New Licensed Lay Ministers Start in the Diocese

At a packed LLM Annual Service in the Cathedral on Saturday 3 November Bishop John admitted seven new people as Readers in the Church of England and Licensed Lay Ministers in the Diocese of Oxford.

Also at the service over 60 LLMs renewed their commitment to their ministry, and Bishop John welcomed seven experienced Readers who have moved into this Diocese from elsewhere during the last year.

For an introduction to our new LLMs, read on:

Lucy Betts
I shall be ministering in Wheatley at St Mary's Church. My passion is for community  work and being an LLM  will enable me to be a more effective link between the church and the community. I am expecting twins in December so will be very busy in the coming  year!

Gail Cole
I am a mother of three children, Anthony, Jaqueline and Stephen and Grandma to Samuel and Grace.

I shall be Licensed to the Benefice of Ramsden, Finstock and Fawler, Leafield with Wychwood and Wilcote.

Now I begin a journey that God has called me to, with an humble and prayerful heart – in the words of my favourite hymn ‘Just as I am without one plea, O lamb of God I come’.

Sandra Cosby
I am originally from Belfast and am married to Jim, have two daughters and an energetic 4 year old granddaughter and I currently live in the village of Padbury which is in North Buckinghamshire.

Throughout my training, it has been God's grace and the overwhelming support and encouragement from my family, friends and colleagues that has kept me going.

I am looking forward to what God has in store for me as I minister alongside the people of St Peter and St Paul's, Buckingham, the village Churches of the Buckingham Benefice and also the wider Church.

Martin French
In recent years I have been working with children, young people and their families – both in the community across Oxfordshire and in Cumnor parish where I live.

Within the parish I expect to continue being involved in leading worship, preaching, teaching children in Sunday school and also to begin working as a member of our newly-formed pastoral care team. I would also like to explore new ways of creating church for children within our parish. Elsewhere I plan to continue running an After School Club for children in North Oxford where there is a particular need for support. I aim too to spend more time with my wife, and with our own children and grandchildren, as well as escape to go bird-watching occasionally! 

Katie Urban
I am married to Henryk, we have two children, Jessica and Douglas. I will be serving the Lord in the parish of Binfield where I have been worshipping and training for the last two years. I feel very blessed to be serving the Lord in this ministry and look forward to the challenges He sets out before me.

Derek Martin
I am married to Ruth and have a 13 year old daughter Ros, and we live in Milton Keynes.

During my training I have had the privilege of being a member of the ministry team in the Watling Valley Ecumenical Partnership, which covers the rapidly-growing western area of Milton Keynes. This part of the city includes many new communities as well as some of the original villages, so an important challenge for our churches is to make connections with people as they move into the area. I am looking forward to continuing and developing my ministry in this part of Milton Keynes, working alongside ordained and lay ministers from the Anglican, Methodist, United Reformed and Baptist churches.

John Scholefield
I have trained within the Benefice of Long Crendon with Chearsley and Nether Winchendon, spending most of my time with, and receiving great support from, the congregation of St Nicholas, Chearsley.  I look forward to being able to continue serving the church in Chearsley in the years to come.

As you can see from these peoples’ stories, LLMs have very varied and exciting ministries that are matched with their gifts. They are trained people who are theologically articulate, spiritually mature and ministerially skilled and who can minister in many contexts both collaboratively and independently.

Might this ministry be for you?To find out more contact the Revd Joanna Coney Diocesan LLM Adviser on 01865 556456 and/or go to the LLM page on the Diocesan website www.oxford.anglican.org