Petertide Ordinations 2024 - Meet our new Deacons

Rebecca Anne Applin Warner

Rebecca works as a musician and academic, primarily composing for theatre and writing academic texts about musical theatre.

Following ordination, she will be following in the tradition of the worker-priest, continuing in her musical career alongside her ministry.

She often draws these two aspects together in her work in the parish, using the arts to engage with scripture and connection with God. She is actively engaged with the Inclusive Church group in her church, and radical welcome and hospitality is a priority for her.

Rebecca lives in a rural village in the Cambridgeshire Fens and seeks spiritual engagement with nature, meeting God in and through the whole of creation.

Benjamin Andrew Barton

I am married to Emily and have three children (Ella, Tom and Arthur).

I grew up near Caterham in Surrey but now live in Cambridge. I came to Cambridge to work in sports ministry, serving on the staff at St Barnabas Church on Mill Road and at St Bede’s School, following my degree at Nottingham University.

I have a passion for sport, both playing and coaching and have been involved with Christians in Sport for 25 years, serving at Sports Plus, a summer camp for young sports players each year. Following a career in the Science Park, I was a History teacher for 18 years. In the 15 years prior to ordination training, I was also a boarding School Housemaster and latterly Senior Housemaster. I currently serve as Club Chaplain at Cambridge United Football Club. I also support church pastoral teams, having trained with BCUK and in secular pastoral settings. I have run two marathons, in Rome and Paris.

Claire Louise Brockelsby

Claire grew up near Spalding in Lincolnshire, where she has very happy memories of being active in her local church as a child, singing in the choir. On leaving school, she trained as a nurse, specialising in palliative care and working in a Macmillan Centre in Kings Lynn. Later, she moved to Cambridge where she now lives with her two children, who are both teenagers. She believes she will make good use of her past experiences as a nurse and working in a school as she serves her curacy.

Claire reconnected with church and her faith ten years ago and felt a calling towards ordained ministry fairly early into that journey. She is grateful for the prayers and support of all those who have played a part in helping her discern her calling, and has enjoyed connecting with several church communities as she has done so.

In her spare time Claire enjoys going to the theatre or cinema, reading, and walking (sometimes with her dog, Mango.) For as much as she has enjoyed her studies at Westcott House, she is looking forward to putting down the Theology books for a bit and diving into a few novels.

Jonathan Peter Chatfield

Jonathan lives in Impington with his wife Dot and their son Samuel.

He has spent 32 years in the rail industry and will continue in his current role as Head of Railway Strategy and Policy at Rail Delivery Group whilst serving as Curate at Bar Hill Church.

Jonathan served as a trustee for Keswick Ministries for 12 years and his family continues to attend the Convention every year. In addition to his leadership and managerial experience, Jonathan has also been a local councillor for 13 years representing his local villages and has stood for parliament on three occasions. Interests include an allotment, cycling and walking (with their spaniel Mostyn).

A love for the outdoors led the family to buy a caravan a few years ago which they take to Keswick in the Lake District every summer.

Jenny Louise Forester

I grew up in Scotland and for most of this time lived on the edge of what is now the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park. Being surrounded by stunningly beautiful countryside gave me a life-long interest in wildlife. I studied Mechanical Engineering at Strathclyde and after graduating my first job was in the whisky industry. I have continued to work in manufacturing for most of my career.

My call to ministry has been a gradual process over many years. Looking forward to the next few years I am very excited about joining the team at East Leightonstone.

I enjoy the company of friends, particularly when sharing good food, and I love being in the countryside. Just before training with ERMC I got to combine all of these walking the Camino Ingles and more recently through a trip to Iona.

Ian Craig Henderson

Ian’s journey towards ordination has been marked by a tapestry of experiences, from his early days in parish choirs with his family to significant achievements in the transport technology sector. Despite a period of distance from the church, his faith remained steadfast, guiding him back and ultimately towards a call to serve in an ordained capacity.

Professionally, since 1996, Ian has been deeply involved in transforming the transportation technology networks across England and Europe. In 2006, he established his consultancy business, focusing on transport safety and operational excellence. This drive to make a difference extended beyond his career, evident in his roles within the community, including volunteering at his sons’ football club and serving as chair of governors in two primary schools.

The past four years have been a time of preparation at ERMC and Westcott House, where Ian has been studying part-time. His life experience and faith have started to strongly converge, preparing him for this first step in ordained ministry. With his family by his side, Ian’s path reflects a blend of leadership, service, and personal faith, pointing him towards a future of serving others through his ministry.

Rhona Isabel Helen McEune

Rhona is a life-long Anglican growing up in a Christian family with both parents faithfully serving the church. As a young person she was a chorister, started bell ringing and over the years has been involved in many aspects of church life. Her career in primary education lead to a PhD in education and developed into an academic research career in a variety of education and social science based projects.

She became an LLM and has served in three dioceses in rural parishes.

Outside the church her interests include ringing and she has been involved in diocesan and non-territorial ringing association in a number of roles. Rhona was Lay Chaplain to the Essex Association of Ringers.

Looking forward to developing her ministry in rural contexts she is excited and open to where God may lead her in the future.

Kevin Parks

I was born and raised in the North West of England. I studied Law in Sheffield for 3 years before joining the Metropolitan Police in 2002, where I have spent the last 22 years, enjoying a wide and varied career.

I have two sons, Thomas and Lewis. I am married to Joanne who was a Detective for 16 years, but has since retrained as a mental health nurse. We live with our cat, ‘Bungle’ and our Labrador ‘Bella’ who keep us all very busy.

I have a great love for the outdoors, and try to stay as active as I can exploring our beautiful countryside. I am an avid collector of books, and especially enjoy reading poetry, particularly from the romantic period. I love music, playing piano, travel and baking. I studied for my DipHE in Theology, Ministry and Mission with ERMC and I have developed a real passion for theological education which I hope to explore.

Stephanie Louise Pedlar

I was born in Portsmouth and moved to the Cambridgeshire area in 1980. We were a close family, and we spent a lot of time together.

I was a cradle Christian and always knew God was with me, but it wasn’t until I was twenty that I attended an alpha course and became a Christian. I became a trained nurse and then married Neil, who I have been married to for 27 years. We loved our time in our church, and I went onto being a volunteer and then a paid youth worker working in various churches in the area. I knew, I wanted to serve God fully but never considered becoming a Vicar as I lacked confidence. It was only after being assessed as dyslexic that I realised being an ordained minister could be possible.

So, here I am many years later about to be ordained. In my spare time, I love spending time with my family, I am a Disney fan, and I am passionate about making sure all people have access to God despite their needs.

Christopher John Shore

Chris grew up in a Christian family in Anglican churches both in England and Uganda. After boarding school, he studied Computer Science at Cambridge. He met Davina, now his wife, in the music group at St Andrew’s Street Baptist Church, and they married there and remained there until 2016, when they moved to St Andrew’s in Cherry Hinton. During training he has enjoyed being attached to Great St Mary’s in Cambridge and is delighted to look forward to serving as curate with Rev Dr Julie Norris at St Mary the Virgin in Great Shelford.

Prior to ordination, Chris enjoyed a 35-year career in IT, latterly at Arm Ltd in Cambridge where he worked for 22 years. While running Arm’s customer training group, he personally delivered over 100 training courses and spoke at over 80 conferences, flying over 2 million miles and visiting 27 countries.

Chris retired from Arm in June 2022 and began studying for ordination at Ridley Hall in September 2023. Since retiring, he has volunteered in the chaplaincy team at Addenbrookes Hospital, and with the Schools and Universities teams at the Faraday Institute, resourcing school pupils and student teachers around the interface between science and faith.

Chris and Davina (a self-employed primary school music teacher) have been married for 34 years and have two grown-up boys who have both been successfully launched into careers - one in the wine trade in London, the other as a software engineer for a games company.

Clare Judith Stephenson

I am returning to the city where 40 years ago my Christian faith first took shape to begin my curacy in the Cambridge parish of St Mary the Great with St Michael (Great St Mary’s).

As both a medical doctor and traditional acupuncturist I am dedicated to what keeps us healthy in the broadest possible sense, and my call to ministry now comes with a conviction that spirituality is fundamental to what it means to be whole as a human.

Having participated in diverse church communities all my adult life, I have developed a love and respect of the breadth of tradition and liturgy of the Church of England. My vocation to ministry brings with it a desire to offer to others an unconditional welcome to being part of a prayerful worshipping community, and so to the wholeness which is the promise of the teaching of Jesus Christ.

Hannah Mary Fisher Threlfall

I grew up in a beautiful village just outside Cambridge, moving to the Newmarket area in my early 20’s. It always made me smile in the discernment process being called a ‘cradle Christian’ but yes, that is what I am, well except from a couple of years within my early teens!

I shall confess here and now, that I never saw myself as a vicar! But God had other plans – He knew and from the age of 22, He kept sending me hints, reminders and nudges, all to which I laughed off! My Pa’s words summed it up perfectly when I told him the plan –“But Hannah, you are more Alice than Geraldine?”

Here I am – 20 years on and about to be ordained!

My family are my rock – my husband, two teenagers and a crazy Dachshund!

I adore being outside, walking, reading and being with my family and friends. I have a passion for sewing, baking and I love to entertain!