From Grief to Grace: Julie Rubidge’s Spiritual Journey
Julie Rubidge’s path to becoming a lay minister at St. Peter’s Church in Sheringham began far from the pulpit. Growing up on a council estate in Greater London, faith was barely a whisper in her early life. Her family’s relationship with church was purely ceremonial—attending only for christenings and weddings. This changed slightly when a leaflet advertising “Sunshine Corner” Sunday school arrived through their letterbox. Julie and her brother attended mainly for the refreshments but found themselves enveloped in warmth and kindness that planted seeds for the future. “I had an idea that God did exist,” Julie remembers of this time, “and at bedtime I used to ask God to look after us. But that was the extent of my faith.” After about a year, they stopped attending, and life continued without much spiritual reflection.
It took profound loss to shake Julie’s spiritual foundations decades later. In her late forties, she experienced what she describes as “more than a double whammy.” First, her boss of eleven years—a friend with a great sense of humor—died suddenly after falling into a diabetic coma. Just two months later, her father passed away as well. Having never before lost anyone close to her, Julie found herself blindsided by grief. She left her job to process these losses, and in the quiet aftermath, existential questions she had long pushed aside came flooding in: “Where do people go when they die? Is there really a heaven or a hell?” Rather than seeking answers from others, Julie picked up an old Bible and began reading. Though the language was challenging, she persevered through the New Testament, praying to Jesus and asking him, if he existed, to help her find God. By the time she reached John’s Gospel, she believed Jesus was real but still felt uncertain about finding God.
The turning point came six months after leaving work, when Julie experienced what she describes as a “vision of Christ in light like a bright diamond.” In this profound moment, she heard a gentle voice asking, “Will you come to my house on Sunday?” Though she wrestled with this invitation for three days—admitting that churches gave her “the shivers”—she ultimately couldn’t refuse. That Sunday, Julie walked into a small United Reformed Church where only a handful of elderly women sat in the pews. Despite feeling out of place in the unfamiliar setting, the sermon that day about the meaning of worship directly addressed questions she had been praying about. “I knew then that I couldn’t go it alone—I had to worship with others,” she recalls. This realization marked the beginning of her committed faith journey, one that would eventually lead her to Norfolk and a new calling.
Church became a regular part of Julie’s life as she explored different denominations and participated in Alpha courses to deepen her understanding of Christianity. During one course session focused on the Holy Spirit, she experienced what she describes as “an unimaginable joy and love poured down from Heaven.” In 2004, Julie was baptized by full immersion, which she considers even more profound than her confirmation. The following year, redundancy led to early retirement, and she and her husband relocated to Norfolk. The move wasn’t random—during an earlier holiday, while visiting St. Peter’s Church in Sheringham, Julie had felt “a wonderful, profound sense of peace” while praying. This experience convinced her that St. Peter’s was where God wanted her to be. Once settled in Sheringham, Julie immersed herself in church life, volunteering with teas, visiting care homes, and assisting with Holy Communion.
As Julie’s involvement at St. Peter’s deepened, someone suggested she might train as a Reader (now known as a Licensed Lay Minister). Initially dismissing the idea, she kept receiving the words “Feed my sheep” during prayer. Attending a vocations day in Norwich, she heard a speaker say: “If you are not called to preach and teach, don’t be a Reader”—words that resonated deeply. “My spirit vibrated,” she remembers. “I knew that this was my calling.” Despite doubts about her abilities, Julie applied and was accepted into the three-year part-time training course. Though she found it challenging, she valued the fellowship with other trainees. In September 2011, Julie was licensed as a Reader at Norwich Cathedral, beginning a new chapter of formal ministry.
Today, Julie serves full-time as a lay minister at St. Peter’s in Sheringham, with responsibilities including preaching, teaching, conducting funerals, managing social media, and handling administrative tasks. She has also served as sub-warden for other Licensed Lay Ministers in the area. Looking back on her journey from a council estate girl with little religious background to a dedicated church minister, Julie maintains a humble perspective. “I’m still learning, and I know I’ll never have all the answers—only more questions,” she reflects. Yet through all the questions and discoveries, she says she has become “ever more deeply convinced not only of God’s existence, but of God’s life in us and through us as we live day by day.” Her story demonstrates how personal tragedy can sometimes open doors to unexpected spiritual transformation, and how a life can find new purpose through faith when faced with life’s most difficult questions.
