Born in Birmingham and raised in Devon, Alice moved to London to study Philosophy and Religion. Since graduating, she has served in a variety of church ministry roles in both Los Angeles and London, with a particular passion for evangelism. She is married to Brandon, and they have a son, Silas. In this blog, Alice reflects on her journey towards ordination.
Experiencing God
I’m from a little village called South Brent. I was baptised and went to a Church of England school, and my grandparents and mum often went to church, but I always had a one-foot-in-the-door relationship with church growing up. I enjoyed it, but I didn’t have a personal understanding of Jesus.
When I went to university, a friend invited me to her church, and it was there that I had a renewed experience of who Jesus was and how he could transform my life. I found myself at St Mary’s, a Church of England church in Marylebone – an incredible community filled with creatives and people my age.
My first real experience of God’s presence came when someone prayed for me and invited the Holy Spirit. I suddenly felt a physical weight all over my body and ended up kneeling on the ground. In that moment, I had a sense that this physical sensation was communicating something of the weight of God’s love for me. I came away from that experience knowing that Jesus is not only historically true, but also someone to be encountered.
Return to London
A few years later, I was invited by Ed, one of the priests at St Mary’s, and his wife Hannah to help plant a church in Los Angeles. Ed recognised and encouraged my love for creating environments where people could ask questions about faith and encounter God. Over the coming years, this encouragement would deeply affirm and shape my sense of calling.
I spent five years in LA helping to build the church and grow in ministry. During that time I was accepted into seminary but increasingly felt God drawing me back to London.
After a season of prayer and discernment with Brandon, it became clear that God was leading me to pursue a vocation within the Church of England. Looking back, it feels like the next step in a journey that He had been guiding all along.
First Steps
On returning to London, I joined St Peter’s, Brockley, working in operations and student ministry.
My incumbent, Ben, was instrumental in this season. We spent many hours discerning and praying together. He answered all my practical questions; Who do I speak to? What does the process involve? And most importantly, helped me explore why I felt called in the first place.
Ben encouraged me to attend the Southwark Diocese Vocations Forum, my first practical step towards exploring ordination. That forum felt a bit daunting, but it marked the moment when something long sensed began to take clearer shape.
The Journey
I’ve received a huge amount of support from Southwark, and I’ve loved the process.
My ADDO, Helen, has been incredible. She has supported me with wisdom, care, and attentiveness, and I’m deeply grateful for her guidance.
Helen worships in a different tradition to my own, which has become one of the richest parts of this journey. Those differences have opened up new ways of seeing and encountering God. I’ve learned so much from her about how to relate to Jesus more deeply, and there’s been a real sense that, although we come from different traditions we are on the same Kingdom team. Her support and prayers have been so life-giving.
I couldn’t have done it without Him
Now that ordination is close, I find myself holding gratitude, excitement, and a sense of awe that I’ve reached this point at all. It hasn’t been an easy process. Alongside the practical and spiritual challenges of formation, Brandon and I have also walked a season of deep grief.
Through it all, I’ve been held by God’s kindness. I genuinely couldn’t have come this far without Him. I still don’t feel ‘ready’, but I’ve learned again and again that in my weakness, God is strong. As I step into ministry and serve a community, there is a steady awareness that I can only do any of this with His help.
