It might have been just someone else’s story, Some chosen people get a special king. We leave them to their own peculiar glory, We don’t belong, it doesn’t mean a thing.
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.
How will we know when we have enough deacons?
When the floor is knee-deep
in discarded wrapping paper
and the new books are open at page one
and the new toys are already broken,
behold, I stand at the door and knock.
Feedback from the national distinctive deacons’ conference (02/11/24) was overwhelmingly positive. Many appreciated the presence of recently appointed champion +Pete Wilcox, who addressed the conference about the importance of the diaconate and encouraged DDs to persevere in the face of challenges and misconceptions about their distinctive ministries
Nicholas Ferrar’s legacy for the deacon’s calling as community educator was rooted in a rule of life comprising prayer, study and service. Little Gidding was intended to be a spiritual, intellectual and service community. This outreach to the community arose through his work as a physician providing medical care in the neighbourhood. This was one of the ways in which he fostered networks of spiritual friendship.
A sign that the function of the deacon’s ministry was being questioned is that Hooker attacked those ‘to whom it seemeth a thing so monstrous that deacons should sometimes be licensed to preach’; he responded to Puritan critics with a powerful defence of the role of deacons as teachers of the faithful
Though Satan breaks our dark glass into shards
Each shard still shines with Christ’s reflected light,
It glances from the eyes, kindles the words
Of all his unknown saints.
Hi everyone, a reminder of our exciting online conference on 2 November! If you haven't yet done so, it's time to book in for a mere £10.
The Book of Acts does not have a central place in many lectionaries and the story of Philip’s baptism of the Ethiopian eunuch is not as well known as stories such as Peter being loosed from the chains which bound him in prison. But it is memorable and highly significant for the mission of the Church. In this fast moving account of the early church, Philip is a deacon ‘on the move’, prompted by an angel to get up and go on the road from Jerusalem to Gaza (Acts 8:26).
This week’s deacon saint is Thomas Clarkson, a deacon in the Church of England, who together with fellow campaigner and politician William Wilberforce, fought tirelessly against the transatlantic slave trade.
CofE Network of Distinctive Deacons 