Are you being called by God to be a Licensed Lay Minister? If you believe that you are being prompted towards this vocation then you should first discuss it with your Vicar or Rector (Incumbent). You can also find advice about Vocations on the Diocesan website. There are also the following vocations meetings in 2008 to which all enquirers are cordially invited.
In Berkshire Archdeaconry:-
Wednesday 7 May - “My work as a Curate!”
Speaker: The Revd Matt Stevens, Curate at St Mary with St Lawrence, Reading.
Tuesday 8 July - “What sort of Ministry does the Church need in the next ten years”
Speaker: The Venerable Julian Hubbard, Archdeacon of Oxford.
Saturday 27 September - QUIET DAY - at St James Parish Centre, Finchampstead from 10am until 3.30 pm to be led by The Revd Ali Marshall, Vocations Adviser and Spiritual Director.
Wednesday 22 October - “Responding to God’s Call”
Speaker: The Right Revd John Pritchard, The Bishop of Oxford.
All the above meetings are held at St.Nicholas Church, Earley, Reading RG6 7JN, from 8.00 to 9.30pm.
In Oxford Archdeaconry:-
Thursday 8 May 2008 at 7.45 pm until 9.30 pm at Diocesan Church House:
"Sector Ministry" - Speakers: The Revd David Wilbraham, Chaplain Thames Valley Police Force, and the Revd Tim Edge, Chaplain Bullingdon Community Prison.
Saturday 12 July 2008 - QUIET DAY - at St Mary's Convent, Wantage from 9.30 am until 4.00 pm. Cost £12 (you need to bring your own packed lunch). Contact Debbie Dallimore for further details.
Thursday 9 October 2008 at 7.45 pm until 9.30 pm at Diocesan Church House:
"Opportunities for Training" - Speaker: The Revd Canon Professor Martyn Percy, Principal of Oxford Ministry Course and Ripon College, Cuddesdon.
After consultation and conversations with their local Incumbent to ensure that the Parish/Benefice is happy to sponsor the candidate, the Incumbent will direct the candidate to a Vocations Adviser in the Deanery.
After further discernment, the Vocations Adviser will write a report to the local LLM Archdeaconry Adviser who will meet the candidate and, when the time is right, will put him/her forward for a Selection Conference for recommendation to enter LLM Training.
The training is normally for three years and is done through completion of a Portfolio of evidence of competency in all areas of Ministry.
Once training is satisfactorily completed, and the Parish/Benefice is also deemed to be ready with a satisfactory Ministry Agreement in place, then further discernment is undertaken to confirm that the candidate is fully prepared. The candidate is then recommended to the Bishop. It is the Bishop who gives the final consent for the candidate to be Admitted as a Reader in the Church of England and Licensed as an LLM in the Diocese of Oxford, and this then takes place at the annual service in October/November in Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford.
