What is your job and how did you come to be doing what you do?

My current post is Team Leader for work among Deaf people in Liverpool Diocese. I co-ordinate the provision of 5 Deaf churches throughout the diocese, along with providing support and training for a team of volunteers who help interpret services in hearing churches, and serving on the diocesan Disability Action Group. I also get to do any project that I can think of that will help improve access for Deaf people to the church and/or reaches out to d/Deaf, hard of hearing and deafblind people with the Good News of Jesus Christ.

As in common in the Church, I came to this role by a circuitous route, certainly not one planned by me but rather determined by the God of surprises. To cut a long story short I went into ministry assuming that my future would be as a parish priest in the ‘hearing' church. And initially I followed the conventional path of full time theological college (Queen's ecumenical college in Birmingham which is where I met dh) and curacy. I was also led to do a part time (a very long term part time) research degree in theology that has, to my surprise, resulted in a developing extra role as a speaker and writer on Deaf issues in the church. Once my curacy finished, dh and I (married by this time, but working in towns 35 miles apart) decided it was time to move on to new jobs in the same town. Dh found a job and all my applications fell through, so dh said he would be prepared to support me as a full time student while I finished my PhD. Thus began a long process of ministering in a variety of different roles as an NSM (unpaid priest) in a large team which helped me to understand more clearly what was fundamental to my call to priesthood and what was extraneous. 5 years later, I found myself the holder of a doctorate, the mother of a beautiful girl and a vocation as a mission priest with Deaf people. When the time came to move on again, dh and I found, again to our surprise, within a month of each other, the jobs where we are now.

 
What is it about what you do that you're really passionate about?

What really gets me going are the times when I feel God using me to reach others. Sometimes this is in a worship service when afterwards everyone feels they encountered the living God, sometimes its when I see people doing things by the grace of God they did not think they could do, sometimes its when I see the love of God in action in changing people's lives. The more I see of the faith and life of ‘ordinary people', the more I feel privileged to be doing what I do.
 

What are the most difficult bits?

Usually the times when the most personal growth is happening - it's nearly always painful! But also the times when the problems in individuals, the church and society feel too big to solve, or things seem to be going wrong. Sometimes I really feel overloaded with commitments, and it feels that there is no time to have a bad day.

 

How do you manage to juggle your job, your dh's job and dd?

Planning, planning, planning. Dh and I have a ‘month ahead meeting' when we go through the diaries and sort out the childcare for the coming month. As I am officially only half time, dd goes to a childminder after nursery 2 days a week and if meetings or other stuff comes in for any other day I check with dh first to see if he can cover. Luckily the timing of our jobs is very complementary as I have far fewer evening commitments, and mostly work Sunday afternoon's rather than Sunday morning's so it somehow, by the grace of God, seems to work out. We have both had to learn to say ‘no!' though.

We have both been blessed to have worked in churches that are fully supportive of us as a family and contain people who will actively help out, especially with Sunday baby sitting when necessary.

 

How does working for two different denominations work out?

Surprisingly well. Dh certainly keeps me on my toes by challenging all these Anglican rules! Finding two jobs has been a challenge from time to time, especially when the two denominations were politely disagreeing over whose parish/ pastorate we would live in. This tension has been eased by the fact that my call at the moment is to a diocese wide ministry so where I live becomes less crucial.

 

How do you unwind from all these pressures and find time just for you and for your family?

We always aim to eat as a family for all three meals as far as possible and during this time mobiles and phones are ignored and we make the effort to share with each other about our days. We are also fairly strict about evening working, and only work past 9.30 pm at our desks if it's an emergency. We also try to ‘book' three evenings a week that we do not work after dd goes to bed, but simply unwind together, usually by sharing some wine and watching a film or some TV. Term time gets frantic as we lose so many days off due to my Saturday commitments, but school holidays we take extra time in lieu. In fact, during time off we try as far as possible to get away from the house as a family so we are really doing something together. Plus the huge advantage of both of us working from home is we get these odd half hours here or hours there when we just have a cup of coffee or some lunch and relax.

Like all mothers of small children, finding time just for me is a challenge. Waking up before dd so I get a cup of tea and some prayer time in bed is luxury. Other than that I've just had to learn how to pray in different ways - God keeps on managing to get the message through to me although only He knows how!

 

What are your hopes for the future?

I think at the moment we want to settle and really get into the jobs we are in. We'd like to see dd go through school in just one or two places if we can, and we both want to put down some roots. Having said that who knows what God has planned for us?

 

What would you say to other women who think they might have a calling to be ordained?

Go for it girl!

Seriously though, the road to ordination and beyond can be challenging and painful, and will often involve some sacrifice, but at the end of the day it is such a rewarding role. I guess I would say it is similar to motherhood - except you've got whole congregations to worry about and rejoice in!

Article by Hannah2