On Sunday 2nd July, thirteen new priests are to be ordained at Coventry Cathedral by Bishop Christopher. The new priests have already served as deacons for a year. On their ordination as priests they will remain in their present parishes while their on-going training continues.
Alison Abbott
Alison has really enjoyed her first year as a curate in the Edgehill group of parishes. She has relished meeting the people in six rural communities, especially as it seems to involve a lot of home made cake! They have welcomed her into their lives and homes with great generosity, grace and hospitality. Juggling work as a pharmacist with ministry has been challenging, but from her priesting she is able to step back from pharmacy and is looking forward to being able to have more time to get to know people; walking with them as they grow in faith and serve their communities.
She has felt it a privilege to be involved in baptisms and funerals and is looking forward to the joy of weddings. She has enjoyed her involvement with the church primary school in Kineton and hopes she has become much better at leading assemblies as a result. She is very aware of the beauty of creation and our responsibility to care for it and is looking to work with others within the parishes to develop ways of meeting God in and worshipping God with creation.
She is grateful for the wise support of Barry, her training incumbent and Beren, the associate minister. Both have the balance of insightful advice and guidance with letting her learn from experience just right. Alison is looking forward to Matthew joining our team and the ways we can all work together in growing as disciples and disciple-makers.
Jeremy Bevan
Jeremy is a curate in self-supporting ministry at St Barbara's Earlsdon, Coventry. Having lived in Earlsdon for over thirty-five years, though worshipping elsewhere until ordination last July, he's been impressed at how the 'familiar' place he now calls his parish has served up a near-constant stream of surprises and occasioned so many hugely rewarding experiences.
The highlights? Almost too many to mention. He led a lovely quiet morning at a local retreat house in September, which spoke eloquently of an evident yearning for deeper encounter with God in the parish. Seeing so many attend the annual service commemorating the departed in early November sharpened his appreciation of the church's role in serving people experiencing loss and grief, as did the privilege of conducting his first funeral.
December's Christingle service was a great opportunity to celebrate the light of Jesus in dark times, as parishioners stood in a large circle proclaiming with lit candles that ‘the darkness has not overcome it.’ Light was beautifully symbolic again at the pre-dawn, outdoor Easter morning service, worshippers gathering round the bonfire to hear the whole story of God’s redemption as the darkness steadily lifted.
Though Jeremy left it somewhat late to discover where the parish boundaries lie, he wouldn’t have missed for the world the prayer walks exploring those limits, or the accompanying prayer stations for Thy Kingdom Come 2023. He feels sure our God of surprises will have plenty more in store for him in this lovely, welcoming parish during the coming year.
James Bremner
James is serving his curacy at St. Bartholomew’s Church, Binley. His wife Bethany, his two daughters Adeline (3) and Theodora (1), and James himself have felt very welcomed by the church community and are enjoying their time serving in Binley. They especially appreciate that many events seem to come with copious amounts of food!
They are very grateful to God for his provision for their family this past year while James have been serving as a deacon: Bethany has been able to find work in the George Eliot Hospital in Nuneaton and some of the surrounding GP Surgeries through her training as a physician associate; they were also able to find nursery places for both girls for part of the week in Willenhall – conveniently on the way to the parish from home so James can often be seen cycling with them in a rickety bicycle trailer!
James has especially been blessed by helping serve the community in Binley through meeting with people around bereavements and in preparation for funerals, seeking to gently point them to the hope we have in Jesus at such difficult times. In addition, he has found it wonderful to be involved with some of the young children in the parish, especially through work in St. Bartholomew’s School. One other enjoyable challenge has been being part of the PCC sub-committee (he promises it is ‘enjoyable’!) which has delegated responsibility for the running and upkeep of their newly-refurbished church hall: what a resource to bless the community and proclaim the love of God for the world.
Since coming to Christ, James has felt keenly the blessing of means of grace in public worship. Being a part of leading God’s people in this has been a privilege and he is slightly awestruck to be able to do this soon through presiding at the Lord’s Table. He also looks forward to his first wedding and baptism in the coming months.
Thank you all – especially those at Saint Bartholomew’s, the other candidates for ordination, and the bishops – thank you all for your prayers up to this point; James is deeply grateful for your ongoing prayers, as who is sufficient for these things?
Caroline Hammond
Caroline is curate to the Bridge Benefice where she is based at St John’s Church, Westwood. Although this parish isn’t a new one to her and her family, she has found the transition to the role of curate an interesting change and thoroughly enjoyable. This year she has spent half of her time serving St John’s Church and half of her time pioneering The Garden of Hope project. Spurred on by Romans 1:20, Caroline has especially loved using the garden to find creative ways to help people connect to God through nature and creating a safe space for people to explore faith. This year Caroline has enjoyed building many new relationships with people from the local community in the garden and hopes to be running regular retreats through the summer. Caroline has also enjoyed getting to know the (female dominated) Bridge staff team and has enjoyed working and partnering with them in ministry life as well as socialising with them at girls nights!
Rachel King
Rachel has really enjoyed her year at St Marks, Coventry and loves the church family and staff team there.
It has been a busy and varied year! Rachel oversaw Freshers which involved giving out 300 goody bags on campus and running lots of student lunches, amongst other things, to welcome students to Coventry. It has been wonderful to see many of them stay around and get really stuck in at church. Rachel has taught a module at the academy (the diocesan intern programme) where she loved getting to the know the amazing interns God has brought to the diocese. Rachel and her husband, Jonty, ran the Marriage Course last term and are running a parenting course this term and it has been fantastic to minister in this way together and build relationships.
Rachel has a real heart for discipleship and has taken oversight of that at St Marks. This has involved running Connect Groups, introducing and encouraging prayer triplets and Rachel is currently developing a coaching programme. As part of this Rachel has worked with Rachel Atkinson (St Marks Academy Principal) to deliver an Emotional and Spiritual Health Course they have written together and Rachel has a great team who are working with her on developing pastoral care structures that meet the demands of the growing church.
Sundays are a joy and Rachel has loved preaching and leading people into greater encounters with Jesus. Rachel has run prayer ministry training to equip more of the church to pray for each other and loved having the privilege of baptising by full immersion on Easter Day. A regular highlight for Rachel is helping to run Kingdom Come nights where the church worship and pray and press in for deeper encounters of Jesus and more of His heart for the city.
Rachel is looking forward to what else God has in store for her and her family over the coming year and feels immensely grateful that God has positioned them in such a great church where they feel supported and loved by the staff team and the church family and where they see the Spirit bringing freedom to people as they meet Jesus.
Rachel is excited to see God’s kingdom come in greater measure in Coventry.
Rosemary Lowdon
Rosemary is curate at the Revel Group of Churches and also a full-time Anglican Prison Chaplain at a prison near Rugby. She enjoys the beautiful rural locations of the six Revel Churches, each with their unique characteristics and community. These range from Brinklow with its sloping floor and staircase between chancel and nave, to Churchover with primary road access possible so long as the ford isn't in full spate! She enjoyed beginning and ending her deacon year with Lego: beginning at a heritage event at the priory church in Monk's Kirby, trying out bell-ringing and a community building project with a difference - to build St Edith's in Lego. Her year has just ended with another heritage day to mark the completion of the Lego project and tower tours to celebrate completion of rebuilding of the pinnacles!
In the prison Rosemary works with staff and long-term prisoners. This can be a challenging environment but Rosemary sees it as a privilege to be able to walk alongside and minister Christ to many who struggle with the consequences of what has happened to bring them to prison, and the all-too-common rejection by their families and society. Highlights in the past year include both baptisms and confirmations, two Alpha courses and the development of a prisoner-led worship band.
Please continue to pray for Rosemary and her family in her work as Presbyter or Priest, that God would enable her to negotiate the transitions between such very different contexts, to juggle a heavy workload, and to see God continually working in both beautiful and difficult situations.
Stacy Nelson
Stacy is a curate at Holy Trinity Church Hartshill and St Peter’s Church Galley Common. The last year has been full of new experiences and lots of learning as she has worshipped alongside these two congregations who navigated a change in service pattern and restarted a variety of activities. It was a particularly busy year of occasional offices, as weddings and baptisms that had been postponed over the lockdown years.
Stacy is thankful for the generosity and welcome of the people of Hartshill and Galley Common, especially the encouragement and support of Heather, her training incumbent, and the lay readers, service leaders, church wardens, and PCCs of both congregations. Sharing coffee with people at the community cafés, participating in confirmation preparation with the wonderful candidates, and putting together the liturgy for and leading the Churches Together service have been highlights. Similarly, it has been a wonder to watch those who have been supported through the funeral ministry connect with God because of the love and care they experienced. She is looking forward to seeing what God is going to bring to fruition through the Holy Spirit in these two places and how God will develop her ministry as she continues her curacy.
Tris Peattie
Tris is a curate at Camp Hill, Nuneaton and All Saints, Bedworth. It has been a blessing and a challenge doing ministry with his wife Hannah, and their four young children.
There have been many new experiences for Tris from leading services to taking funerals. There have been many new things to do and try while also trying to restart a church in Camp Hill and learn from the wonderful team in Bedworth.
Tris has really enjoyed the community in Camp Hill and the home group which has been such a blessing to the area and family. He has enjoyed working with the local food pantry and primary school there in Camp Hill.
Tris has enjoyed the breadth of work, especially learning from; outdoor family services, traditional services, running Alpha, schools work and launching new projects No two days are the same! This is one of the toughest and most exhilarating jobs.
Tris looks forward to the future for what God has in store in Camp Hill and Bedworth and the new journeys priestly ministry will take him on.
Thomas Powell
Thomas is curate in the parish of Stratford-upon-Avon, serving in the three churches of the parish: Holy Trinity Church (Stratford), St. Helen’s (Clifford Chambers), and All Saints’ Church (Luddington).
Thomas is grateful for the warm reception and support he has received from everyone in the parish, including his training incumbent, the clergy team, wardens, staff and parishioners. As a part-time, self-supporting minister, he has enjoyed discovering the many varieties of worship and ministry in a large and active church community, while experiencing the blessings, opportunities and challenges of learning a new role. Thomas has especially enjoyed learning the liturgies and practices of a worship tradition different from that of his own upbringing in the church. In the coming year, Thomas looks forward to continuing his learning and service, while taking up the new roles and relationships of his priestly vocation.
With support from his wife and family, Thomas is excited about the year ahead. Having recently retired from a full-time university professorship, he looks forward to celebrating ordination to priesthood, and to contributing as a priest to the ministries of the church.
Matt Spina
Matt is a curate at St Peter’s in Hillfields, where he leads the revitalisation project team. As well as settling into life in Hillfields, Matt has been busy experiencing the fullness of the ministry of the Church of England. He has had the privilege of conducting over twenty baptisms this year and has been involved in ministry to the sick, dying, and bereaved. He also took his first wedding, which was for two members of the St Peter’s staff team. He has thrown himself into a variety of community engagement events including regular litter picks, community lunches, kids events and the St Peter’s youth hub. Other highlights of this past year have included a Christmas dinner for our refugee and asylum seeker community, a bilingual Alpha course, and an interactive Stations of the Cross.
Matt is excited about the many opportunities to engage with people in the Hillfields area, with no two days being the same. He is also very much looking forward to being able to celebrate the Eucharist regularly at St Peter’s, after having to rely on the generous assistance of colleagues in the deanery and beyond for the last year.
Matt is grateful for the support of the congregation of St Peter’s, who have welcomed and embraced him and Lorna, and for the crazy but amazing staff team that have joined them on this adventure.
Ian Sweeney
Ian is a curate across three churches: Christ Church, Brownsover, St Mary’s, Clifton-upon-Dunsmore, and The Good Shepherd, Newton. Ian and his family have enjoyed settling into the Rugby area and appreciate how welcome they have been made to feel within the Benefice.
Ian has loved his diaconal year where he has been fortunate to minister in three different contexts, learning different approaches to ministry. Some of this has been out of his comfort zone, however, he has embraced the opportunity given to him and has enjoyed how God is shaping him through this. There have been many highlights over the year which include; leading a family service, being involved in several missional initiatives that have supported and connected with the local community, the privilege of taking funerals, and other aspects of church life.
It’s been a hectic year for Ian and his family, but he is extremely grateful for the support he has received from his training incumbent and those within the benefice. As he approaches priesting, he is excited about what God will do over the years that follow.
On Tuesday 4th July Daniel Vickerstaff will be ordained at St John the Baptist, Leamington by The Bishop of Oswestry, the Right Reverend Paul Thomas.
Daniel Vickerstaff
Fr Daniel has spent the last year serving in the diverse spectrum of ministries St John the Baptist offers, whilst preparing for ordination to the Priesthood. He says; ‘Living and worshipping in the heart of the community is the central joy of being called to Holy Orders’. Fr Daniel, his wife Dawn, and children Rosa & Miles, have settled into parochial life, work, and school respectively, and are grateful for the welcome of the community.
Fr Daniel is excited and humbled to be able to serve the parish of St John the Baptist as a priest, and to minister in word, sacrament, and service to the people of south Leamington, sharing the good news of the gospel, through the practical ministries of God’s Holy Church.
Please pray for Fr Daniel and his family, his Training Incumbent Fr Stephen Parker SSC, and the people of their parish.