It’s not easy doing theological training when you’re also holding down a full-time, responsible job – but Island teacher Clare King wouldn’t miss it for anything.
She had enough work already as Head of Science and Computer Science at The Bay C of E School. But when she took on theological training too, she’d dash straight from work to cross the Solent for training sessions on one evening each week.
Clare initially trained as a Reader or lay minister, but for the past 12 months, she’s been training to become a clergyperson.
The Bishop of Portsmouth, the Rt Rev Jonathan Frost, will ordain her as a ‘deacon’ on 30th September at Portsmouth Cathedral. That means she’ll be able to wear a dog collar, be called ‘the Reverend’ and lead services regularly.
“Being on the training course was beyond my wildest expectations of awesome-ness,” she said. “It was the most incredible thing in terms of my journey of faith. It involved deconstructing my faith and reconstructing it again, with a fantastic group of people.
“I’d leave the house at 6.45am for a busy day at school as a head of department, scurry across on the fast cat, spend three hours training, and only get back at 10.30pm. But I never missed an assignment.”
Clare’s grandfather was a vicar and her childhood involved church and Sunday School. She got to the age of 15 and her life became consumed with athletics. She didn’t re-find faith until she went to the USA to study for her Masters and Doctorate degrees. She started attending a church in Alabama and embraced Christianity.
When she returned to the UK, she met her husband and they moved to the Isle of Wight. Clare joined Holy Trinity Church, Bembridge, when her daughter was 18 months old. She thought it was important that her children learnt about faith and they grew up in the church.
“It was more old-fashioned and couldn’t be more different from my church in America”
“But it’s where we needed to be. My son liked the echo and would roar like a dinosaur. The vicar just said all dinosaurs were welcome!”
Clare started teaching at the Sandown school that ultimately became The Bay C of E School. She already felt she had a ministry there talking to colleagues about faith, but being licensed as a Reader (or lay minister) gave her more reason to talk about it and challenge misconceptions.
More recently, when Holy Trinity was between vicars, she found herself part of the team leading the church, as the only person licensed as a lay minister to lead services.
“I didn’t really want to be the only leader in church,”
“I’d much rather be part of a team. But the new vicar, Steve Daughtery, was an answer to prayer in that he could show me a really positive view of what good leadership looks like. I realised that God still wants me to be a teacher, but one who can preach and teach in church, and more importantly bring people to know and love Jesus.
“I can still do Sunday School, lead Lent courses and other things, but I want God to use me for who I am, at work and in church. Ordination will be an acknowledgement that I have a formal role to play in sharing God’s love with others. I cannot wait.”
