Braving the onslaught of Storm Bert on the south-coast, church-goers gathered cheerfully, despite it being such a wet evening, to celebrate the new cohort of Anna Chaplains in Portsmouth Diocese. They were all well-supported for their commissioning service on November 24 at Emsworth, Hampshire.
'We received a warm welcome at the host church of St James, Emsworth,' writes Anna Chaplaincy coordinator Marian Muskett who was among them, 'and with generous refreshments provided after the service,' she added.
'The Revd Andrew Sheard, Rector of Emsworth, gave encouragement to all the new Anna Chaplains (one of whom is now serving in that parish) as he led the service. The Revd Coleen Jackson, who has helped to pioneer Anna ministry in the diocese, preached from the story in Luke 5 of Jesus and the large catch of fish.
The new Anna Chaplains from across the diocese were supported by members of their own churches and were presented with their Anna Chaplaincy lanyards by Diocesan Coordinator Emma Sneddon.'
Our thanks to Marian for conveying such a warm welcome on behalf of the BRF Ministries’ team. She also described 'the phenomenal growth of the ministry, both in the Portsmouth Diocese (now with the largest number of Anna Chaplains in the country) and nationally.'
A surprise guest at the service was Mark Sheard, who becomes the new Chair of Trustees for BRF Ministries from this coming January, 2025. We were excited to learn that having been invited to attend by his brother, he was delighted to lend his own support to the new Anna Chaplains, describing his pleasure at supporting a charity 'with intergenerational ministry at its heart.'
Mark Sheard is a lay leader in the parish of St John’s with St James in West Ealing, a licensed lay minister in the diocese of London and in the diocese St Edmundsbury and Ipswich and a lay canon of St Edmundsbury Cathedral.
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