We are delighted to welcome the Revd Iain Bendrey and Cathryn Baker to the CYF team.
The Revd Iain Bendrey
‘Growing Younger’ lead
My name is Iain and I currently live in Portugal with my wife Beth, where I am Assistant Chaplain in the English-speaking Anglican Church in Lisbon and Estoril. I also work for the Diocese in Europe as their strategic lead for children, youth and young adult’s ministry.
I have a strong desire for seeing our young people emboldened, inspired, and transformed by Christ to go forward and transform our communities and churches. I am sure we can all name one person who influenced our faith journey when we were a young person, who inspired and encouraged us. And so, it is only right that we offer that same support and inspiration to our young people today. They are our future and so we owe it to them to ensure that they are seen as an integral part of the church, taken seriously and given a voice.
It is great to be joining the Diocese at this time. I look forward to getting to know your church and local community, understand your context, and explore together how we can grow younger! I am very much looking forward to meeting and working with you, our fabulous children and youth volunteers and workers, exploring how we can raise your profile and the work you do. Making sure that your ministry is valued, supported, resourced and connected. Working with young people IS a vocation and should be recognised as such.
And finally, getting to know the amazing young people across Norfolk and Waveney. Supporting you in your discipleship, ensuring your voice is heard at all levels of leadership in the church. And encouraging and exploring, with you, how God is calling you to become our future church leaders.
Cathryn Baker
CYF Project Adviser (Maternity Cover)
I’m Cathryn and I currently live in Stoke Holy Cross, just outside Norwich, where I’ve been serving in our village churches in all sorts of ways for the last fourteen years. I have had the opportunity to connect with children and families through our toddler group, by running prayer spaces and holiday clubs in our local school, and organising various kinds of intergenerational church gatherings and community events over that time!
I’m looking forward to being part of the Children, Youth and Families team and helping to encourage and support other churches in their work to share Jesus with younger people. This generation seems to be more and more open to God, and I’m excited about joining in with what he’s doing amongst them in Norwich Diocese.
I am about to move with my husband and three teenage children to Fountain of Life church in Ashill and Swaffham, where he’ll be associate minister, so it’s a new season in lots of ways.
Richard Lamey, Director of Mission and Ministry says:
“I am really excited at both of the appointments we have been able to make after a thorough interview process in each case. Cathryn really understands what it means to lead children’s work as a volunteer, to build a team and to keep doing it in good times and in bad. Iain has done a superb job of shaping the Diocesan strategy for children and young people across Europe and has deep roots in East Anglia. They both bring with them energy and experience, insight and ideas- and a compelling love of Jesus. I am really looking forward to working with them and also to seeing how they and Matt Beckett build on the excellent foundations which have been laid as we seek to grow younger and more diverse churches across Norfolk and Waveney.”