June was born in Germany and spent her childhood moving between RAF bases. June’s professional background is in programme management and governance, working across complex public and third-sector settings. June is married with two adult children. In this blog, June reflects on her journey and experiences up to ordination.
First Steps
I grew up moving around RAF communities, and I think that gave me an appreciation for belonging, adaptability and the importance of community. I’ve always been curious about faith, but for many years, I couldn’t quite cross the threshold and step inside a church. Looking back, I think part of me struggled to believe that I would be welcome there. Even so, there was a persistent sense that life held a deeper mystery; something beyond myself that was gently calling for attention. I couldn’t have named it then, but I knew I wanted to understand it. Perhaps this is one of the things I have learned since: God is often waiting for us long before we feel ready to come through the door.
Journey to vocation
I came to adult faith through my Mum’s funeral. The parish church made me feel so welcome, and the first person I saw when I went to church was my primary school dinner lady. There was a sense of connection and welcome that quickly dispelled my fears and was profoundly reassuring.
Years later, one of the biggest nudges to exploring ordained ministry came during a celebration for a Reader who was retiring. I found myself praying, “Lord, where do you want me in all of this?” The answer did not come immediately, but over time I came to realise that God was inviting me to help care for this part of the flock.
Looking back, I think God wanted me to do something first: to follow that feeling and explore it, and to learn that I was not, and did not need to be the one in control. I needed to discover who I was, let go of the assumptions I held about myself, and learn to grow into the person God wans calling me to be.
Practical steps
I had many conversations with my vicar and others involved in ministry. I told them that I sensed a call but could not understand what it meant. I felt I couldn’t possibly be like them. Every time they gently reminded me that it wasn’t about becoming them; it was about becoming who God created me to be.
Eventually, I was given some guided reading and attended a vocational forum. Being alongside others who were wrestling with similar questions helped me find the language for what I was experiencing and gave me a framework for understanding the call I was beginning to recognise.
Experience of vocation
The vocational journey has been long, challenging, painful, restorative and deeply necessary. The length of the journey was necessary because I was the one who needed convincing the most.
I was not recommended after my first discernment process, but in hindsight, that became an important part of the journey. It gave me time and space to look more deeply at who I was and, perhaps, more importantly, to begin to see myself as God sees me. Much of that has happened through the people God places alongside me at different stages of the journey.
Close to ordination
I feel ready and full of joy. For me joy, is not simply happiness. It also holds the trepidation of what lies ahead, the changes that are coming, and the ongoing formation that still awaits me.
I am excited about being alongside people, sharing their joys, struggles, hopes, and uncertainties. When I look back on my own journey, it has all been rooted in ordinary life. It hasn’t been one big, triumphant story; it has been about noticing God present in ordinary moments.
Ordination feels less like arriving somewhere and more like the next faithful step. The invitation is still the same: to keep noticing where God is at work, to keep responding, and to keep trusting the one that calls.
