I've loved the flexibility and depth of study of the Foundation Award. God has really been using it to work in my heart and I've enjoyed working with others in community to learn and grow together.
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Teresa Nixon is the Children’s Outreach Worker at St John’s Church in Hartford, Cheshire.
I chose to do the Foundation Award because I wanted to go deeper theologically. I came into my role without any formal theological training and I’ve been doing this job for ten years now, and in July I finished a three-year course focused on children’s and youth work, which was excellent. But the parts I loved most were always the theology—the doctrine, digging into the Bible, and thinking more deeply about what we believe and why. I wanted more of that, but I needed something that was practical and distance-based, alongside work and life.
I’m absolutely loving the Foundation Award. It has been a challenge—more of a time commitment than anything I’ve studied before—so juggling things hasn’t been easy. But the flexibility has been hugely helpful. Being able to study at times that work around my schedule has made it possible.
The depth of the study has been both a delight and a challenge. God has been using the course to work in my heart, not just my head, which I hadn’t quite expected, but which has been a real joy.
One thing that’s really stood out is the sense of community, even though it’s all online. There are about eight of us on the course, and we all study at different times during the week. The technology has been new to me—and a bit baffling at first—but Oak Hill have been brilliant at supporting us, with clear guides and help. Tools like Padlet, VoiceThread, and the online library have made it possible to work together.
If I were encouraging someone else to do the Foundation Award, I’d simply say: go for it. I'm still near the beginning of it, but already I can see God using it in my life and in my ministry. It’s been a real blessing.