On Saturday 14th September a Celebration of Lay Ministry service took place at Coventry Cathedral. The service included the licensing of Readers, giving PTO (Permission to Officiate) licenses to those currently serving as Readers, and celebrating lay people who had given notable services to their churches over the past year.
During the service, Anne Penfold was welcomed into the diocese as a Reader and Barbara Stafford and Wilfrid Kendal were admitted and licensed as Readers.
In the month prior to the service, churches were invited to nominate lay people from their congregations who had made significant contributions to the life of their churches for recognition at the service. During the service, those nominated were called out by name and invited to give themselves afresh to God in their ministry. Also, different areas of ministry were read out (such as ‘welcomer’, ‘worship’, ‘safeguarding’, ‘children and youth’) and those involved in each were invited to stand and be thanked for their service.
Captain Gordon Banks, a Lay Minister, commented that during the service, “there was much rejoicing and clapping at the willingness of so many people to give so much, often sacrificially.”
The Revd Rob Harrison, Director of Ministry and Leadership for the diocese said:
“It was wonderful to celebrate the service of all those present, not only those who had been nominated. One person thanked me afterward that ‘making coffee’ had been included, meaning that they could also stand and feel valued.
All in all, it was a wonderful event and very much felt that lay ministry was being celebrated. I’m very much looking forward to doing it again next year.”