PCC News

Looking back, my LLM journey probably started at secondary school where my English teacher, Mr Blyth, was a Reader in the Church and would regularly come to our village Church to take the service and give the sermon. Little happened to me then, apart from going to church with the family, until we (my wife Stephanie and I) arrived in Norfolk and I became involved with the local Church as Church Warden. After five years we moved to Brooke and the Incumbent suggested that I put myself forward to Reader Ministry. That was 36 years ago. I was accepted and did two years of training with 25 other potential Readers!! I was licensed in 1988 and have served in the Brooke Benefice ever since. I have worked with four incumbents all with different views of how Readers (LLMs) fit into Parish Ministry. It was fortunate for me that I was welcomed by them as part of the Ministry teams and have therefore been able to take a full part in ministering to the five Parishes in our Benefice. This has included taking services and giving sermons, taking funerals, and helping to put services together for special occasions. Whilst I was still working, I was able to bring working life examples into my sermons, which many found helpful, and interesting. I have thoroughly enjoyed my role as a LLM and especially the collaborative Ministry I have exercised with Incumbents over the years.