Mission and Ministry students from across the Diocese of Winchester recently gathered to celebrate the end of the academic year, sharing stories of how study, prayer and fellowship have deepened their faith and prepared them for the next stage of God’s calling.
They met at Old Alresford Place for a time of learning and fellowship followed by a service at nearby St Mary’s Church.
They were joined by Ordinands and Licensed Lay Ministers. This year also marks the end of the ordination training provided by the diocese through the Winchester Pathway. See the photos here.
Here are some of the stories of our students and how the courses have impacted their life and faith:
Sam Wright completed the Exploring Theology course. She worships at St Mark’s, part of the Parish of Basingstoke Down:
I had previously completed the Bishop’s Commission for Mission which was a fantastic course. It really opened my eyes, and I grew in confidence as a Christian and in my ability to share my faith with other people.
There’s always that fear of talking about your faith and saying, ‘I’m a Christian, this is what I believe’. There’s that worry that people will shut down or become less friendly, but I’ve grown in confidence to be able to do that more. I’m seeing the benefits of how I’m talking to people and how they’re responding, and it’s amazing.
Then I heard about the Exploring Theology course, and I didn’t know much about theology, so I came along. It was much bigger than I thought it was ever going to be but, as with everything I’ve done through the diocese, it’s so much more than it says on the tin. The learning and the inspiration were amazing.
We hear about those moments of discernment and the moments of revelation and they just kept hitting me the whole way through the programme, helping everything make sense and just blowing my mind.
I can’t work out what I’m going to do next. I need to stop and pause and think because otherwise I’ll just run into something else! I’m sure it will be amazing and wonderful and another opportunity to grow but I need to consolidate and share what I’ve learned first.
My plan is to lead a bit more in my own church, get more involved and start more conversations out and about, now that I’ve got the tools to be able to do that.
There’s an energy that I get when I’m sharing with the congregation and seeing how that lands, and there are sweet moments when you see it hitting other people and it’s just so wonderful. That’s what I want to do more of.
Ben Scorer from St Mary’s in Sholing also joined the Exploring Theology course:
I wanted to explore and push myself a little bit more with my faith journey. I’ve always struggled a bit around where to start so this was a good foundation course, which then leads me into the Bishops Permission to Preach, and then Licensed Lay Ministry training next year as well. It’s helped me get back into an educational mindset, as I’ve not been in education for many years. I’m excited by it.
I changed how I work a number of years ago and went freelance and took a New Year’s resolution to learn how to say ‘no’, and that enabled me to say ‘yes’ to others. I think it enables you to clear your head, put some stuff away and that opens your heart to be able to accept more and part of that was a calling to God’s work. I went to an Mission and Ministry open day in November, and everything started to click.
David Thompson from St John’s, Rownhams, has just completed the Bishop’s Permission to Preach programme:
It was hard work, but eye-opening in terms of the whole theology, how to go about preaching and the practicalities as well as the theory. I did preach already, but not very often, so now I will preach once a month.
The course has helped me become more confident, to look for different sources in preparing a sermon. We had a practical session too which was very helpful in terms of how you speak and what you do with your voice.
I am excited for the future and it’s challenging as well. After I had the interview for the course, I woke up the next morning thinking, ‘I’ve got nothing to say when I preach’. Then I heard God telling me ‘I’ll give you the words’ and so I trust in that.
The course has been a lot of work, but it’s worth doing.
Rhys Minterne has also just finished the Exploring Theology course:
It’s been such an eye-opener to theology and has helped me realise that I want to explore more about theology and go a bit deeper.
This year has been such a joy, being with other people from different generations and coming together to hear about their experiences and their understanding of God. What I find so beautiful about Christianity is that we are all so different and it’s the beauty of God in all of us that we see in our discussions. We may see different messages in a piece of Scripture and learn from one another.
I feel that I’ve grown in terms of my understanding of God and how I think about church and scripture, and in so many other ways.
It’s been a delight to journey with people as they’ve journeyed with God in their studies and getting to know each other in these joyful conversations that they’ve been having, guided by the Spirit. I hope they will take away a deeper love for God and a deeper understanding of what our calling is to live as those who seek to follow the way of Jesus.”
Some of those who’ve been doing the Exploring Theology course are going on to do the Bishop’s Permission to Preach course. Others are going on to other things and it’s exciting to see where God is calling them all. But for those who aren’t going on to a specific next step, their calling is just as important in where they are seeking to serve the Lord in their everyday lives. To see them encouraged and excited by what they’ve been studying and learning is a joy.
Will Howard, Licensed Ministry Training Tutor
