There are people in our lives who we know well, and there are some who we would describe as just being an acquaintance. When the apostles were looking to appoint deacons, they did not want people who were just acquainted with the Holy Spirit. They wanted people who knew him well! It is important to remember that the Holy Spirit is a person. He is the third person of the trinity. As such, he is not a force or power.
Author: GillK
Gill has been a missioner in Nigeria, Romania and various parishes in England. She was ordained a 'distinctive' deacon in 1991. In this capacity she was warden of the College of St Philip the Deacon in Exeter diocese, and founder member of the CofE Network of Distinctive Deacons https://cofedeacons.org. She has also written the story of her own call, Deacon by Design. https://www.waterstones.com/book/deacon-by-design/gill-kimber/9781910719794
She's passionate about the diaconate and, now retired, continues to support those who are called to this ministry.
Under the patronage of St Philip the Deacon, who brought the Ethiopian eunuch to faith, the Warden of the College of St Philip the Deacon is responsible for the past oral care and support of his fellow deacons.
A reminder that this fascinating-looking zoom discussion, Deacons Interrupted, is happening this coming Wednesday ie 10 November. Tickets are going fast! Do book on Eventbrite.
But above all we need an addiction to danger. We must yearn for the deep water. We need to be ready to risk everything. Because what actually are we afraid of? The Gospel teaches us that whoever loses their life for Christ’s sake will find it. If we risk everything, we will gain everything, and in any case nothing can take away from us the triumph of the cross or the worship of the Church.
In a recent edition of the Church Times, the Rev Alan Billings (Police and Crime Commissioner for South Yorkshire) perceptively commented on the need for the Church of England, like the police service, to reaffirm its commitment to the locality if it wants to be true to its historic calling. In the article, he rightly observed that the ‘the Church (of England) is territorial and institutional… It is not a missionary movement - which is why the Methodists broke away.’
He is committed to progressing the diaconate and already works closely with Joy Gilliver (head of discernment) and Helen Fraser (head of vocations). He wants to future-proof how the NMT works with DDs.
Meanwhile, he offered to keep an open channel with me and Deacon Liz Carrington (York)
To listen to responses from DDs to this discussion (send to me at deacons@tutanota.com)
And if we wish, he would be happy to speak at a DD conference.
So plenty of green shoots and signs of hope for us.
The debate about whether the Catholic Church should ordain women to the diaconate often focuses on theological and historical arguments. Rarely, though, do we hear from women who themselves feel called to this ministry. Meet Casey Stanton, co-director of Discerning Deacons, a project to engage Catholics in the active discernment of the church about women and the diaconate
Do please download it, and not only read it yourself, but send it to your DDOs and vocations advisers, and any enquirers you know of. Her booklet has great potential to help the Church of England understand our ministry much better, and it's up to us to spread it as widely as possible.
***Proclaiming the Gospel
This is the focal point of the Liturgy of the Word and the single most important act performed by the deacon in the Eucharist. Accordingly, in most churches the Gospel reading is accompanied by some form of ceremonial, ranging from a simple move by the deacon to the place of the reading, to a Gospel procession with servers and incense. The people stand. The proclaiming of the Gospel should be done with care and be the focus of attention of the assembly.
I'm delighted to say that we are offering DEACONS INTERRUPTED, an autumn zoom for distinctive deacons - and anyone interested - to discuss the diaconal elements of Al Barrett's and Ruth Harley's best-selling book, Being Interrupted. This book is making waves this year, and is a radical look at how we do mission. It's a long time since I was so excited by a book ! - because so much of it turns out to be diaconal.
CofE Network of Distinctive Deacons 