Five people are being officially welcomed and admitted as Licenced Lay Ministers in the Diocese of Norwich on Saturday 16 September. WeiWei Cui, Judith Gardiner, Lee Marsden, Jane Minchin and Victoria Price will all be attending a special service at Norwich Cathedral which begins at 10.30am.
WeiWei is to serve in the Watton Benefice in the Deanery of Breckland. Judith is to serve in the Waterside Group in the Deanery of St Benet at Waxham and Tunstead. Lee is to serve in the Mile Cross Benefice in the Deanery of Norwich. Jane is to serve in the Attleborough and Besthorpe Beneficce in the Deanery of Rockland and Victoria is to serve as Licensed Lay Pioneer Minister in the Beacon, North Lynn in the Deanery of Lynn.
Also on the day, Sister Elizabeth Pio is to be licensed as a Licensed Lay Worker within the Sisters of Bethany.
Meanwhile, three other people will be welcomed into the Diocese of Norwich to serve in lay ministry. They are Steve Cook, Princess Olufunnke Olugboji and Fiona Usher.
During the service, there will be celebrations for significant anniversaries of Licenced Lay Ministers. Neil Rout at Eaton St Andrew has served as an LLM for 60 years and Carol Bennett has served for 42 years in Great Ellingham. There will be several other mentions for those who have faithfully served for many years in lay ministry.
Please do pray for the people who have taken this step in their faith and vocation to serve and minister across Norfolk and Waveney.
What is a Licenced Lay Minister?
A Licensed Lay Minister (or Reader) is a lay leader who has been identified, trained and licensed by the Bishop in order to teach the faith, enable mission and lead in church and society.
LLMs come from a wide variety of occupations and backgrounds and provide a vital link to the world of work. There’s much more about licensed lay ministry here: What is a Licensed Lay Minister? — Diocese of Norwich
In the Diocese of Norwich, there are 156 LLMs actively ministering each week. LLMs conduct just under 2000 services each year and deliver 1,500 sermons. They also lead home groups and confirmation classes, are involved in baptism preparation and visit and take the sacraments to the sick, elderly and house bound. They share in the church’s outreach, lead school assemblies and work with youth groups and music groups.
If you think you might be called to licensed lay ministry, there is a Shared Vocations Space for anyone wishing to explore this as a vocation.
Find out more here: Shared Vocation Space — Diocese of Norwich