This annual event is a day to celebrate and bless the work of lay ministers across our diocese, people who use their gifts and callings to serve others and bring them closer to God.
Held at St Paul’s Church in Bursledon, it was a chance for people involved in the many forms of lay ministry, to meet one another, share ideas and encouragement.
The day began with a time of worship and prayer, including asking God to refresh and re-equip those in the room in their mission.
Diocesan Head of Mission and Ministry, Revd Dr Amy Roche, said, “The national vision is all about growing humbler, growing more bold, growing younger, growing more diverse. That’s going to involve different kinds of ministries. We’ve got people here who are supporting people in pastoral care. That is part of being the hands and feet of Jesus. There are people who enable others to grow their love of God in worship and in praying for others. We need all these gifts. There are those who are evangelists, people who go into care homes and beyond the walls of the church in various ways, not forgetting children and youth work which is such a pivotal and important part of church life. So it’s not about being ordained, it’s about all of us together.”
Attendees included LLMs, BPP preachers, BCM worship leaders, children, youth and families workers, pastoral carers and BCM Beyond Church walls. We spoke to some of those who joined the day.
Ruth Waller, LLM and Rosemary Bartlett, BCM are both from the Parish of Milton. Rosemary said, “Being commissioned by the Bishop gives you the confidence and the authority to lead services and promote worship within our community. At the time we were in interregnum, so it was important that we had some stability to hold our church together and lead it forward. Now, praise God, a new rector is on the way which we are really excited about. Being here today is lovely. It’s a meeting of fellow Christians to share ideas and we get inspiration from each other.”
Ruth said, “Being an LLM is a role I felt called to. It’s such a wonderful opportunity to share and to serve the Lord and serve the church. For me today is a celebration. It’s wonderful to meet people and to share what God is doing in other parts of the diocese. I really enjoyed it last year, so I was pleased to come again.”
Bruce White, Avon Valley Churches, has been an LLM for 14 years, firstly in Fair Oak and now in Fordingbridge.
He said, “I am so happy I became an LLM. I used to be a teacher and I’m a people person. I like getting close to and enjoying the company of people and helping them to get closer to God and to get more in touch with themselves emotionally. Being an LLM is a great way of doing that. It’s also a great way, if you’re moving to a new parish or new area, to get to know people quite quickly. I think it helps me to be closer to God too in the sense that you need to be close to God to do this. So it gives me that nudge to do so.”
Julian Davies, a BCM in Pastoral Care and Beyond Church Walls at St Nicholas in Southbourne, said, “I felt led towards some form of ministry, either in the form of leadership or in ordination, and life kept getting in the way. Then when I finally retired and we moved, I discovered BCM training and thought I’d give it a try. I felt I really needed to use whatever gifts I’ve been given for the benefit of others. Being here today is a good opportunity to catch up with other people and hopefully get a bit of inspiration.”
Susan Roberts and Charlotte Ryton are both LLMs from the Arle Valley Benefice.
Charlotte said, “God wanted me to be an LMM. I thought I’d just sit quietly in a pew and God said, ‘No, you’re going to do some work’. I believe I’m called to preach, and I think we are meant to spread the word and as an LLM, that’s what we try to do. It’s important to be here today to meet people because wherever one goes, one can learn something new and I’m sure it’ll teach me something today”.
Susan added, “Like Charlotte, I believe I’m called to preach and to teach. It’s a way of working for God within the church and supporting the clergy. If we want our churches to grow, if we want the kingdom to grow, then we have to make disciples and we have to be seen to be disciples. There has to be something about our lives that makes people think that maybe being a Christian is a good idea.”
The morning included a thought-provoking talk and discussions led by keynote speaker Revd Dr Cris Rogers on discipleship and ‘apprenticing’ people to work in the Kingdom of God. He is a preacher at All Hallows in Bow and author of ‘Making Disciples’ and ‘The Bible Book by Book.’ Cris was among the first to be ordained into pioneer ministry in the Church of England.
After sharing lunch there was a time of group working and sharing fellowship, listening, talking and supporting one another within the different roles.
Revd Amy added, “Lay ministers are kind of the army of the church and an important part of the body of the church. It’s not just about building the church. It’s also about serving others beyond the church and showing God’s love. I know that the fourfold vision of growing, serving, loving and learning is important to Bishop Philip. Lay Ministers, in all types of role, have a part to play in equipping the church for that. We need one another. So today is about that celebration and affirmation and encouragement.”
