CAPTION: Members of the Lee Abbey Small Missional Community in Plymouth are featured in the 2022 Calendar
Calendar Celebrates ‘Kingdom Calling’ of Lay and Ordained People in Devon
The mission and ministry of lay and ordained people across the Church of England in Devon is celebrated in the Diocese of Exeter’s 2022 calendar.
Kingdom Calling features photo portraits and the vocation stories of more than 12 people in a variety of paid and voluntary roles.
They include headteacher Claire Lewis, who leads St Helen’s CofE school in Abbotsham. She said “Many people cannot understand how I can be a headteacher when I left school without any qualifications.
“That was part of my calling; to pick myself up and make something of my life.
“My calling is to make sure that every child is recognised as unique… and that they are not ignored or missed.”
Worship leader Steve Gibson is also featured, he said “I knew this was a calling on my life from a very young age as I picked-up my first guitar and started seeing people respond to God.
“As time has gone on, I’ve found myself helping in small churches, enabling people to worship God and give him all he’s worth.”
Beth Collier is a former teacher who now works as a church operations director
“God calls each of us by name. I hope this calendar encourages you to listen to his voice.” Bishop of Exeter
The aim of the calendar is to raise awareness of different vocational opportunities with the Church of England and to highlight the amazing and often hidden work that people in these roles do.
The Operations Director for St Andrew’s Church, Cullompton, is Beth Collier. She said “What I have learnt is how God uses our own loves and our gifts to direct us. I didn’t get a calling in terms of a clear voice but more a sense of this is where my life has taken me.”
Each month people are also invited to focus on a particular area of ministry in prayer.
Rev’d Tracey Voysey is a Self-Supporting Minister with the Axe Valley Mission Community and is the featured person for November: “Coming back as a Self-Supporting Minister into the community where I have lived all my life is really special.
“There is something about my identity in God being changed through ordination. Serving God is what I am called to do.”
Rev’d Tracey Voysey is now a curate in the area where she has lived all her life
The calendar was produced by the Diocese of Exeter Communications Team and funded entirely by the generosity of a number of regional and national advertisers.
The Bishop of Exeter, the Right Reverend Robert Atwell, admits in his foreword to the calendar that his calling to ordination was not a Road to Damascus “conversion experience”. He said “I’ve just bumbled along, but always with a deep sense that Christ is my companion on the road.”
He said “God calls each of us by name. I hope this calendar encourages you to listen to his voice.”
A copy of the 2022 calendar has been sent to every parish in the Diocese. It is also available to download here.
You can find out more about vocations and training in the Diocese of Exeter here.
