My ordination story: Hayley Edmondson
26 June 2025
"...when you become the person God created you to be, there’s nothing like it."
Hayley Edmondson serves across two Methodist circuits in Cumbria— the South West Cumbria United Area and the South Lakes circuit.
A long-time resident of Barrow-in-Furness, Hayley candidated for ministry from her home area, with a deployability restriction that honoured her family’s deep roots in the region.
Her early years in ministry coincided with major structural changes in the Methodist Church, including the formation of the North West England District and the reshaping of local circuits. It’s been a time of significant transition—offering both challenge and opportunity.
Hayley first sensed God’s call to ordained ministry at 14 during an ecumenical Pentecost service, and that call was affirmed during a Holy Week placement with a local URC minister.
But before ministry came a career in engineering, where she rose to senior leadership in a shipyard. A corporate leadership course abroad eventually rekindled her sense of vocation, and with her family’s support, she candidated for ministry just as the pandemic shifted everything online.
Hayley trained at The Queen’s Foundation in Birmingham and now serves as a presbyter, with a strong emphasis on sacramental and inclusive ministry.
Reflecting on probation, Hayley describes her experience in one word: variety.
She’s led baptisms while carrying the personal grief of childlessness, stood with the local Pride community through Ulverston’s first same-sex wedding, and experienced both tension and deep joy in the call to inclusive ministry.
In Millom, she’s seen the power of ecumenical unity, with churches praying and worshipping together across traditions.
As she prepares for ordination at Shrewsbury Abbey—a place full of family history—Hayley carries with her a deep sense of peace. “Ministry isn’t just what I do,” she says. “It’s who I am.” Her advice to others sensing a call? “Trust the still, small voice. Find wise companions. Pray honestly. The journey won’t be easy—but when you become the person God created you to be, there’s nothing like it.”