DAVID'S JOURNEY TO ORDINATION
As many of you know David Williams is to be ordained as a Deacon on Sunday 28th September at Croydon Parish Church at 4 p.m.. David wrote an article for our Parish Magazine in April, which I have included below with his permission. David has now completed his three year Ordination training course and is now preparing himself for Ordination as Deacon and a subsequent four year curacy at St. John's church Redhill. We do, of course, wish David all the best in his new Parish and although he will sadly be missed as part of the congregation at Christ the King he will soon be entering the next phase of his Christian journey.
In his article David has outlined his last three years training and this information could well be of interest to any visitors to this site who, perhaps, are considering Ordination Training and want to learn more.
God's blessing be with you David on this the 'next phase' of your journey and please do keep in touch with your friends at CTK.
Chris
(Site Coordinator & Lay Reader)
A JOURNEY INTO ORDINATION (by David Williams)
(David’s journey: the next phase)
As I think many of you know, I am in the third and final year of training for the ordained ministry, at the South East Institute for Theological Education (SEITE). I have been training part-time (averaging 10 to 15 hours per week), and although the whole course has been very rewarding, I have to admit that it has been very demanding on top of my full-time job at Church House Westminster. I have been very grateful for all the support and encouragement I have received from my friends, and especially from those in the community of Christ the King, throughout this time. Now I am approaching my final term, and I will be finishing the course at the end of June, as long as I complete a sizeable number of remaining assignments !
The course has ranged across modules in Biblical studies; liturgy and spirituality; doctrine and ethics; and mission and education; and these modules have been the subject of the Tuesday evening seminars which I have attended over the past three years at the Southwark Cathedral Education Centre. There has also been a residential programme, centering on a week-long Easter School at Canterbury and seven residential weekends in various locations such as Aylesford Friary, and the Emmaus Centre in West Wickham. The residential programme has helped us to develop skills in leading worship, preaching and adult education, and I have undertaken a number of assessed sessions at Christ the King for which a number of you have provided helpful feedback.
We have had a special course project in each of the three years. In the first year, I went on a placement in another church - of a different tradition, and in a different social context - in Peckham. This is a growing charismatic-evangelical church in a socially and ethnically diverse area, with a very young and enthusiastic leadership team, and my month there provided some valuable perspectives. In my second year, I undertook a week-long pastoral placement in the Chaplaincy of Gatwick Airport. This provided a fascinating insight into a ministry ‘on the move.’ It also gave me an opportunity to see behind the scenes at the Airport (including the control tower, and Gatwick’s own fire station and the police station). In this, my final year, I am doing a special project on theology, ministry and the workplace, which has been an interesting exercise, considering that I work for the Church of England ! It will lead to a presentation at this year’s Easter School. I have also spent a couple of months on a placement at a local church (St. John’s, Hurst Green, near Oxted) - where I led worship, preached and joined in the work of the Sunday School groups, and was made very welcome.
So there has been plenty of variety, and not much spare time. But now is the time to prepare for my four-year curacy (which is known as a ‘title post’). This will be at St. John’s, Redhill, the neighbouring parish to the north of Christ the King, and it will begin at the end of September. (This will be a part-time, non-stipendiary position, and I intend to continue working at Church House Westminster for the time being). The Vicar of St. John’s, Nicholas Calver, will be overseeing my continuing training, and I look forward to meeting the people at St. John’s shortly after Easter. I will be at Christ the King until mid-September, and then I will have to say farewell, although I intend not to lose contact with my friends at CTK, and still plan to join the walking group from time to time, as time allows.
My ordination as deacon will be at Croydon Parish Church, on Saturday September 28th, at 4 p.m. (and there should be sufficient room in the church for anyone who would like to join me for this occasion). My ordination as priest will be one year later, assuming that my year as deacon has gone satisfactorily !
I have been greatly privileged to be at Christ the King for these past eight years, and have found much friendship, love, warmth and fellowship in the church community. CTK has also marked an important time of restoration in my life, and a time of renewal in my vocational journey. I will miss you hugely, but will always be grateful for that which you have given me.
With my love and best wishes,
David Williams