Limehouse reach!

Paul successfully baptised in the Thames.

Raised to "live a new life..." Romans 6:4. [Ken Stevenson©]

"And lo, Christ walking on the water,
Not of Gennesareth, but Thames!"
(Francis Thompson, English poet 1859 - 1907)

The murky waters of Old Father Thames may not be renowned for their life-giving properties but for one CMS volunteer it was the perfect place for a dip - as he got baptised.

Unusual enough, some might say, but 22-year-old Paul Stevenson told the dockside congregation of church members and passing dog-walkers how he had beaten cancer to be there.

The shock diagnosis came just eight months ago - and only weeks before Paul was due to leave for the experience of a lifetime working with street children in India.

Ironically, Paul had spent the summer working in the Cancer Research shop in his hometown of Brentwood, Essex, after graduating from Hull University.

As he stood chest-deep in the Limehouse Reach part of the Thames just downriver from Canary Wharf, with rubbish floating by, Paul described himself as "at ease" throughout his treatment, "even when the hospital I was staying in experienced two power cuts moments before my operation."

He credits his faith and the speedy action of NHS staff for his peace of mind and says the only time he cried was when the treatment forced him to dump his plans to go to India.

He had wanted to go to India to test his faith but the cancer did that. "I woke up to the fact that the love of others and their prayers were stronger than any personal ambitions or dreams I had previously had."

After successful chemotherapy and an operation, Paul swapped his dreams of India for less romantic east London. He spent three months working with CMS partner Urban Expression in Shadwell, volunteering in a multi-faith pastoral department in an NHS psychiatric hospital and working with inner-city children at an adventure playground.

The experience changed his view of inner cities. "My preconceptions of inner-city life have been blown apart. It's not this harsh, violent area at all. People are as welcoming to you as you are to them.

"All you need is a passion to get involved, creativity, patience and faith."

Now he is planning to spend six months in Edinburgh, mentoring young homeless people with a project that aims to stop them joining the ranks of the long-term homeless, before planning a career in inner-city community work.