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Feature
Bumper ordinations see 4 The Door introduces the 44 new deacons who are settling into parishes in Oxfordshire Berkshire and Buckinghamshire after our new-style annual Petertide ordination services in July. Andrew Allen, Aston Clinton with Buckland and Drayton Beauchamp Spending his childhood in Cyprus, among other places, meant Andrew was bitten by the travel bug. After schooling in Ulster, he moved to Oxford to study law and German law, then headed to London. He has just returned from living with the Old Catholics in Bonn. Andrew Thomas, The Cookhams Andrew was born and brought up in Surrey. Apart from his first five years after leaving school, he worked as a children’s nurse in intensive care. His spare time is filled with running, swimming, his nephew and niece and spending time in the great outdoors.
Gareth Lane to serve in Bedgrove Whenever he gets the opportunity Gareth likes to go surfing. Two years ago he helped save the lives of a man and his daughter who were body boarding and being dragged out to sea, but didn’t have the strength to swim to shore. He says: “It seems ironic that now two years later I am about to be ordained into a position where I will be responsible for the safety of people’s spiritual lives.” Glynis Beckett, Radley with Sunningwell and the Benefice of Kennington Glynis says she remembers a line in a sermon which stated “This is the day you said ‘yes’ to God, or at least when you stopped saying ‘no!”. She feels deep joy at getting to this point in her life.
Ben Williams, St John’s, Cowley, Oxford Ben was the youngest member of the Oxford Ministry Course, the preordination training course, and is finishing a doctorate. He is also a concert harpist and pianist.
‘This is the day you said “yes” to God...’
Carolyn Bailey, Great Missenden with Ballinger and Little Hampden There‘s nothing animal loving Carolyn likes more than taking her dogs up into the hills on a glorious day for a good long walk. Her other hobby is horse riding although she doesn’t seem to have much time for it nowadays.
Graham Choldcroft, Thame and as a chaplain for Thames Valley Police Influenced by boyhood memories of reports of ‘a man helping police with enquiries’ Graham went on to enjoy a career in the criminal justice system. He is looking forward to using that experience in his ministry as a police chaplain.
Christian Hofreiter, St Aldate’s, Oxford Christian’s path to ordained ministry has taken him from the moutainous valleys of his native Tyrol, where he was a university lecturer and a translator, to the corridors of power in Washington DC, where he represented foreign governments, to Oxford University for a doctorate in theology.
Helen Barnes, Haddenham with Cuddington and Kingsey and Aston Sandford Helen Barnes is a mother-of-two, business partner with her husband, operations manager for a large international charity and is now following God’s prompting and becoming a curate.
Claire Alcock, Langtree Claire was a primary school teacher in Eastbourne where she taught music and RE. After having a family she completed the Writers’ Bureau Correspondence Course. She also loves to compose music for piano and guitar. Daniel Inman, Deddington with Barford, Clifton and Hempton Daniel grew up in the grittiness of the Surrey-Hampshire border, the wastelands of southern California, and Hayling Island. He became a Christian as a teenager and studied theology at Oxford. He is a keen musician, walker and traveller. Daniel Lloyd, Stony Stratford A priest’s son, Daniel went to school in Witney and then to Merton College, Oxford, where he studied history and German. He was also a teacher in Vienna.
James Kennedy, High Wycombe Team Ministry James came to Oxford as a surgeon, to research a novel non-invasive cancer treatment. On finishing his DPhil, he was appointed Clinical Lecturer and SurgeonScientist in Oxford University’s Nuffield Department of Surgery, where he worked until 2007, when he left to start theological training. Jane Baun, Abingdon Team Ministry Jane Baun grew up on a wooden sailing boat, exploring the Chesapeake Bay on America’s east coast. Fluent in Russian, she worked in Moscow during the Cold War. Marriage to an Englishman brought her to Oxford, where she teaches Byzantine and Eastern Orthodox history for the Oxford University Theology Faculty. Janet Minkkinen, Cippenham Janet is married to Paul, and has a son,
From left, Margaret Yates, June Hattaway, Stuart King, Andrew Thomas, Pam Rolls, Graeme Fancourt, Rosie Webb, Peter Day Tina Molyneux and Cath Mackrell. In front of Bishop Stephen are Sally Robertston and Marion Pyke.
Philip. Her working life serving customers at Marks and Spencer’s was good training for ministry. During her training, both of her parents died. Her mum had her ordination stole made and had ‘love mum X’ woven onto it. Jean Pryce-Williams, Cumnor Jean is a psychotherapist, spiritual director, artist and photographer. She paints larger than life Beryl Cook type characters which remind us to make friends with our ‘wobbly bits’ and to take ourselves far less seriously. She says that a life lived gratefully and enthusiastically proves for all to see that Christians can have fun.
‘A life lived gratefully and enthusiastically proves for all to see that Christians can have fun.’ Jill Roth, Flackwell Heath Jill says her dream of becoming a famous ballet dancer fell flat as a little girl because her mum said she was too tall, so she took up Latin American and ballroom. She says: “I love reliving my dancing days watching Strictly Come Dancing. I’ve now taken up tap dancing to keep me in trim.” Jitesh Patel, Abingdon Jitesh is looking forward to serving as curate at Christ Church Abingdon. He is a former science teacher who loves spending time with friends, reading a good book and enjoying new places. Jo Reid, Brize Norton and Carterton Jo grew up in an Army family and started school in Cyprus. She experienced her first war when Turkey invaded in 1974 when she was five. She says: “I remember
being crouched under an upturned sofa in our house as shells dropped around us. We were evacuated eventually and put on a Hercules back to the UK. We landed at RAF Brize Norton in just the clothes we stood up in.” Jo joined the Army aged 24 and served with the Royal Corps of Signals for 12 years. Jonathan Hunter Dunn, Burford with Fulbrook and Taynton, Asthall with Swinbrook and Widford Jonathan is a physicist. His hobbies are metalwork and mechanical engineering and he applies these to repairing and restoring things that are contributing to needless waste and pollution. He says: “Because of Jesus, neither is it necessary for our sin and brokenness to resign us to the eternal burning rubbish tip.” Judith Hattaway, Hurst Judith says being married to a Shakespearean scholar with a name like Hattaway is always going to make for an interesting life. The couple have four children and six grandchildren, two of them with special needs. Judith is a chaplain at a high security mental hospital and at The Avenue Special School in Reading, where she is also a governor. and she runs a private counselling practice. Kevin Wright, Radley with Sunningwell and the Benefice of Kennington Kevin, a grandfather of two, taught deaf children at Mary Hare School for more than 20 years. He was also head of science and head of ICT. He is a steward at Newbury Rugby Club, is married to Chris and has four cats.His interests include music, art, real ales, Greek holidays and online Scrabble. His silk ordination stole was hand woven by his wife, Chris. Lucinda Heyn, Goring and Streatley with South Stoke