When I was asked if I had thought about becoming an AWA I gave it careful thought and spoke to friends who have known me for years and to close members of my family. I asked if they could see me undertaking this role and received a positive response. I also discussed it with a Chaplain I know and we prayed about it together.
Once I felt ready I gave my answer and the application process began. In Spring 2025, on a sunny Sunday morning, I was commissioned as an AWA during the regular Holy Communion Service.
Since then, I have developed and extended my knowledge and skills under the kind guidance of my Supervisor and received encouragement and support from the other members of the Ministry Team. I have attended various lectures and courses including those offered by the Norwich Centre for Christian Learning. Being an avid reader I was already a member of the Cathedral Library. Now I find their extensive collection of books a wonderful resource when researching and constructing talks for delivery in church.
If you were to ask me what I enjoy most about being an AWA I would admit that carefully thinking about a talk I’ve been asked to do, then gradually putting it together and ultimately delivering it to the congregation is very rewarding. The feedback received has encouraged me and I feel suitably supported.
Closeness to God is something I tend to feel most strongly when I am experiencing my own “smallness” which can equally be in the open countryside, inside the sturdy walls of an historic rural church or within the vastness of a cathedral.
I consider my ministry as an AWA, and my role of almost a decade as a volunteer guide at Norwich Cathedral, to be a great privilege for which I am truly thankful.
Angela, AWA in Brooke benefice
