We’re getting used to online licensing services in the diocese, and it doesn’t seem quite as much of a novelty to see the faces of Bishops, clergy, churchwardens and church members commissioning people into new ministries on a computer screen.
Yesterday saw the latest of these as Jon Tearne and Sami Lindsey were licensed to St Peter’s, Oadby as part of an exciting plan to revitalise the church’s mission and ministry there. The vision is to continue to build on St Peter’s well established and valued civic role and to become more intentionally mission focussed, with a particular emphasis on engaging with children, young people, families, and young adults. The intention is that St Peter’s will then look to plant brand new worshipping communities in the area. This is part of the diocesan Resourcing Church initiative, and will see Jon Tearne, as curate, become responsible for delivering the mission plan with support from Sami Lindsey, Vicar of St John’s, Clarendon Park (one of our six diocesan Resourcing Churches). Later in the year a team drawn from St. John’s will join in to support the work which will also connect to the wider ministry of the Oadby-Great Glen Team Ministry led by Team Rector Steve Bailey, as reported in Diomail just before Christmas.
Jackie Knight, a member of the church family at St Peter’s, said “we’re looking forward to welcoming Jon and Sami into their new roles leading our church. With the grace of God this will be the beginning of an exciting new journey for us all at St Peters” while Jon Tearne added “I look forward to all that God would do amongst us, as we look to Him afresh at the beginning of this new season for St Peter’s.”
The six Resourcing Churches in the diocese are funded by money from the Church of England’s Strategic Development Fund, and are charged with the responsibility of planting new churches and fresh expressions of church and revitalising existing congregations, with the aim that these will go on, in turn, to themselves plant new Christian communities.