CAPTION: Elizabeth and Peter Burren with the stoles they will wear once they have been ordained
Married Couple Prepare to Be Ordained Together at Exeter Cathedral
A married couple will be ordained together this weekend.
Peter and Elizabeth Burren, from Exmouth, are among 15 people who will become Church of England ministers at Exeter Cathedral this Saturday.
They trained together at the South West Ministry Training Course in Exeter and have recently moved to Teignmouth where they will begin their new roles.
Elizabeth was previously a book keeper and Peter was a policy writer, and they were both lay leaders at their church.
Excited and Eager
They said, “We’ve been looking forward to ordination and working towards it for so long, that it’s hard to believe it’s nearly here. We are both excited to be ordained and eager to get started on curacy.”
Elizabeth said she was excited to “finally live the life God is calling her to”, and Peter said he was “looking forward to being able to become part of people’s lives for the sake of the Good news”.
“We look forward to seeing how God will use us as an ordained couple in his church,” they said
The ordination service service will see five men and ten women from across Devon entering Church of England ministry, after spending two to three years training.
Robin Smith’s Calling to Ordination
Robin Smith had a dramatic answer to prayer which encouraged him to train for ordination
Robin Smith’s journey to ordination began whilst he was serving at St Matt’s Church, Plymouth, when he was approached by a curate who encouraged him to explore ordination.
Robin said, “I went away and prayed and asked God to make it clear if this was his call for my life. I asked for two things: That within 24hrs he would give me a clear sign that ordination to become a priest was what he wanted me to do, and secondly to get someone to tell me that I had a lion’s heart and a call to Christian leadership.
“In the middle of that night, I suddenly woke up and was instantly wide awake with a picture of a book from my bookshelf in my mind’s eye. I felt a strong compulsion to get up and turn specifically to page 73, which to my amazement was on the subject of ordination to priesthood.”
Robin went to church the following day and said he felt what he describes as a ‘holy expectation’ of what else God might want to say or do.
He said, “Just before the vicar ended the service, he paused, and then shared how he felt that there was someone in the congregation whom God wanted them to know that they had a lion’s heart and a call to Christian leadership!
“I approached him afterwards and received prayer and soon after I began my journey towards exploring and then training for ordination!”
Reflecting on his upcoming ordination, Robin says, “It is such a huge privilege to be called to serve by helping better equip God’s people to make Christ known and I can’t wait to see how God is going to create, nurture and empower new and existing communities with his love and power to bring transformation, healing, wholeness and hope to individuals, families and whole communities.”
Hazel Britton was a teacher before training for ordination
Hazel Britton
In 2017, when attending St Andrews Church, Cullompton, Hazel recalls feeling a nudge to exploring Anglican ministry after seeing a female lay reader going up to speak.
Prior to ordination, Hazel was a secondary school teacher for 32 years, teaching and managing Geography, Humanities and Religious Education.
Hazel will begin her curacy as St Disen’s Church, Bradninch, and she will also serve in secondary school ministry, sharing her passion for young people.
Hazel will also continue her work as a Chaplain to Cullompton and Halberton YMCA, where she has the opportunity to reach out and pray for many vulnerable young and older people in the community.
She said, “I’ve found out that curate means ‘curer of souls’. I think this gives focus for my purpose in reliance on the Holy Spirit to gently encourage people into the everlasting arms of the great healer and shepherd of our souls.”
Hazel and her fellow ordinands will be ordained at Exeter Cathedral at 3pm on Saturday 11 September. The service will be livestreamed on the Diocese of Exeter Facebook Page.
If you would like to find out more about training for lay and ordained ministry, visit our Vocations page or contact our Vocations Advisor Rev’d Hannah Mears.
