My ordination story: Heather Simmons

Heather is a probationer presbyter in the Southend and Leigh Methodist Circuit, where she serves two congregations—Highlands Methodist Church and the Fishermen’s Chapel on the coast at Leigh-on-Sea.

Alongside circuit ministry, Heather is a Musician’s Chaplain, offering pastoral care and spiritual companionship to those working in the arts.

A professional jazz singer, she continues to perform, believing that her musical vocation is also a place of mission and connection.

The Fishermen’s Chapel played a significant role in Heather’s journey to ordination. What began as a venue enquiry for her wedding, turned into a return to Christian community. Heather offered to give back in gratitude and found herself drawn deeply into Methodist life.

Reading about Methodism felt like "coming home." She describes it as the answer to long-standing prayer: a yearning to belong, to make a difference, to bring her faith and gifts together.

Heather’s call to ordained ministry was, she says, “gentle but persistent.” Music opened the door, but Communion, preaching, and leadership stirred something deeper.

She began local preacher training, discovering profound joy and clarity: “I wake up with peace. I wake up with purpose.” Heather’s sense of calling to ordained ministry is deeply rooted in relationship—both with God and with people. Heather brings her full self to ministry—including her musical vocation.

As a jazz singer, she understands how music creates connection where words sometimes fail. Her pioneering chaplaincy with musicians reflects this belief: that art, like faith, is a space of encounter.

She describes ministry as, “joining in with what God is already doing—whether in worship, in a homeless hostel, or over shared time with our ecumenical partners or those of other faiths."

As she prepares for ordination, she feels surrounded by the love of family, friends, and her circuit—including fellow ordinand Agnes, who lives just down the road from her parents.

As ordination approaches, Heather remains honest about the cost—but also the beauty—of the journey. “If it’s really God’s call,” she says, “It will stretch you, but it will also bring peace.”