Two people will also be ordained Priest at a service at Carlisle Cathedral on Saturday 1 July at 2.30pm. They are:

• Lindsay Harrod to serve East of Eden Mission Community
• Matthew Richards to serve Solway Plain Mission Community

Both Cathedral ordination services will also be livestreamed on both the Diocese of Carlisle and Carlisle Cathedral Facebook pages.

Meanwhile four others will be ordained Priest in services to be held in their respective home churches and conducted by the Bishops of Carlisle and Penrith.

They are:

• Hannah Wallace to serve Kent Estuary Mission Community: 2 July 2023, 10.30am – St James’ Arnside (Bishop Rob)
• Barbara Robinson to serve Grasmoor Mission Community: 2 July 2023, 10.30am - St Bartholomew’s, Loweswater (Bishop James)
• Simon Jones to serve Barrow Mission Community: 2 July 2023, 3pm - St Paul’s, Barrow (Bishop James)
• Rob McLellan to serve Helm Mission Community: 2 July 2023, 6pm – Kendal Holy Trinity (Bishop Rob)

Bishop James said: “The ordination season is always a particular highlight of the diocesan calendar for me as I have the privilege of welcoming all those who have faithfully discerned what God is calling them to in this next step in their ministry.

“As always, it is so uplifting to hear the individual stories of how each ordinand has felt God’s calling to ministry and mission here in Cumbria. It is equally heartening to consider the different ways in which they will serve, some acting as self-supporting ministers and others as stipendiary clergy and all committed to growing God’s kingdom across the county.

“As I approach my final ordination services as Bishop of Carlisle I do so with a happy heart, remembering all those ordinands I have had the honour to welcome and bless over the years. My prayers remain with all those to be ordained in the coming days as well as with all of their families. May I also encourage others to hold them in prayer.”

Deacons’ Summary Profiles

Emily Bagg – Central Lakes Mission Community
Emily, 34, was born and raised in Bath and grew up as a member of a small evangelical church, coming to faith at the age of five. Prior to starting secondary school she also spent a few years living in America, where the family relocated to as part of her father’s work. At university in Winchester – where she read English – Emily began attending an Anglican church where she met her future husband, Marcus, who was the curate there. The couple have been married for 12 years and have a nine-year-old daughter, Lydia. They spent nearly 10 years in Carisbrooke on the Isle of Wight where Marcus took up his first incumbency before eventually moving back to the mainland in order that Emily could take up theological training at Cranmer Hall in Durham for the last there years. Whilst on the Isle of Wight, Emily worked for the Prison Officers Association at HMP Parkhurst and then at a secondary school as a Special Educational Needs teacher. She was also a member of the Church of England’s General Synod for six years. Emily and her family will be based in Chapel Stile and will serve her curacy in the Benefice of Hawkshead with Low Wray and Rusland and Satterthwaite, part of the Central Lakes Mission Community.

Emily says Isaiah 43:1 (‘Do not be afraid, for I have redeemed you….’) is important to her as it shows that whatever has happened in her life, God has always called her by name.

Christina Brentnall - Grasmoor Mission Community
Christina, 52, was born and brought up in Blackpool and came to faith aged eight when she was a member of a Christian youth group – called Campaigners - in her church. She went on to become a youth leader before later attending Lancaster University to study chemistry. Her first job was in accountancy in Northampton before she moved to Cumbria in 2000. She lives in Tallentire and is married to Tim. They have two children: Ella, 19, and Joel, 17. In 2001 she joined Bridekirk Dovenby CE Primary as a school business manager and says the role dovetailed well with those of treasurer and lay worship leader she held at St Bridget’s Bridekirk. Christina also helped lead Sunday school and went on to lead services, the first such being the Christingle of 2011. Having discerned her calling, Christina felt called by God to resign from her school job to then study with Emmanuel Theological College for three years. She comes to ordination just weeks after undergoing major bowel surgery, having been diagnosed with Crohn’s disease in 2016. She says God has cared for her throughout this time, preparing her for ordination. She will serve as a stipendiary curate for the Grasmoor Mission Community and will continue to live in Tallentire.

Christina says Philippians 4 verse 13 (‘I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength’) holds particular significance as through life’s lows she knows that God is always with her, enabling her to disciple to others.

Charles Cowling – Heart of Westmorland Mission Community
Charles, 60, is married to Becky, with the couple having four grown-up children. They split their time between Bolton in Greater Manchester and a home in Mallerstang, near Kirkby Stephen where they have strong ties with St Mary’s church. The son of a vicar, he was brought up in a Christian household and sang as a choir boy, singing in various Cathedrals during the summer months. Through that he developed a deep love of Cathedral-style liturgy. He went on to study mathematics at Durham University before becoming an actuary, specialising in forecasting costs and risks for major pension providers. It is a role which has seen him travel extensively and next year he will serve as President of the International Actuarial Association. He is also chair of Manna House, the Kendal based charity which supports homeless and vulnerably housed people and is a trustee of USPG, a Christian charity which encourages churches across the Anglican Communion in rethinking mission, energising church, and championing justice. Charles says that it was at a churchwardens’ installation service that he first felt called to ordination. After completing the discernment process, he went on to train for three years with Emmanuel Theological College and will serve as a self-supporting minister in the Heart of Westmorland Mission Community.

Of various verses which have upheld him, Charles points to 1 Corinthians 12:12-31 for words which remind him that we all have different skills and God wants us as part of His church.

Rachel Mason - South Calder Mission Community
Rachel, 35, was born and raised in north Shropshire within a Christian family, attending the village church from an early age, joining the choir as a teenager and attending annual Scripture Union holidays. Even from the age of 13, Rachel says she had a passion to see children and families in church and whilst at St Andrew’s University – studying Geosciences – she helped arrange her home church’s first holiday club. At university she was also the President of the Christian Music and Drama Society. She later completed a Masters in Geosciences at University College London whilst also working part-time as a teaching assistant at a primary school in Wembley. She then worked for two years as a Family and Outreach Worker for a small church in Epsom, Surrey, before moving to Christ Church in Alsager, Cheshire, where over five years in her role as Children and Families Leader she helped to grow considerably the number of children and families in regular attendance. Whilst at Christ Church, she felt God’s calling to a broader ministry and that led to her begin to explore ordination. Rachel has trained with Emmanuel Theological College. She is engaged to Chris who is a research scientist at the National Nuclear Laboratory in Workington. The couple will marry in September. Rachel will serve her curacy in the Benefice of Seatallan which is part of the South Calder Mission Community.

Rachel says she has Psalm 46:10 printed on her kitchen wall, reminding her in the busyness and stresses of life, that peace, hope, and joy are found in knowing God.

Jacqueline Oakes - Whitehaven Mission Community
Jacqueline was raised in Eastriggs, Dumfriesshire, before later attending Edinburgh University. She then joined Sellafield Ltd as a graduate and has remained at the site for more than 30 years, working as a HR manager. The 53-year-old is married to Richard and they have two teenage boys: John is studying at Newcastle University and Chris is a lower sixth form student. They live in Eskdale and Jacqueline has been a governor of St Bega’s C of E Primary School for eight years. She says it is that role which brought her back to her faith. Having been brought up in a Christian household, after university Jacqueline stopped attending church, but began to go to more services after the birth of her first son. She says that “the Holy Spirit got hold of me” again after she became a school governor in 2015 and she formed a close friendship with a new vicar and headteacher. During a five-week period away from work in 2019 she began to feel called to ordination, eventually starting her training in September 2020, initially with Cumbria Christian Learning and later Emmanuel Theological College. She will serve her curacy at St Peter’s Kells and then serve as a self-supporting minister within the local team ministry where she lives.

The Parable of the Prodigal Son is particularly important to Jacqueline. She says it shows that while people may give up on God, He will never give up on them.

Chris Smith – Central Lakes Mission Community
Chris was born and raised in London, later studying for five years at the capital’s Royal Veterinary College. He moved to Broughton-in-Furness in 2014, after being offered his first job as a veterinary surgeon with a Cumbrian practice. The 32-year-old now works for Furness Veterinary Centre in Dalton-in-Furness. Once ordained, he will continue to work there three days a week with additional on-call shifts, alongside his role as a self-supporting minister. Chris was brought up in a Christian household, though as a child and young person his family did not attend church on a regular basis. At university his faith grew, and he chose to be baptized and confirmed on the same day at St Paul’s Cathedral in 2012. He says thoughts about ordination began to develop not long after that and Chris cites prayer and spirituality as areas of particular personal interest. Whilst living in Broughton, he has helped lead services and preached mainly at St Mary Magdalene and has completed three years of training, initially with Cumbria Christian Learning and then Emmanuel Theological College. He will move to the Hawkshead area to serve his curacy in the Benefice of Hawkshead with Low Wray and Rusland and Satterthwaite, part of the Central Lakes Mission Community.

“Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10) is particularly significant for Christopher as he says it reflects his personal focus on the importance of prayer and reflection.

Notes to editors

Click on the respective Mission Communities links for further parish details.

Picture captions

Deacons – L to R: Emily Bagg, Christina Brentnall, Charles Cowling, Rachel Mason, Jacqueline Oakes, Christopher Smith

Please note the Deacons group shot and associated portraits are to be attributed to Stuart Walker Photography

Priests – L to R: Matthew Richards, Simon Jones, Barbara Robinson, Lindsay Harrod, Hannah Wallace, Rob McLellan

Please note the Priests group shot is to be attributed to the Diocese of Carlisle.

ENDS

For further information please contact Dave Roberts, Diocesan Head of Communications, on 07469 153658 or at communications@carlislediocese.org.uk.