Retirement of a Respected Distinctive Deacon.

I attended an event last evening to celebrate Black History Month, but also to celebrate the 70th Birthday and Retirement from licensed ministry of Ann, a Distinctive Deacon in our Deanery, who I was also licensed to work alongside.

Ann has been an inspiration in faith and spirituality since I met her about 11 years ago, when she was an Ordinand in Training.  Visiting her church, I heard her preach and thought that I would like to hear more from her.  That started a friendship which continues today.

At the time, I was in discernment for Ordained Ministry, which sadly came to nothing, But she supported me in my struggle with a diocese that seemed not to know how to care for a failed Ordinand and to their discredit, actually ignored my pleas for another way forward.

So, after a change of diocese and selection for Reader(LLM) training, I was able to speak with Ann, by than, ordained and serving her own curacy, which due to the death of her training incumbent, meant a change of church and a new direction for her ministry.  I supported her in her ongoing ministry development and she supported me through my own travails and ups and downs of ministry training.  I, aged 64 had started my course with no academic qualifications and had not written a formal essay for well over 58 years, since leaving school at 16.

She, along with my incumbent, congregation and spiritual director cheered me on and encouraged me, even while she dealt with the death of her father and brother in the same year and having to sort out their affairs as the sole survivor of her family. 

Ann always has a positive outlook, despite all of the blows that life deals her.  Her faith is rock solid and her prayer life is deep and profound.  This enables her to overcome much, that many of us would wilt in the wake off.

She also has the ability to be inspired with ideas for the greater good of the poor, vulnerable and downtrodden and the interpersonal skills to share those ideas and invite people she meets to join in. This is building of community, but also God's Kingdom, and I was drawn in, as have many others.

A number of community projects started have become stand-a-lone and able to function within their own resources, and I have been privileged to be part of this ministry for the last five years.

So, prayers for Ann as she considers her future. Whether PTO in her current situation or whether to return to her native North and find a new path there.  Hard decisions to make as she has been part of our local community and church in many capacities for nearly 35 years.

God has blessed her ministry, late in life, and I believe that he will continue to do so, whatever shape or form or place that is takes.