My time on the Ministry Experience Scheme at St. Peter Mancroft was a brilliant opportunity to explore God’s calling on my life. Living and working as part of the church was such a fulfilling way to see what hands-on ministry is like in a busy Christian community.

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During my time I felt supported by the ministry team to develop the skills I arrived with but I was also encouraged to challenge myself in new ways.

 

I learnt to preach and lead at both familiar traditional services and bible studies, but also at more informal liturgies which were new to me.

 

I really valued the opportunity to see how ministering at a wide variety of services on topics, from saints to biodiversity to Matisse, could facilitate close encounters with God to people from a range of backgrounds.

 

The importance of prayerful pastoral moments is also something that I greatly value from my time at Mancroft. It was a privilege to journey alongside people through listening and prayer, both long-standing members of the congregation and one-time visitors to the church.

 

I was privileged too in the support and prayer that they likewise held me in. I greatly appreciated the opportunity to reflect and support my learning through supervisions and study. Reflecting on each past week, I was able to keep a concrete sense of how my skills has been developing and the areas I was looking to grow into.

 

Study both as part of groups and guided reading helping me to resource my ministry in topics ranging form pastoral care to bible study. Life as part of a diverse ministry team showed me the many ways in which public ministry is possible.

 

It was clear there was not just one model but people using their different gifts to all serve God. It was encouraging to see that my future ministry did not need to fit into one box but could reflect what I had to offer. This was further supported by the opportunity to experience ministry in different contexts on short placements, such as a nearby evangelical church and a school chaplaincy.

 

The experience and insight offered during my Ministry Experience Scheme at St. Peter Mancroft was more than I could have imagined before I arrived. The things I have learnt about God, ministry, and myself, I will take forward with me for the rest of my life.