My call to diaconal ministry and the discipline of prayer has continued to be an important part of my vocation, reshaping every area of my life. I can’t imagine myself doing anything else or being any place else. It gives me the joy to serve those in need, to proclaim the good news and to equip God’s people for the kingdom of God. I think God is using me to touch people’s lives here. And I feel blessed to serve as a deacon.
Also, through my work, I have gained a continued sense of call to diaconal ministry. One of the things the Church wanted very much was somebody who could lead mission outreach work in Fleetwood and explore the possibilities of mission work in other parts of the circuit.
I didn’t have any idea how the work was going to be done, or even where to start. But through prayer, the Lord has guided me and given me wisdom to assess the needs of the neighbourhood and connect them with resources to meet those needs. God has given me the ability to make decisions that would benefit the whole community rather than particular individuals.
Our circuit is in the region with the highest number of children in Social Service and children on free school meals in the whole of the UK. In 2017, BBC news reported that there were concerns about the number of children who were going to school without breakfast and that some schools had to open during school holidays in order to feed the children. The media coverage was extensive, bringing to light how families were struggling to feed their children.
Working with schools was a major focus of the first 12 months. I am currently supporting Charles Sear Community School with their Religious Education and organising School visits to Fleetwood Methodist Church. One other aspect of my work has been to identify church members who would support my work with Schools.
The church has begun a building project at Fleetwood Methodist Church. We hope getting the building project finished will give the church the space they need to work with families. We want the project to offer a space where parents and carers can get help and support, a space they can come to and meet with other parents.
Through my area group I have gained a continued sense of call to diaconal ministry. Also, I have been reminded of living a disciplined spiritual life and a commitment to a shared prayer life. More and more I have found myself seeking God’s face, thirsting and hungering for his love and compassionate nature to be formed within me and in his people’s lives.
Finding support from the area group and a recent visit to Jerusalem for a, “Via Dolorosa walk”, has given me a deeper sense of a continued sense of call to serve as a deacon;
“sharing fully in the life of the Order and keeping its discipline,
to support the weak, bind up the broken,
gather in the outcast, welcome the stranger.
May Christ my Master, when he comes in glory,
count me among his faithful servants”.