Tomorrow, our exciting ordination weekend at Guildford Cathedral starts with the ordination of priests, which will see 21 deacons taking their next steps in ordained ministry.
This afternoon, we continue our series celebrating the individuals being ordained deacons at the service on Sunday by sharing their stories. This morning we hear Sarah’s story.
How was Sarah called?
Raised in a Christian family, in my early teens I began questioning whether my faith in God was really my own. Spoiler: it was. After a period of struggling with anxiety, I was eventually baptised by full immersion in my early 20s, as a member of a free church at the time.
I then settled into life as an accounts administrator for a number of years, happily running Sunday children’s groups and a Friday evening Youth Cell, thinking that the extent of my gifts ran to discipling youth. In 2006, God led me to the Church of England, when my husband and I joined the church we were then married in.
Having found our spiritual home, we threw ourselves into church life - and rotas: Sunday school, welcoming, fundraising, verger duties, etc. It wasn’t until 2012, when my husband suggested we leave our corporate roles to find jobs in the charity sector, that I realised I could also offer up my Excel skills. Of course, God had other ideas.
So, it came as a shock to me when, in November 2019, whilst working at Church House Guildford, Glynis, the then vocations adviser, asked: “Have you considered ordination?”
Immediately, I felt the Lord nudge me to listen. I had a vision of jigsaw pieces falling to form a picture that was still incomplete and a strong sense that I needed to explore further. Unable to sleep that night, I prayed ‘til the wee small hours before sending Glynis an email at 2.30 am to say, “You’ve set a fire!”, realising that God really was calling me to priesthood – and not because of my Excel skills. That fire burns stronger every day.
So here I am, nearly 7 years later, awaiting ordination. It’s been a journey and a half, as God broke down the areas in my life that were holding me back and rebuilt me to be more confident and resilient. The jigsaw may not be finished, but the picture is clearer. My heart for discipleship beats more strongly than ever, and with a sense of so much more. I’ve learned to rely on God’s strength, not my own, and been uplifted by more experiences of the Holy Spirit than I can fit on this page.
I can truly say that God IS good.
If you think you have been called to ministry, follow that call. Being obedient to God's call is one of the scariest, most thrilling, daunting and exciting things I have ever done and I can highly recommend it!
Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?’
And I said, ‘Here am I. Send me!’
Isaiah 6:8