Five new lay ministers licensed

Five people from parishes across the Diocese were admitted to the office of Reader on Saturday in Worcester Cathedral. The Bishop of Worcester, Hugh Nelson, conducted the service, licensing the individuals to minister in the parishes they have been called to serve.

Readers are trained and licensed lay ministers in the Church of England who offer a ministry of preaching and teaching in parishes that is complementary to ordained ministry. All those being licensed have completed two years of training led by the diocesan team alongside others who have been training for ordination. After being licensed they carry out a wide range of tasks within their parishes and beyond, especially helping others to reflect on their faith and how it relates to their daily lives.

Those admitted and licensed were:

• Barbara Adams to serve in St Andrw’s Church in Netherton, Dudley
• Kathryn Apperley to serve in All Saints’ Church in Sedgley, Dudley
• Matthew Guy to serve in All Saints’ Church in Sedgley, Dudley
• James Hawthorn to serve at St John the Baptist Church in Bromsgrove
• Andrea Stevens to serve at St Peter’s Church in Ipsley, Redditch

Bishop Hugh said:

“Lay Ministers play a beautiful and crucial role in our churches. They work alongside our clergy in their faithful ministry of preaching and teaching, with one foot in the church and one foot in the world. I was delighted to be able to license these five people who I know will all be valued in their parishes as they share their faith to enable others to discover the hopeful and joyful love of Jesus for themselves.” 

The service took place in Worcester Cathedral on Saturday afternoon. Doug Chaplain, Discipleship and Lay Training Officer for the Diocese preached. He said:

“Today is the final step of this chapter in your ministry and the first step in the next chapter. Please be assured that we are all praying for you and know that you have been called to this role by God. You are to be a co-leader alongside your incumbent, to allow everyday faith to flourish and grow; to know the mercy of God and share that with others; and to continue to look for God’s wisdom as we seek for God’s Kingdom to come here on earth.”

See all the photos from the service

Quotes from the Candidates:

Barbara Adams (St Andrew, Netherton)

It’s been a long journey to be licensed as a Reader. I’ll be wearing the Reader scarf which belonged to my first husband, who sadly died and I’ve thought about training for the role for many years. When my vicar suggested that I went forward for selection two years ago, I was just about to retire from my work as a Chemistry teacher and the timing just felt right. Being a lay minister is important to me. A previous bishop said that Reader ministry was about ‘keeping the show in contact with the road’ and that really resonated – I can still have a ministry while remaining part of the laity. I love leading services and having a pastoral role and I’m hoping to be able to lead bible studies.

Kathryn Apperley (All Saints, Sedgley)

My earliest memory of Jesus is the image, ‘Jesus Light of the World’ in a book my parents bought me from a door-to-door salesman. My father was raised a Catholic, and my mother went to a Methodist chapel. You could say I turned out somewhere in the middle!

God was calling me then to discover a relationship and a love that is eternal and open to everyone. Mine was a slow and sometimes halting journey but looking back I see the signs were always there and thankfully God is a loving and patient God.

What was it that gave me that final push towards licensed lay ministry? I would say three things. The Bishop’s Certificate course filled in so many of the gaps I had in basic bible knowledge. Being asked to offer for funeral ministry by someone who was prepared to ask me more than once, meant trusting not in my worth, but in God’s beautiful grace. Then finally being able to speak those words of hope to mourners within a funeral service, convinced me I could do what God had patiently been nudging me to do for some time.

I give thanks for all those ‘saints’ who have encouraged and supported me and I pray I will always remain humble and faithful in service, as I continue that journey, drawing myself and others closer to God, pruned and shaped to do His will.

Matthew Guy (All Saints, Sedgley)

I was baptised just five years ago. Since then, I have been feeding a spiritual thirst through prayer and the multitude of courses that have been on offer, all of which have helped me to develop a deeper relationship with God.

It wasn’t long before I started considering my Christian calling. Discerning this wasn’t easy, but becoming a Reader seemed to be a natural step, allowing me to have a foot in both the working and Church worlds. The two-year course has challenged and expanded my faith. I’m looking forward to being licensed, so that I can continue to serve my church through preaching, teaching, worship, and pastoral ministry, and hopefully help other people encounter something of the God I have come to know.

James Hawthorn (St John the Baptist, Bromsgrove)

Having been brought up in a clergy family, I suppose faith has always been around me, giving me clear values by which to live my life. Church was always a big part of that.

I think others saw it in me long before I responded to the many prompts people were giving me. I was first ‘nudged’ to consider training as an Licensed Lay Minister whilst taking the Bishop’s Certificate course; something which I would thoroughly recommend to anyone wanting to explore their own faith further.

Being a busy headteacher, I parked that one; but from time to time the prompting came back. Nearly two years ago I decided to retire, and all the pieces fell into place. The right time and the right place. All ‘In God’s good time.’

Now, I’m looking forward to continuing my journey in the benefice of Bromsgrove working alongside the ministry team who have supported me.

Andrea Stevens (St Peter, Ipsley)

Reader training over the last two years has been a brilliant and thought provoking experience which I have thoroughly enjoyed. I have met people who I probably would not otherwise come across, and have valued learning with them and from them, as we have discussed different things together during our training sessions. I’m looking forward to developing my ministry in the parish of Ipsley and the local communities I serve.

 

See all the photos on our Flikr Album by clicking the image below