My dear friends

I am delighted the Bishop David has asked me to serve as Assistant Curate at

St Peter’s. I will be ordained deacon by Bishop David Urquhart on June 29.I look forward to serving at St Peter’s I believe that this is tremendous opportunity for me to demonstrate the love of God in both the church and the community.

I am 48 years old and the mother of two children. Phillip is 23 years old and Simon is 20. For the last five years I have been employed as Community Development Officer for Holy Trinity Church Birchfield. My role as the Community Development Officer consists of fundraising; planning activities; supporting disadvantaged

people in the community; writing bids; assisting in developing community groups, and outreaching into the wider community. In addition, I also work with young people who want to leave the life of gun, drugs and gang crime.

Christianity has been an integral part of my upbringing. Nonetheless, eight years ago when I engaged in a serious walk with Jesus I began to hear God’s call into ministry. However, I was reluctant to follow his call. I remember vividly studying Prophets and Prophecy. During this time I discovered that most of people in the Bible that have been called to do God’s work made various excuses to why they themselves could not do it.

I believe that it is important for us to understand that when God calls us to do his work (in whatever shape or form) it is not because of anything we have done, but simply that the spirit of the Lord is upon us, Isaiah 61: 1-13.

It is that spirit that has led me to be welcomed into the arms of your church at St Peter’s Church, where my ministry will continue with the guidance and support of Martin, Jo, the ministry team and the wardens. I pray that the Lord blesses my time here and we will, as a church community, continue to blossom and show the inhabitants of the wider community how great it is to be a part of God’s family.

God Bless,

Joycelyn