Peter is to be ordained as a deacon on Sunday 26 June and will serve his curacy at Rushall.
Peter grew up in the Black Country. Being a twin he struggled with his sense of identity and with fitting in. At school he had problems with learning that were later diagnosed as dyslexia. Wondering what to do when leaving school he took time to think about what he enjoyed doing and where he felt close to God. This began career working in the third sector with Children and adults with disabilities. Overtime he worked with many of the big children’s charities often in roles which focused on developing projects in the community. Overtime he learnt how to manage his learning needs and progressed up to working in regional and managerial roles. Throughout he continued to be an active church member often undertaking supporting roles in worship groups and in youth group work. Having felt a call to full time ministry Peter retrained in Youth Ministry and has been working in roles focused on supporting Churches to develop youth and young adult activities. He also been actively involved in the pioneer and Fresh Expressions community and in working towards developing new worshiping communities. He feels that he is being called to those who feel excluded and marginalised to encourage them and help them think about what Church could look like for them.
Peter felt the call priesthood from his teenage years, however being bought up in a Baptist Pentecostal tradition he struggled to understand this and couldn’t see himself as a leader. In particular he felt called to the margins of society and to learn how to develop new ways of Church. It was only when he came across the advertisements for Pioneering and Fresh Expressions that his vocation started to make sense. Peter had always had an image of who a priest was and what they looked like and couldn’t image himself as that person. However he came to realise that his image of a perfect priest was unrealistic and that he was called to be himself.
Peter would advise anyone who is exploring God’s call on their lives: to take time to listen, to not be afraid that they are not good enough and to trust in the Lord and to step forward to explore the new thing that God has for them.