The Revd Andrew Hazlewood and the Revd Diana Farmer were licensed as new part-time ministers at St. James’ Church in Wollaston on Wednesday evening. This joint appointment ends nearly four years during which St. James has been without a vicar. It is an interim arrangement to ensure that the parish has spiritual direction until a long term plan for St. James and its neighbours can be implemented.

Andrew is currently Rector of St. Peter’s Church in Pedmore and will continue in this role while committing one day a week to St. James.  Diana is a Minister in Secular Employment and her ‘day job’ is as the Learning and Development Manager for Prospects, a national company providing educational and employment services. She will also commit a similar amount of time to the parish, where she has already been taking services over the last 18 months. Andrew’s work at Pedmore will continue to be shared with a large team of lay people, and he and Diana will be endeavouring to develop the ministry of church members at St James.

Andrew said: “The roles that Diana and I will share will not be the same as full-time vicars in previous years, but we hope this will mean that together we and the people of St. James will be a good model of the body of Christ. We will be able to look at the strengths of the church and build on them, and identify where we could become stronger. We will also be looking to take advantage of the possibilities opened up by the Authorised Lay Ministry scheme which has just been unveiled by the diocese.”

The Archdeacon of Dudley, Fred Trethewey, said: “We recognise that St. James’, Wollaston has been without a vicar for a number of years now and we didn’t want the situation to drift further while plans for the future were being finalised.  Andrew and Diana will together make a strong team in the parish and will be able to work with the church to develop their mission and ministry.”

The licensing service for Andrew and Diana took place at St. James’, Wollaston at 7pm on Wednesday 20 May.

ENDS.

The Diocese of Worcester is one of 44 dioceses in the Church of England. It covers an area of 671 square miles and includes parishes in the County of Worcestershire, the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley, and a few parishes in northern Gloucestershire, south east Wolverhampton and Sandwell.