What Is God Doing in My Life?

Over the last year, many of you will be aware that I have been journeying through the Diocese’s discernment process, exploring a call to ordained ministry. This has involved a number of assessments, reports, and interviews, all designed to help discern where God may be leading me and how He might be calling me to serve.

In June, I attended my Stage Two Panel, formerly known as a Bishop’s Advisory Panel (BAP), and I am delighted to share that I was recommended for training for ordination.

This naturally raises the question: what does this mean for me, for the church, and for the Children’s and Families Ministry?

My Calling Remains the Same

The first and most important thing to say is that throughout this entire process I have been very clear with the discernment team that, if ordained, my calling is as a Children’s and Families Minister within the Cleeve Benefice.

My sense of calling to this benefice, its people, and this ministry has not changed. Even after completing my training, I will undertake my curacy within the Cleeve Benefice. I remain passionately committed to serving the children, young people, families, and wider church community here.

In fact, I believe that training for ordained ministry will strengthen and enhance the work that is already taking place. My hope is that it will enable me to continue building bridges between the ministry we share with children and families throughout the week and our worshipping church community on Sunday mornings. I believe this next step will benefit not only me personally, but also the church and the wider community we serve.

The Journey Ahead

Over the next two years I will be studying through the Diocese’s Local Ministry Pathway with CGH (Cuddesdon, Gloucester and Hereford). This will involve weekly training sessions on Thursday evenings, alongside two residential weekends each term and a residential week each year. For the first year this will be in the first week of the Summer Holidays 2027.

While this will require a significant commitment of time and energy, I am excited about the opportunity to learn, grow, and be further equipped for the ministry God has called me to.

Thank You

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for the encouragement, support, and love that has been shown to me throughout this process. Your kind words, prayers, and enthusiasm have meant a great deal to me and my family.

If I am honest, this is not something I ever planned for myself. Yet as this journey has unfolded, I have become increasingly convinced that it is part of God's plan for me, for Andy, Lauren and Arran, and for the church family here in Cleeve.

The best way you can continue to support us is simply by doing what you have already been doing so faithfully—holding us in your prayers. Please continue to pray for our family, for me as I begin this next stage of training, and for the Children’s and Families Ministry as we seek to share God's love with the children and families of our community.

Looking Ahead

If you have any questions about the discernment process, ordination training, or what this means for the future, please do ask. I'll be happy to answer what I can.

As I reflect on this season, I am reminded that God is always at work in our lives—sometimes in ways we expect, and often in ways we don't. This discernment journey has been one of trusting God, taking one step at a time, and being open to where He is leading.

So, this is what God is doing in my life.

What is God doing in yours?

Lucy Betts, Childrens and Family Minister