Eight women and two men were ordained deacon by the Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu, at a service in York Minster on Sunday 1st July 2018.
As Deacons they will assist in leading worship and undertake work in the local community while serving as Assistant Curate (an assistant minister, continuing their training in service) in a parish in the Diocese of York, which is the Church of England from the Humber to the Tees and from the A1 to the Yorkshire Coast.
Aged from 25 to 62, they include a former social worker, an actor and an optometrist; some will serve full-time while others will continue to support themselves through other means.
Dr John Sentamu said, “No matter who or where you are, God calls you – and I give thanks to God that He has called these ten people to serve as Deacons. Is God calling you? Are you listening to God’s commanding voice? Is your answer YES? Please join me in praying for our Deacons – for their ministry and for their followership of Jesus Christ, for all they will do in Jesus Christ’s name, for their local churches and their families, and for the blessing of others that the Lord will make of them! ‘Rejoice and be glad and let us exult in the Lord together!’”
- Rebecca Allright spent 17 years working in social care, initially as a psychiatric social worker and then in commissioning and project management. She is the daughter of one of the first women priests in the Church of England but found her own faith after undertaking an Alpha course as a student. Becky’s faith has always been sustained and supported by social action and outreach, while she enjoys both charismatic worship and quiet days and retreats. She has trained for ordination with St Hild College as a ‘contextual ordinand’ based at St Luke’s church in York where she helped support the establishment of a Forget-me-Not community, which is accessible church for people with memory problems. “I will be ordained as a pioneer and hope to bring the good news to people who don’t yet know Jesus outside of mainstream churches,” she says. Becky will serve as Assistant Curate in Drax, Carlton and Camblesforth (near Selby).