Readers are lay people in the Church of England. All sorts of people become Readers – of all ages, and from all backgrounds. They are called by God, theologically trained and licensed by the Church to preach, teach, lead worship and assist in pastoral, evangelistic and liturgical work.
What do Readers do?
Readers lead acts of worship, by themselves and with clergy;
they help the good news of Christ come alive through explaining the Bible and Christian belief, through preaching and in other ways;
Through their preaching and teaching and in their pastoral work, Readers help others explore the Gospel message, encourage people to make connections between the church and daily living, and share in the Church’s work of caring for people in Christ’s name. Readers work as part of the Ministry Team within their Parish working collaboratively with the clergy and other Lay Ministers.
A Reader’s Ministry depends on their own particular gifts and the time they have available.
Over the last 25 years Laurie has been involved in many different parts of the ministry both in our Parish and our Team. He worships regularly at the Church of the venerable Bede and as well as preaching and leading services, Laurie does many jobs in the background including the very important task of preparing our Monthly Team Prayer Diary.
Many congratulations on your first 25 years from all our Team Churches.
