New priests ready for journey ahead
Three of the newest members of the priesthood in the region have spoken of their journeys towards ordination.
Rev. Christopher Lane, Rev. Lisa Mitchell and Rev. Stephen Morgan were part of a group of seven deacons from parishes across the region who were ordained as priests at a ceremony in All Saints, West Bromwich.
The Wolverhampton area service on Tuesday, September 29 was conducted by the Bishop of Wolverhampton Clive Gregory and will see the priests carry out their duties in parishes which stretch across Sandwell, Staffordshire, Walsall and Wolverhampton.
Rev. Mitchell was ordained in her own parish at West Bromwich All Saints and spoke about what becoming a priest meant to her.
She said: “Becoming a Priest fills me with great joy and excitement, the joy of finding those lost sheep and the excitement of journeying with them.
“It means to be a physical presence within the community, showing that God is not confined within a building.
“If we look around us we can see God at work in our lives, is what I would hope to achieve within my parish.”
Rev. Christopher Lane will take on priesthood in Walsall St. Peter and spoke about what he hoped to achieve from his new role.
He said: “I am a pioneer minister, which means that my particular calling is to seek to do new work in places where it has never been done before.
“I am therefore seeking to help revitalise a church local to Walsall where there has been a dramatic decline in attendance in recent years.
“This will happen by taking in a team of people to help give energy and ideas to how we can better engage with the community to make the local church more relevant to them.”
Rev. Stephen Morgan will preside as priest over four towns in Staffordshire, covering Burntwood, Chase Terrace, Chasetown and Hammerwich.
He said he would be seeking to come along the members of his churches to help them grow into their Christian faith and discipleship.
He said: “I also want to find out the story of the local community where I will be serving and then meet with people of faith and none who live there wherever they are.
“As a Priest I see a large part of my role as to ‘create community’ by being welcoming and hospitable to all people and seeking to find the right words and manner of expressing God’s message in a way that will resonate with them.”
