Hello,

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On behalf of the people of the Stourdene Benefice I warmly welcome you to our website and hope that in due course we will have the pleasure of meeting you in person. We are a community of faith rooted in the love of God. We believe worship is not just found in prayer, it’s something expressed in everything we do. 

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I am a wife, sister, aunt and friend who was born in Jamaica, grew up in South Wales and was a nurse in the NHS for 24 years before being an Acupuncturist running my own complimentary therapy clinic. I was ordained in 2014 and was the Priest in Charge of the Dassett Magna Group of four rural parishes in South Warwickshire from February 2017 to June 2023 when I joined the Stourdene Benefice. Rural ministry is where I feel called having lived and worshiped in rural communities for over 30 years - 4 of those as a Churchwarden. I value the fact that each congregation is different. They are like people with different characters, views and worship preferences.

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I have a passion for children’s ministry within the church, our local primary schools, and the wider community youth groups. I work hard to establish and develop innovative ways of sharing the gospel with children, their families and people of all ages. I consider it important that I am visible in the parishes and sustain positive relationships with people of all ages and backgrounds in the community. 

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In addition to parish ministry I have had a variety of chaplaincy experiences. Initially working for two years as a volunteer chaplain at the University Hospital Coventry during my ordination training. My nursing background helped me understand the issues in order to support patients, families and the staff. I was then approached by a members of my congregations and became Chaplain to the Chairman of Coventry District Council for 2.5 years and this year I am Chaplain to the High Sherif of Warwickshire Sophie Hilleary. This has given me an insight into how the church has a vital part to play in all aspects of the community. In addition to this from March 2018 to May 2023 I was the Military Chaplain to Marlborough Baracks Kineton Ministry of Defence. 

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I cannot remember a time when Christ wasn't in my life. I grew up in an era when daily christian assemblies in school were the norm and I enjoyed listening to and learning the stories from the bible. Where else can you read about love and hate, peace and war, laughter and joy, song and sorrow, intrigue and mystique, promise and hope - so many genres in one book?

 

The Bible is the guide by which I try to live my life and encourage others to do likewise. My personal bible study and my own philosophy lead me to know that Christ is in each and every one of us, in each moment of our lives and that, if we choose to, we can meet with God every day. Christ is in everything I do from working with  toddlers and the schools to doing crafts, to preparing my sermons and preaching, to distributing the sacraments. This has a significant impact on how I preach. The take home message I try to impart is about Christ our salvation being holistic and in everything we do and that nothing, can separate us from the love and grace of God.

 

Through my life I've experienced a variety of theological traditions and christian denominations. A tutor at theological collage once described my churchmanship as “Village”. When asked to explain this she said that I am "comfortable attending and leading worship services covering a wide spectrum from Anglo-catholic to Charismatic; from the formal to the informal and cafe style, in church and in the wider community. And that” she said “is what's required of a rural vicar.” 

 

My theological perspectives continue to be shaped by the contexts, experiences, and relationships that have made me who I am today - my time as an ordinand and curate at Holy Trinity in Stratford being quite fundamental in this. My faith continues to move, shift and grow as I travel the journey of life. I recognise a need in myself to feed my spirituality, widen my faith experiences so that I don't stand still but continue to grow and develop. I believe that keeping my own faith journey alive will not only enrich my life and my faith but also my ability to lead others in faith.

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​I Meet God in the Everyday

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We expect to find God in Church and in our private prayer but have you ever wondered where he is the rest of the time? If we open our eyes we can see him. If we open our ears, we can hear him. If we open our hearts, we can know him. 'He is not far from any one of us, for in him we live and move and have our being.'* The fact is we don't really need to find God. Nor does he need to find us. He knows right where we are. If we are honest, we know right where he is, too. We can Meet God in the Everyday things in our lives. I find God in places of worship, on a mountainside, in the faces and actions of other people and even when I'm doing the washing up!