On 12th July a packed Sheffield Cathedral saw seven women and three men admitted to the Office of Evangelist by the Most Rev Rt Hon John Sentamu the Archbishop of York.

Presiding at the event in Church Army's 125 anniversary year, the Archbishop told the evangelists and a 400-strong congregation that they have been commissioned as evangelists because they have a passion for sharing the gospel and should loiter with intent to help people experience, explain and demonstrate what new life in Christ is all about.

In a thoughtful and wide ranging sermon given in a city that had been devastated by floods only a couple of weeks earlier, the Archbishop called upon the newly commissioned evangelists to be all weather evangelists not waiting for the sun to come out and shine as it very rarely does, but getting out there in all weathers to share the gospel through words and actions. He said the Christ Jesus they serve is alive and working in the world and cannot be constrained or trapped within the covers of any book.

God in Christ must be accessible to all - tell others what you know and your experience will bring joy and new beginnings for those you encounter, he added. The Archbishop also called on the church to renew its focus on mission and evangelism and share with confidence an authentic and incarnational gospel to our communities.

In blessing each one of the evangelists he admitted to the office of evangelist within the Anglican church, the Archbishop told the new recruits to bring, joy, passion and commitment to their ministry as they had the best news in the world to share. The name and story of Jesus should be constantly on their lips he said

At the commissioning service that was held the day before, Church Army's Executive Mark Russell had urged the new evangelists to show compassion and love in their ministry so that people can have hope in the Christian gospel.

Notes

For more information or to request for images, please contact Kofo Baptist at: k.baptist@churcharmy.org.uk or 020 8309 3517

Church Army is a society of evangelists within the Anglican Communion, which exists to enable people to come to a living faith in Jesus Christ. For more information on the work of Church Army see www.churcharmy.org.uk or phone 020 8309 3519

If you have any press queries about the precise details of the Archbishop's sermon please contact Elizabeth Addy, Assistant to the Director of Communications, The Office of the Archbishop of York, Bishopthorpe Palace, York, YO23 2GE Tel. 01904 707021 Email:Elizabeth.Addy@archbishopofyork.org

The evangelists being commissioned and admitted into the Office of Evangelist were: 

Mary A'Herne Smith (Southwell and Nottingham Diocese)
Kathy Green (Sheffield Diocese)
Yvonne Hayes (Sheffield Diocese)
Rita Metcalfe (Down and Dromore Diocese)
Phaedra Pamphilon-Green (Chelmsford Diocese)
Neil Walpole (Wakefield Diocese)
Paul Ward (Southwell and Nottingham Diocese)
Peter Watson (Winchester Diocese)
Jade Watson (Winchester Diocese)
Louise Yaulll (Sheffield Diocese)

What the evangelists hope to achieve

Jade Watson, Winchester diocese

I will be working as Fresh Expression Evangelist at HMP Winchester, both within the prison and outside in the community, helping to resettle men when they are released and build relationships to enable them to meet with God.

I will be running Alpha courses and working closely with outside agencies in this role and have a vision to establish a fresh expression of Christian community where ex-offenders will eventually be able to lead others to faith. I know that God is doing great things in the lives of those in our prisons and I count it as a privilege to be involved in such an exciting ministry.

Please pray for me to be able to see the men in Winchester HMP through Jesus eyes and that local churches will be a welcoming place for these men and their families to start afresh with God. Please pray for protection for my family as I minister God’s love and forgiveness to all I meet.

Peter Watson, Winchester Diocese

I will be working as Youth and children’s outreach worker in the parish of West Andover in Hampshire. I hope to work with the Church to reach out to children and young people who have little or no contact with the church. To provide a safe environment for them, and enable them to explore the Christian faith in a meaningful and relevant way. 

I have already seen God at work in young people’s lives, and it is encouraging to see their ideas and attitudes change as they discover and believe that we are created by God to live our lives in a relationship with him.

Sadly many young people and children grow up without any experience of God’s love in their lives. So it is a challenge for me when meeting young people and children through clubs and other activities to show them how much God loves and cares for them.

Please pray that all children and young people will come with open hearts and minds to hear the Gospel message and become passionate about the love God has for them through his Son Jesus. 

Kathy Green, Sheffield Diocese

I cannot imagine my life without God’s love and guidance, and my desire is to serve in places and situations which enable me to reveal to individuals something of God’s wonderful and unending love for them. As Evangelist to Sheffield’s Manor estate with special responsibility for older people, I hope to be able to draw alongside people who have been caught up in the pain of a hurting world. God uses the painful experiences of our lives to reach out to people in a way that initially seemed impossible.

In today’s society, the older generation are taken for granted and devalued. Being able to show them God’s love through words and action will be a great privilege as for the first time in history the number of British pensioners has exceeded the number of young people under sixteen.

Please pray that God will give me the courage, wisdom and obedience to show people who feel disregarded and devalued that God’s love for them is real, vast and accessible. 

Yvonne Hayes, Sheffield Diocese

I will be setting up a new project, FaithStart, based at St Peter’s Church Ellesmere, Sheffield set in a multi-faith, multicultural community that is considered disadvantaged. At times in my life I have often felt small and insignificant, and I want to show God’s love to people who feel small. I have a passion for justice, family life and the regeneration of people and communities. I hope that FaithStart will encourage and grow an awareness of God’s love and presence in family and community life, and help my team develop skills and grow in confidence as they work with families. I want to find new and creative ways of expressing Christian Spirituality and show value and respect for all generations and extended family members who support family life.

Please pray that I build good relationships with all people in Ellesmere; 
for God to give me discernment and the necessary skills to do the work,
and that I will be an enthusiastic and willing life long learner.  

Mary A’Herne-Smith- Southwell &Nottingham Diocese

I have a passion for persuading the Church that Older People are not the Church of yesterday but are very much part of today’s Church and I will be working as an evangelist to this important section of our society. Many “young-olds” were part of the first generation to be called teenagers and still have that rebellious spirit that led them to question and challenge authority and the establishment. I will be focussing on identifying gaps in provision for older people both within the churches and the community and prayerfully look to see where God is at work in order to draw alongside. Please pray that doors will be opened with the ‘gatekeepers’ within my community and that as I see where God is ahead of me, I can build good relationships with people from the local churches who will join me in this work.

Louise Yaull, Sheffield Diocese

After spending twenty years working as a registered nurse in the NHS, I have longed to see healthcare addressing the spiritual needs of a person, and to share the Gospel with those who have little or no contact with church. In Sheffield, 99% of people go to their GP to seek help with their physical, mental, spiritual and relationship problems compared to 6% who visit their local church.

I have recently learnt some valuable lessons in a similar chaplaincy placement where I was able to offer spiritual and pastoral care to patients and staff. My hope is to work with the local churches and community to ensure that those who come for help can experience the love of Christ and that opportunities for fresh expressions of church can develop. Please pray that I will build good relationships with the people from the practice and local churches and trust God in everything as I try to get the right balance in my ministry and home life.

Neil Walpole, Wakefield Diocese

I believe the church is in the kingdom building business and ,as Area Evangelist specialising in children’s and family work in Huddersfield, I hope to help build up the lives of children and their families through the grace and power of our Lord Jesus and bring hope and good news to the communities in which they live. The medium of drama is a powerful tool to help to achieve this and, amongst other work, I hope to use this to further God’s kingdom.

The Holy Spirit has the power to convict and, in faith, I look forward to the day when whole families respond to the healing, life-building love of Jesus as they did in the book of Acts.

Please pray for God to develop the vision for the children’s and family work

and for local Christians to capture the vision and commit to involvement. As I do this work,pray for my own family life to prosper alongside this ministry.

Paul Ward, Southwell and Nottingham Diocese

My vision is taken from Isaiah 58 v 12, to become “… repairers of broken walls”

For some years I have had a calling to work with non-churched people primarily under 40. This dream will become a reality at the Malt Cross project in Nottingham’s city-centre where I will be able to help set up ‘fresh expressions’ of faith as a missionary to my own culture. I will be supporting some the work already being done on the streets, identifying the needs of the people and developing courses- especially faith through film. I will also be helping to communicate the work and stories of Malt Cross throughout the local area.

Please pray for good relationships with colleagues and wider networks and that God will draw those who need him most towards the team at Malt Cross. Please also pray for our house move and for the birth of our first child in September.

Phaedra Pamphilon-Green, Chelmsford Diocese

My work in the Parish of Hornchurch has been varied, challenging, interesting and fun! My focus has been to work with younger children in the community.

I now serve as a community governor, take assemblies and year 6 RE and PHSE lessons. Through this work, and in running the Essence course, I have witnessed a growing spirituality in these schools, with increasing engagement from both teachers and children. It is an amazing experience to see a class of 30 pupils engaging in Christian meditation! There is a hunger for spirituality in our communities and as an Evangelist I am helping pupils and teachers alike to discover more from their own spiritual journey.

Please pray that I can begin to build a team of people to do this work with me.

Rita Metcalfe-, Down and Dromore Diocese, Northern Ireland

As a part time Community Evangelist, I hope to share the love of Jesus through my words and actions with each person I have contact with. My role will include ministering to the spiritual needs of individuals of all ages and stages, while building and being part of a growing Christian community. I will be involved in ‘door to door’ work, work with toddlers and their carers, preaching/teaching and Alpha/nurture courses. There are many exciting opportunities for outreach and relationship building in Bangor, not least to the individuals and families moving to live in the ever expanding areas of new housing developments. I am looking forward to getting to know the people of the area, learning from them, listening to them with both my own and Jesus ears; and responding appropriately through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Please pray, that I can build good relationships with the people from the local community, and that I sustain a healthy and vibrant relationship with the Lord while trusting and obeying Him. Please also pray for my husband Kevin as he completes his final year of training as an evangelist whilst also working part time in Bangor. May we be able to obtain a healthy balance between our home and ministry life.