The Revd Rachel Alexander was in Jackson, Mississippi with her singer-songwriter husband Noel visiting the mission where their daughter works when she received an unexpected text from the Archdeacon asking if she was interested in the part-time post of Vicar Designate of Snettisham.
The Revd Rachel and Noel have spent the past four years growing the Norwich-based ‘Prophetic Lighthouse’ ministry encouraging people both in Norfolk and around the world.
Ordained as a Church of England minister in 1999, the Revd Rachel has always been drawn to prayer and listening to God and for a decade after ordination, the Revd Rachel chose to live what she calls a ‘contemplative lifestyle’. In 2010 the Revd Rachel took a job as an Assistant Minister with the Diocese of Leicester in Loughborough. In 2015 the Revd Rachel and Noel moved back to Norfolk and the Revd Rachel became Community Spiritual Director for St Stephen’s Church in Norwich. The Revd Rachel has said:
“I had felt for some months that God was leading me to a church leadership post and had already had a few conversations with the Archdeacon and prayer-walked a number of potential locations.”
The couple led a weekly meeting of prayer, prophecy and worship in Weston Longville, as well as prayer, worship and mentoring in St Stephen’s Church. The rest of the Revd Rachel’s time was taken up mentoring and praying for people around the world on Skype.
Now the Revd Rachel is excited about swapping this global ministry for a more local one as she joins the Western Shore Team Benefice. She said:
“I really feel that God has led us to Snettisham and I was so delighted to be installed as Vicar designate for St Mary’s on August 12. The church is a significant building and has a village congregation who have been so warmly welcoming to us in many ways as we settle into this lovely village.”
Article and photo courtesy of Network Norfolk