Deacon Jonathan Halliwell, our education adviser, has kindly downloaded the Six Qualities and Evidences for distinctive deacons to a useful Word document.
Category: Blog
In 2017, an historic step was taken by the Orthodox Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa, when he consecrated five women to be deaconesses in the Congo. On May 2, 2024, Angelic Molen of Harare, Zimbabwe, was ordained Deaconess Angelic in the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria and all Africa (the Orthodox Church in the continent of Africa). This is a giant stride for The Orthodox Church, and is inevitably controversial.
God is asking Philip to leave the success story, and move on to something new. We might not have a mighty success story to tell, but it is part of our call as deacons, to be ready to move, ready to change, ready to go at God’s command.
Our life had no hope of eternal happiness before You redeemed us.
The deacon is entrusted with the great sign of the risen Christ: the Easter Candle, as the minister most often associated with Christ in early Christian literature.
Sinne is that presse and vice, which forceth pain To hunt his cruell food through ev’ry vein.
The saviour comes. But will I welcome him?
Oh crowds of easy feelings make a start;
They raise their hands, get caught up in the singing,
And think the battle won. Too soon they’ll find
The challenge, the reversal he is bringing
Changes their tune.
The keynote speaker, Dr Richard Tiplady, of the Scottish Episcopal Institute, argued that the ministry of the distinctive or vocational deacon can be described by the terms ‘pioneer’ or ‘entrepreneur’. These characterise a ministry which is dynamic and relational, which involves accepting risk and being prepared to fail, but which crucially enables others to play their part in God’s kingdom.
“go in the peace of Christ to love and serve the world”!
They came, as called, according to the Law. Though they were poor and had to keep things simple, They moved in grace, in quietness, in awe, For God was coming with them to His temple.
CofE Network of Distinctive Deacons 