Sep 28, 2025 | News
On Sunday 28 September, St Albans celebrated the licensing of six candidates to Reader ministry in a special service at St Albans Cathedral. The new readers were formally admitted and licensed in the service led by Bishop Jane, marking the beginning of their public ministry of preaching, teaching and pastoral care.
Family and friends of the new Readers, and supporters from across the Diocese gathered for the occasion. Hymns included Be thou my Vision and How Great Thou Art, with readings from two of the candidates, Dawn Kerridge and Simon Trundle, including the Gospel Reading from Matthew 18 featuring the reminder from Jesus’ teaching to have humble, child-like faith.
Reader Tom Otley from St Paul’s, Bedford, spoke at the service, sharing about the unique calling and opportunity that comes with being a Reader in the Church of England:
“Today is a day of celebration, a day that we can carry with us through the following months and years… [Being a Reader is] a great responsibility and great privilege.”
The congregation heard some stories from two Readers to give an insight into Reader ministry. Firstly Gillian Kern, Reader and Prison Chaplain at HMP The Mount, shared about her delight to serve as part of a multi-faith team at the prison, including leading worship and offering practical and pastoral support to inmates. Gillian shared that her greatest joy involved the positive change she sees in those individuals through the support they receive, and also of the peace of the Holy Spirit and a calmness which becomes so apparent in times of great challenge.
Bill Webb, who was one of the Readers licensed on Sunday, shared the story of what led him to Reader ministry:
“I came to belief later in life. Alongside starting to attend my local church in Leighton Buzzard, I went on a trip to Jerusalem and God started to do his work in me. Over the years, a succession of different vicars and curates at the church suggested that I might have a vocation but a lot of the time I pushed back on that. Eventually, I had to accept that God might have something for me, and here I am.”
Bishop Jane shared her thanks to all those gathered who are part of Reader ministry, past, present and future:
“The ministry of the Diocese is so much the richer for your ministries. So thank you for each and every way that you minister, whether that’s in a prison, a school, hospital, in a work place, in the church, or anywhere else, thank you for all that you give and all that you are.”
If you weren’t able to make the service, you can watch the recording here.
New Readers
- Sumitra Donaldson-Small: Leagrave, St Luke
- Barbara Doye: Wheathampstead, St Helen and St Peter
- Adrian Groves: Hitchin and St Paul’s Walden Team Ministry, St Mark
- Dawn Kerridge: Potton with Sutton and Cockayne Hatley, St Mary, All Saints and St John the Baptist
- Simon Trundle: Watford, St Luke
- William (Bill) Webb: Ouzel Valley Team Ministry, All Saints Leighton Buzzard
More photos available here
https://www.stalbansdiocese.org/news/admission-licensing-of-readers-september-2025/
Sep 27, 2025 | News
On Saturday 27th September, a special Readers licensing service took place. At this service at St Brides Church, James Fleming was licensed as a Reader.
This was a special and intimate service as James was the only Reader in the diocese to be licensed in 2025. As a result, it was decided to move the service from Liverpool Cathedral to St Brides, James’ own parish church to make the service more personal for James.
James studied part time over two years at Emmanuel Theological College and gained a Certificate in Theology, Ministry, and Mission validated by the University of Durham. James was joined by friends, family, Readers and the entirety of his own congregation at St Brides to celebrate this special occasion.
Along with James’ friends and family, Bishop Ruth carried out the licensing, with Archdeacon Miranda Threlfall-Holmes and Warden of Readers, Revd Mark Stanford both attending.
After the service, James spent some quality time with his congregation at St Brides to celebrate this special moment with hot cups of coffee and delicious cakes.
More photos here
https://liverpoolcofe.org/readers-licensing-service-2025/
Jun 30, 2025 | News
Chelmsford Cathedral hosted its annual Lay Ministry Celebration Service on Saturday 28 June.
The Right Reverend Dr Guli Francis-Dehqani, the Bishop of Chelmsford, led the service, celebrating all Lay Ministry across Chelmsford Diocese.
The preacher for the day was Gail Hughes, Licensed Lay Minister (LLM) from St Laurence, Blackmore. Gail has been the Formation Tutor for this year’s cohort of new Licensed Lay Ministers (LLMs).
During the service Bishop Guli licensed four new LLMs.
LLMs are theologically trained, and their role involves working alongside ordained ministers and other lay leaders in their church community. They have a clear leadership role and can use their leadership skills in a variety of ways, as an adult educator – training or mentoring other lay ministries, focusing Christian nurture or as someone who attends to the connection between faith and daily life.
Six new Pastoral Assistants were also authorised at the service. Pastoral Assistants offer pastoral care in the church and wider community. They are people who have a passion for communicating the message of Christ to others through caring action.
Speaking ahead of the service, Bishop Guli said:
“It’s a great joy and a privilege to license our new Lay Ministers and see the authorisation of our new Pastoral assistants at our annual Lay Ministry Celebration Service. I thank God for their ministry and the ministry of all those across our diocese who serve their church communities in a wide variety of lay roles. Please join me in praying for them as they begin this new journey.”
Caroline Harding, Lay Ministry Adviser and Warden of Readers in Chelmsford Diocese added:
“The Annual Lay Ministry Celebration service is a highlight in the Diocesan calendar. It is an opportunity to gather together as disciples of Christ from all corners of our wide and diverse Diocese and to celebrate and give thanks for all the ways in which we serve God and our local communities across Essex and East London. Whilst celebrating all ministries, we particularly honour those who have completed their training to become Licensed Lay Ministers and Authorised Pastoral Assistants. We give thanks for their commitment and hard work and look forward to how their ministries develop as they seek to see where God is working and join in.”
For more details of the new LLM’s, see
https://www.chelmsford.anglican.org/news/lay-ministry-celebration-service-2025
Dec 12, 2023 | News
Ruth Hobson is a poet whose work is inspired both by her faith and by concern for our broken and fractured world. This poem, from her new collection Starwise, brings together many of the images associated with Christmas traditions. But it also delves a little deeper, becoming at the same time mysterious and relevant to our contemporary lives. The boat of legend is compared to the vessel that brought the Magi to Bethlehem, to the solemnity of church hierarchies and symbols, and then to the empty tomb. So the death and resurrection of the Christmas babe are already hinted at.
Then we are shown those for whom He came, those He loves the most: the homeless, the outcast, the suffering and the refugee. And we are reminded of our own call to follow.
We are grateful to Ruth Hobson, and to her publisher Palewell Press, for allowing us to feature this poem. To find our more, or to order a copy of the booklet, go to https://www.palewellpress.co.uk/Books-Health.html#Starwise
Aground
Some say the boat had silver wings
and a single silver oar
without a sound, circling around
and never came ashore.
Some say there were three, with crimson sails
and a king in every stern –
each gold crown gleamed and they sometimes seemed
to go and then return.
Some say the boat was draped in purple
weighed down with graven stones
and the priestly caste, before the mast
sat stiffly on gilded thrones.
Some say the boat was empty,
half-sunk and bound to fail
but wood and nails and white raised sails
told another tale.
An old woman stood up in the market
‘Stand round and listen to me!
The boat of your tales with tattered sails
is coming towards the quay.
The mother who crouches in the prow
is poor and dispossessed –
with sleepless eyes she calms the cries
of the baby at her breast.
Throw out rough ropes for outstretched hands
and bring them safe to shore
let their feet mark, as they disembark
a pathway to your door.
The place where we meet the homeless stranger
and the place where the lost are found
the place of our toil on familiar soil
tonight becomes holy ground.’
Nov 28, 2023 | Book Reviews, News
Click here https://transformingministry.co.uk/book-reviews/2023-4-winter-advent/ for reviews of
new books for Advent and Christmas 2023, along with resources for the new Lectionary year.
On the same page, you will also find extracts from Knowing You Jesus by Tony Horsfall and others.
This is a 365 day devotional, to take you through the whole of next year.
Oct 19, 2023 | News
The Reverend Dr Andrew Pratt is well-known for his hymns, but he also paints, takes beautiful photographs and writes poetry. Much of his work is reactive, responding to news items that are often shocking. This poem, written after the terrible events in Israel and Gaza, gives words at a time when we may be finding them hard. It could be used as an introduction to lament or intercessory prayer, or for focusing our own thoughts at a time of international crisis.
Now hell is here, and words are cheap,
a bloodied sheet, a shattered bed…
as women, men and children weep,
while prayer is silent, felt not said.
With seeds of vengeance sown not sought,
while roots in hearts of flesh, not stone,
bring carnage traced with quiet thought
as guilt will fester none will own.
And distantly, in muffled sighs,
of deep regret and dark despair
we wring our hands and harbour lies,
dare not admit the blame we share.
© Andrew Pratt 17/10/2023
We are grateful to Dr Pratt for giving us permission to publish this poem on our website. You can
find more of his work on his blog: https://hymnsandbooksblog.uk
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