Deuteronomy 31 v 8 – And the Lord, He it is that doth go before thee … He mentioned difficulties at work and how we have to venture to move forward, which I felt was remarkable. Even more amazing was the situation in the afternoon sermon when he suddenly stopped and said “I have had this word on my mind all day and feel I must quote it – And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it. It was a great encouragement to me.
In due course, I was called for an interview and there was a short list of six from 40 candidates. The night before the interview I woke in the middle of the night with the words of my pastor’s text sounding in my mind and I really felt that the Lord would go before me. We were all asked to arrive at the same time on Day 1. There was a day and a half programme of assessment and this was to begin with coffee as a group around the table in the Executive Head’s office. Now we just sat where seemed nearest to us, as one would. But without knowing it, there was a reason why I sat to the left of the Executive Head. It was her intention to get us all to briefly introduce ourselves and to give a few details as to our background and why we wanted the position. Where I sat turned out to be important because she started with me. I was very brief and to the point but I noticed that as the introductions went round the table they got longer and longer and the experience and qualifications of some candidates made me feel I had a hopeless case. This did two things – firstly, the silent prayer that the Lord would help me against greater and better candidates (as they seemed to me). The Lord will bring out prayer and uses all means for this. Secondly, the strong competition as I saw it meant that I actually relaxed thinking that only the Lord could open the door. Having a relaxed but prayerfully concerned approach throughout the day’s exercises and separate interview situations really helped. The Lord did it all. How we have to look at these little details in His master plan! I was not on edge as much as other candidates and I proved this during the day as a couple of them broke down in the room where we all met after each exercise/interview and I found myself having to encourage them in the process.
At lunchtime we were to have a formal dinner with the Executive leadership team and it so transpired that I was a little later than some others getting to lunch as my previous exercise ran late. The only place left to sit was next to the Executive Head! I have never been one to push myself forward but I had no choice. Looking back on this I thought of Ruth – her hap was to light on a part of the field belonging to Boaz. Twice in one morning the Lord had chosen where I was to sit. Oh, the little aspects all perfectly managed by our God. If only we had eyes to observe more of these things!
And thus, we entered into conversation over lunch. I was surprised when the Executive Head said that she was keen on recruiting to the role someone from outside of education and I felt that would not just rule out three of the six, but made me wonder if she felt an interest in me for the position. I suppose that she should probably have not said that comment during a day of interviews but it was used as an encouragement to me.
At the end of the day I was among the two that were chosen to come back the next day to make a presentation to the board of Governors. I felt helped through this and went back to work in the afternoon. It was a Friday and just before the end of the working day I received a telephone call from the Executive Head to say that I had been successful and the position was mine if I still wanted it. Naturally, I was taken aback and very pleased. However, there was one aspect that I wanted to clarify and that was regarding having to either work on a Sunday or to prepare anything for Sunday events etc. At that point the Executive Head said that she was so pleased that I had a Christian faith and that both she and the Chair of Governors were Christians. She confirmed that no pressure would be put on me and she would remember this. I hope to show how this worked out in practice in a further blog message.
We agreed that I would dwell on the offer over the weekend. I wanted to see if the Lord would give another word of direction and to prayerfully ponder the matter. As it transpired, there were no further leadings but I felt that the Lord had clearly opened the door and now I ventured to walk through it. I still have not forgotten my telephone conversation on the Monday morning. When I told the Head that I was accepting the position she could not answer as she was too emotional. I felt certain that she had been praying over the weekend and this was an answer for her.
I subsequently learned that a month or so before that, the position had been filled from a previous set of candidates but the successful person then declined to take the position, so they advertised again. I had never seen the first advertisement but the Lord ensured that I saw the second one.
I realise that this blog is not directly on the educational matters of children and young people but I hope there is a message of encouragement in all things that “When the Lord’s people have need, His goodness will find out a way”. Failing in prayer, a longsuffering God answers to prayers, the small things working together for good and the mighty hand of God are in all this. Parents, young people and children will all prove these things in their own lives and in the difficult matters they face in education, by prayer, seeking Him and watching His mighty hand work.
Future blogs will consider some of the challenging issues during a twelve-year involvement in a school trust.
