WHEN I came to the Jesus Fellowship in 1998, I'd been divorced for two years, had two teenage sons and was living a simple life in a council house in Coventry.

I immediately caught the vision for community and started to let go of material things. By the time I moved in, I hadn't got much to give away. I might not always agree with the details of what the leaders do, but I trust their hearts and the fact that they listen to God and they seek His will.

The biggest issue for me was the happiness of my sons, who were not Christians. I wanted to be sure they had a base to come home to. But my sons were both very supportive of the idea of me giving up everything and moving into a community house. It helped them to know that I was with good, safe people and would not be on my own.

I've enjoyed giving things away to the community house and to a refugee couple setting up home. However, it can be sometimes frustrating when you put things in a communal area for all to use and it disappears into someone's bedroom! I'm trying to resist doing the same.

Once you've moved into community there's a new set of challenges.

I wasn't sure, for example, how I'd get on with bringing others into my choices and decision-making, having been an independent single mum. But I've found I've been quite happy. I think one of the stressful and damaging things in our society is the huge, confusing amount of choice over everything. The simplicity of our lifestyle suits me and I've gradually got used to the corporate wisdom of the brethren in making decisions.

Having different abilities has been an issue for some of us in Coventry, where one group has been to university, the other not. It's not always easy to relate to people who would be on a different social level if they lived outside the community but we're working on these things together.

It's especially important to get these issues tight because of Coventry Jesus Centre. We want to meet people who come in as friends and equals - not as some kind of social project. I don't think we always manage it, especially when we have to bring discipline to people. But people do enjoy coming and finding acceptance. As a church we have a lot of experience that tells us that the love of Christ can change people, whatever their situation, and bring hope. So we can help people to see their future, not just their past.