Thin Spots for God's Light - new Priests and Deacons ordained

29/06/2009

Over the weekend of 27 and 28 June, 11 new Priests and 12 new Deacons were ordained to parishes in Durham Diocese by the Bishop of Durham in Durham Cathedral.

The photograph (above) is the new priests being presented to the Bishop and making their declarations prior to their ordination. They are (left to right) Judith Ashurst, John Barron, Anne Bennett, Sue Bruce, Stephanie Clarke, Linda Dodds, Jen Middleton, Jan Nobel, Deborah Robinson, Susannah Green and Sylvia Wilson.

The photograph (left) shows the Bishop reading the ordination prayer while priests who were there to support the new ordinands gathered ready for the laying on of hands.

In his address at the ordination service for new Priests on Saturday evening, the Dean of Lichfield, the Very Revd Adrian Dorber drew on a recollection from the early days of his own first curacy. He had very little by way of possessions but the parish provided. Amongst the provision of furnishings were some very faded curtains which had ‘thin spots’ - and it was those he remembered. Those ‘thin spots’ allowed the sunlight to shine at its brightest - just as those moments of revelation when we can be taken outside of ourselves - and we ‘see the light’. And the role of the priest, he said, is to be ‘thin spots’ to allow the light of God to shine into people’s lives; a reminder that God will be with us in the one who is truth, Jesus Christ, who enlarges life and promises to endorse life, increase it and make it right.

The soon-to-be Deacons were photographed before going off on their pre-ordination retreat in the Cahtedral Cloisters. They are (left to right) Chris Pearson, Emma Johnson, Caroline Friswell, the Bishop of Jarrow, David Carr, Ruth Thomas, Jon Bell (Bishop’s Chaplain), David Tomlinson, Vicki Mellor, Matt Tarling, Elizabeth Strafford, Leon Rogers, David Tolhurst, Alison Richardson and the Bishop of Durham.

The Revd Robert Lawrance, Rector of the North Durham Team Ministry and former Diocesan Director of Ordinands, was the preacher at the Sunday morning service when the new Deacons were ordained. He spoke about the variety of people gathered in the Cathedral - all with different expectations. And he pointed out that those who would soon be ordained Deacon, were not only at the threshold of the church but also in themselves embodied the threshold between the Church and the world. In ministry, those to be ordained were giving of themselves and through that self-giving other people would come to life, he said.

Below are group photographs of the new Priests and Deacons with Bishop Tom in the Galilee Chapel after their services.

For brief biographies of the new Deacons, read on . . .

The following people were ordained Deacon by the Bishop of Durham, the Rt Revd Dr Tom Wright, in Durham Cathedral on Sunday 28th June.

David Carr ( Horden)
North-eastern by birth and upbringing, David was educated at the Johnston School and New College in Durham, before gaining a degree in Business Studies from the University of Derby. David is to be ordained as a Minister in Secular Employment (MSE) so his ministry will be exercised in his workplace as much as in the Parish of St Mary’s Horden where he will serve. His professional background in marketing (he is a Chartered Marketer).
David works for Business Link North East, an organisation which brings together local authorities, government departments, voluntary and community organisations to offer support and advice to the business community.

Caroline Friswell (Greenside)
Caroline was born in a military hospital in Hamburg, where her father was serving and she spent her earliest years in Germany and Aden. She came with he parents to Kent before school on the Isle of Wight and work as a secretary in the BBC. She studied at the Froebel Institute in Roehampton and now works as a Counsellor in Primary Care and Private Practice.
She undertook research in history at the Universities of Sunderland and Durham and is an Associate Lecturer in History with the Open University.
Caroline will be serving as a Non Stipendiary Minister in Greenside Parish whilst continuing to work part time. Married to Antony, Caroline has three adult daughters.
In her spare time she enjoys meeting up with family and friends, family history, going to films and the theatre and getting into the countryside.

Emma Johnson (Cockfield & Lynesack)
Having wanted to be a paediatrician at the age of seven, a dancer at the age of ten, and an astronaut at the age of fourteen, it came as a surprise to Emma at the age of seventeen to feel called by God to be a priest. Not being sure that she fitted the bill, she spent the next seven years doing different things: ‘A’ levels, studying theology at Durham University, during which she worked as a sales assistant, and as a church administrator; and then went to Zambia to teach theology to adults in a seminary. While in Zambia she felt drawn back to the North-east, not just because she was missing chips and curry sauce, the accent and the footie, but because she felt God wanted her to work in the church there. So she started training for the priesthood at Ridley Hall in Cambridge. People often ask her why she wants to be a priest, she says it’s something to do with the desire to work alongside Jesus in leading the church to fight for justice, bringing hope and new life to all people and restoring his creation.
Originally from Sunderland, where her parents still live, Emma is beginning her ordained ministry in a very different environment - the rural parishes of Cockfield, Lynesack. Evenwood is also joining the group soon.
She talks about her faith on a Church of England podcast at: http://www.cofe.anglican.org/podcast/previouspodcasts.html

Vicki Mellor (St Nicholas’, Durham)
Vicki is thrilled to have been invited to take up her first post at St Nicholas’ in Durham’s Market Place. She has wanted to be ordained since the age of twelve so next Sunday will be a very special day for her and all her family. She comes from three generations of clergy, however she’ll be the first women to be ordained in the family! She says that she probably doesn’t look like the average clergy person! Yet she believes that God wants to use us as we are, so will hold on to her love of art, fashion, travel, entertainment and popular culture.
Vicki studied Theology as an undergraduate at Oxford, after which she trained in Liverpool to be a secondary school RE teacher and taught for two years in Manchester taking a year out to do a Masters in Theology, specialising in the work of the eighteenth century preacher and theologian, Jonathan Edwards. She has just finished two years of ministerial training at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford.
Vicki has a passion for preaching the Gospel of good news for all and is excited to be here as curate in Durham and looks forward to seeing what God holds for the future.

Christopher Pearson (St Mary’s, Norton & St Chad’s, Stockton)
Chris Pearson writes:
Those who observe what is happening in broader society can see that we are experiencing rapid changes in the way people live and think and relate to one another. Over the last 10 or 20 years those changes have been profound. Some say, for example, that society is less formal, more diverse and multi-cultural, less deferential, more individualistic, less concerned with belonging to geographical communities and more with networks of friends and like-minded people. In the midst of these trends an increasing number of people have little or no contact with the church or any real understanding of the Christian message.
In 2004 the Church of England issued a report called ‘Mission Shaped Church’. This concluded that the Church needs to find fresh ways of expressing its life and ministry if it is continue to fulfil its broad role of serving society - to be a place of helpful worship and communication but also to that connect with parts of contemporary society that it may not otherwise reach. To achieve this, questions of how, when and where church activities happen may need to be looked at radically. Also, religious language and some aspects of religious culture that have grown up over many years may have become unhelpful to some and need to be sensitively re-examined.
In response to the report the Church decided to identify some of its ministers who could have a particular role in helping such ‘fresh expressions’ to come into being and would be designated as ‘Pioneer Ministers’. The intention is definitely not to replace or under-value more traditional expressions but to enable some innovative approaches to grow up alongside.
As I enter the Church of England ministry I am one of those whose role has been designated as an Ordained Pioneer Minister (OPM). My curacy will be served at St Mary’s Norton and St Chad’s Roseworth and, in addition to all the normal work of ministry in the church, I will be helping the people of the parish think through how they can adapt the life of their parish church in a way that is right for a new context.

Alison Richardson (Spennymoor & Whitworth)
Having been born and brought up in Bradford, Alison thought she was a ‘Northerner’ until they came to live in Consett five years ago! She has twin boys, Ian and Alasdair who are now ten years of age and, as they have spent half of their lives in County Durham, they are understandably very happy, as she is, to be starting our ordained ministry in the Land of Prince Bishops.
Having two boys leads Alison into all sorts of activities that she had previously missed out on; standing watching them play football for the school, sit watching football on the telly, listening to football on the radio and next season it will include sitting in the stands of the Stadium of Light watching Sunderland play.
When she gets some time to herself there is nothing better to get away and have a blast on her Honda Hornet motorbike (a pastime that definitely excludes the boys!) and looks forward to getting more of a chance to use it as she travels around the Parishes of Spennymoor and Whitworth.
She is thrilled to be serving in parishes where she previously spent part of her training and found the people so friendly and welcoming; but pleads that they don’t expect me to know too much about football!

Leon Rogers (East Darlingtom Team)
Leon grew up in Easington where his parents still live. After university in St Andrews he went on a year long parish placement in Manchester, before going to theological college at the Queen’s Foundation in Birmingham. He went on pilgrimage to Taize in Burgundy where he thought he might end up as a brother, but instead he met a fellow pilgrim from Madeira. He and Carina are now married and look forward to working in East Darlington. They have a Jack Russell terrier and Leon plays the bagpipes!
Having spent many formative years in East Durham at the time when pits were closing Leon is well aware of the challenges which communities face in the current economic climate and believes that the church has a major role in bringing hope when many are tempted to despair.

Liz Strafford (Durham North Team)
Liz was born and raised in North Wales and first came to Durham to train as a teacher at Neville’s Cross College. There she met her husband John and they have one son, Steven, who will be marrying Hannah later this year. She currently works part time in a Jobcentre – a particularly challenging role in the current economic climate. She ‘came back’ to church twenty yeas ago and quickly became involved in many aspects of its life. The Shared Ministry Development Team in North Durham discerned that Liz had a calling to be ordained and supported her through selection and training as an Ordained Local Minister (OLM) which means that she’ll be ministering in her home parish.
Liz has continue to develop her teaching skills by working with Burmese Karen people in their refugee camps in Thailand, with the considerable challenge of preparing Bible Studies for eager young people for whom English is their third language. She hopes to catch up with them and to make some links between their communities.

Matt Tarling (Blaydon & Swalwell)
Matt grew up in rural Herefordshire and remembers his father training for ordination at the college from which he has just come, Oak Hill, in North London. Before going to theological college, Matt lived in Hull where he ran a youth group. There he met Kate, and they were married four years ago. They have a one year old daughter, Zoe.
Matt says that he ‘doesn’t ever win anything’, but for the last three years has won a fancy dress competition dressed as Banana Man and the Tin Man from the Wizard of Oz, not at the same time of course! He remembers Barbeques and social functions being a part of vicarage life which is perhaps where he gained his reputation for being able to eat anything. He is looking forward to working in a place where so many share one of his other interests – football!

Ruth Thomas (St Giles, Durham)
Ruth grew up in a vicarage family in London. Her journey northwards began when she went to university in York to read Music. Her migration continued and she came to Durham to teach primary and secondary music. During this time she wrote a book about music composition for teachers.
Ruth has an MA from Durham University in leadership and management in education, and she was, until five years ago, Head of Music Education at Durham University.
Ruth is married to Barry and they have two children, William (19) and Megan (17).
Ruth is interested in the history of people and places and enjoys gardening, cooking, entertaining friends, and living in the North East. So she is delighted and excited to be beginning her ordained ministry in this great city and diocese.

David Tolhurst (Middleton St George & Sadberge)
David was born and brought up in Tonbridge, Kent but has lived in Darlington and Durham for the last six years. During this time he has developed and continues to deepen a sense of love and respect for this region, its history, traditions and faithfulness and most of all for its people. He is married to Natalie and they have a son Andrew. David comes to Middleton St George and Sadberge after training for ordination at Cranmer Hall in Durham.
Before that he spent fifteen years as a public servant. In that time he has worked with community projects, been a youth worker, run charity radio stations and even been an FA Referee. He loves the countryside, and has for many years enjoyed walking and climbing particularly in the mountains of Snowdonia National Park. He looks forward eagerly to discovering how those experiences will enhance his ordained ministry.

David Tomlinson (Shildon)
David writes,
‘I remember standing there looking at the land Davina (my wife) and I had just bought: three acres of brambles, bracken and the ever invasive Rhododendron clinging to the thin rocky soil of cliff top Kintyre. Our home stretched itself out to the fore whilst below it seals leapt in the crystal clear waters of the Kilbrannan Sound. As the garden developed so did our lives, the first of some fifty foster children arrived filling the house with laughter and chaos. Our own children, Nathaniel and Naomi, would, in breaks from home schooling, race through woodland playing wild games of outlaws equipped with bow and arrow. In between teaching them I penned some twenty one feature articles for the Christian press. My interest in antiquarian books flourished, turning into a business that sent some thousand interesting works all over the world every month. In between bringing home rough sleepers for a meal and a warm bed my fascination with family history unearthed ancestors painted in Durham’s stained glass, people who helped shape the North East of today. Now as I complete my college training here in Durham I anticipate with delight what lies ahead as the story that has been me thus far goes on into the Parish of St Johns, Shildon.’

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