Explore every episode of the podcast Words of Grace: Living Hope in the Diocese of Sheffield

"It was really great for the community to see an opportunity of loving people with our faith, but through sport and through having fun."

Holly Phipps from Love Running Sheffield is on the Words of Grace podcast today.

Holly talks about:

✝️ Running this year’s Sheffield 10k (Sunday 27 September) to raise money for the S6 Foodbank

✝️ Advice on sharing faith with people through sport

✝️ How Sheffield is the place to be

✝️ Her work with Christians in Sport

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"We're always in pursuit of revival. We're always in pursuit of the Holy Spirit being poured out on our whole city."

Dan Brown, Vicar of Wadsley Church, joins Paul and Ben on the Words of Grace podcast today.

Dan discusses:

✝️ The moment he gave his life to Jesus as a teenager

✝️ How he stepped out into faith and trusted that God would provide

✝️ Growing up in Sheffield

✝️ Why he supports Sheffield United

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Alex Townsend, Sheffield Youth Hub Coordinator, is on the Words of Grace podcast today. 

Alex talks about:

✝️ Coming to faith at Spring Harvest at the age of 15

✝️ The importance of giving young people a voice in church

✝️ Working with the Sheffield Youth Hub and Centenary Project

✝️ Teaching in a secular context

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‘The Bible spoke to me about a way of life, about a love, about hope, a focus for living.’

Revd Dr Julian Raffay, Bishop’s Adviser on Spirituality, is on the Words of Grace podcast today.

Julian talks about:

✝️ Discovering faith through reading the Bible as a teenager – and why it was better than church

✝️ His work in mental health and spirituality

✝️ A remarkable story of God's provision while stranded in Iceland

✝️ Exploring the relationship between spirituality and wellbeing

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‘I woke up one day and realised: acting isn't making me happy, and ministry is.’

Revd Rebecca Hare, Curate at Thorpe Hesley and the Cornerstone Mission Area, joins Paul and Ben on the podcast today.

Rebecca discusses:

✝️ Her earlier career in professional acting

✝️ How youth ministry inspired her and led to ordination

✝️ The repeated calls she heard to move to Sheffield

✝️ Why you should play Dungeons and Dragons

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‘”What I really want to do is become a vicar”. I heard those words come out of my mouth...and I just went, “Oh, where did that come from?”’

Revd Dr Genevieve Langdon, Sub-Prior of the Community of St Paulinus, is on the Words of Grace podcast today.

Genevieve talks about:

✝️ Working in blast engineering

✝️ Working in Cape Town for 15 years

✝️ Being drawn to ordained ministry in the CoE – with no Anglican background

✝️ Serving at Sheffield Cathedral and St Leonard’s Arbourthorne

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‘There was something in that moment that really changed my whole perspective on life and even my calling.’

Revd Steffany Nantes, Curate at St Thomas Crookes, is on the Words of Grace podcast today.

Steffany talks about:

✝️ Moving from Brazil to Portugal as a child, and the differences in culture there

✝️ Growing up in a Pentecostal church

✝️ Her passion for intercultural worship

✝️ When she felt the presence of the Holy Spirit as a child

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‘I turned up that Sunday, and I’ve been back each week ever since.’

Hayley Thorne, Centenary Project Funding Officer, is on the Words of Grace podcast today.

Hayley talks about:

✝️ How faith helped her through grief and loss

✝️ A chance step into St Leonard’s being the turning point in her journey

✝️ How she was drawn to the Centenary Project

✝️ The importance of honest prayer

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Today’s Words of Grace episode is a recording of our live podcast special at last week’s Diocesan Conference, featuring The Rt Revd Rhiannon King, Bishop of Southampton, The Rt Revd Dr Pete Wilcox, Bishop of Sheffield, and The Rt Revd Leah Vasey-Saunders, Bishop of Doncaster.

The panel talk about:

✝️ Leading Your Church into Growth (LYCiG) and practical applications for the Diocese

✝️ A Q+A with the audience

✝️ Bishop Rhiannon’s faith journey and path to ordination

✝️ Positive signs of growth in the Diocese of Sheffield

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‘I want what you have - how can you have hope and joy in the middle of everything?’

Bob Goody, CEO of Rural Missions, joins Paul and Ben on the podcast today, talking about:

✝️ The challenges and opportunities rural churches face

✝️ The power of a simple welcome

✝️ A life-changing encounter with Jesus at 16

✝️ How small and intentional steps can help with mission

Please note this episode comes with a trigger warning about trauma in childhood and addiction.

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"Who is missing from the table? And how do we make sure there is space for everyone?"

Revd Adam Priestley and Revd Anesia Cook host today’s Racial Justice and Working-Class special.

Adam and Anesia talk about:

✝️ Ministry on the margins in Doncaster

✝️ The realities of working-class life and feeling left behind

✝️ Racial justice, identity and belonging in the Church

✝️ Creating spaces of welcome, grace and honest conversation

✝️ What it means to gather - and be sent out - as one body in Christ

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‘I’d been chasing fullness of life - just in all the wrong places. I found peace again in Jesus’.

Revd Luke Graham, Priest-in-Charge of St John’s Park, is on the podcast today with Paul and Ben, talking about:

✝️ Growing up in church - and drifting into a double life

✝️ Finding peace through God

✝️ How John 10:10 inspires him

✝️ Church grafts and why they’re not takeovers

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‘I didn’t recognise it at the time — but I know now I was being held by God'.

Beth Langner, Priest-in-Charge of St Bartholomew's Maltby and All Saints Laughton-en-le- Morthen, is on the podcast today.

Beth talks about:

✝️ Being told she wouldn’t amount to anything because of where she’s from

✝️ A powerful encounter with God at Sheffield Cathedral

✝️ Stepping into ordained ministry and serving diverse communities

✝️ A heart to make Jesus known in Maltby and Laughton

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"I haven't been to church in 12 years, what do I do?"

Richard Dawidek, Churchwarden at St Matthew’s Carver Street, joins Ben and Paul on the podcast this week.

Richard shares his story, including:

✝️ Growing up with a cultural connection to church but falling away at University

✝️ The journey that led him from "there is no truth" to "there must be"

✝️ Embracing Christianity after stumbling across the Anglo-Catholic tradition

✝️ Finding a calling at St Matthew’s Carver Street

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"I’ve always said that the way I pray is through singing."

Emily Cooper, Music and Liturgy Administrator at Sheffield Cathedral, joins Ben on the podcast today.

Emily talks about:

🎶 Growing up in church choirs and a lifelong love of music

🎶 Her role bridging clergy and music at the Cathedral

🎶 Walking the Camino pilgrimage

🎶 Her PHD study examining the mental, physical and social wellbeing benefits of group singing

🎶 Her vision for building community through music

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"I think a community needs to be rooted in love. That is my role – that I should love as deeply as possible anyone who comes into my path"

Mother Caroline Wyman, Priest in Charge of St James Clifton, joins Ben and guest co-host Matt Grindrod on the podcast today.

Caroline talks about:

✝️ Growing up in South Africa

✝️ Initially resisting a call to priesthood

✝️ The community in Clifton

✝️ Her vision for opening up church

✝️ Her heart for hospitality

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Joe Goodchild, Assistant Lights for Christ Enabler for the Diocese, is on the Words of Grace podcast today.

Joe talks about:

✝️ Discovering faith as a student and learning the “why” behind belief

✝️ Studying theology and church planting alongside working in the Diocese

✝️ Moving out of his comfort zone

✝️ His passion for discipleship

✝️ What Lights for Christ means for everyday faith in the Diocese

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Jonny Patton, Worship and Operations Director at St John’s Goole, joins Paul and Ben on the podcast today.

Jonny discusses:

✝️ Coming to faith just before heading to university

✝️ The change in church style from Northern Ireland to Chorleywood

✝️ Finding his calling in worship and creativity

✝️ Navigating ministry across different traditions

✝️ How God has made a difference at St John’s Goole

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Charlotte Roberts, Head of Education at Sheffield Cathedral, is on the podcast today talking about:

✝️ Walking the St Cuthbert’s pilgrimage solo

✝️ Doing the Camino pilgrimage with Sheffield Cathedral colleagues

✝️ Her pride of being born and bred in Sheffield

✝️ Helping to make heritage relevant and engaging in her current role

✝️ Her background in teaching

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Katie Bell, CEO and Diocesan Secretary for the Diocese, is today’s guest on the Words of Grace podcast.

Katie talks about:

✝️ Her lifelong Yorkshire roots

✝️ What she learned from her time working with the Salvation Army

✝️ Feeling called into diocesan leadership

✝️ How her faith has shaped her working life

✝️ Her passion for mission

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Revd Dr Simon Cross, guest speaker at this year’s Bishop’s Annual Lecture, is a guest on Words of Grace today.

Simon talks about:

✝️ His lecture topic - ‘Artificial Intelligence and the Purposes of God’

✝️ Growing up in an atheist household

✝️ His time in aviation as an airline pilot

✝️ Ordination and his calling to the permanent diaconate

✝️ The importance of not outsourcing our critical thinking to AI

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"I remember thinking there is more to life than all of those material things… and his name is Jesus."

Revd Nick McKee, Director of Ministry Development for the Church of England, joins us for a special Vocations Sunday episode of Words of Grace.

Nick talks about:

✝️ Why vocations matter more than ever

✝️ How every Christian has a vocation

✝️ Sharing his journey from shyness to national leadership

✝️How churches can grow and flourish during vacancy when lay vocations are released

✝️How nothing is wasted by the Lord

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Ben and Paul introduce this week’s episode, featuring a recording of Revd Dr Simon Cross at Sheffield Cathedral and his talk on ‘Artificial Intelligence and the Purposes of God’ at this year’s Bishop’s Annual Lecture.

Simon discusses in his lecture:

✝️ The possible scenarios that could happen if AI advances further

✝️ What AI means for our relationship with God

✝️ The pros and cons of AI for the Christian faith

Simon will join us as a guest on next week’s episode of Words of Grace. 

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Hannah Butler, Development Manager for House of Opportunity, is today’s guest on Words of Grace.

She talks about:

✝️ The work the group do to prevent human trafficking and exploitation

✝️ Helping at-risk young people in Southeast Europe

✝️ Her calling to Sheffield and Rotherham

✝️ Coming to faith at the age of 3

✝️ Being part of the worship band at The Rivers Team

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The Rt Revd Dr Tim Ellis, Chair of the Diocesan Advisory Committee, and Chris Ellis, Church Buildings Officer, are on Words of Grace today for a special father and son episode.

They talk about:

✝️ Why Sheffield is a special place for them both

✝️ Passion for ministry in deprived areas

✝️ How Tim becoming a bishop felt like reconnecting with parish ministry

✝️ How the idea of Church Explorers Week came about

✝️ Which one of them is 99% Sheffield – according to Ancestry DNA!

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"In Jesus, God draws near to wipe away tears. May this annual celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ - and his victory over death and darkness and despair - fill your hearts with joy this Easter".

Bishop Pete shares his Easter message of joy and hope.

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Emma Johnson, Centenary Project Worker at St John’s Goole, joins Paul and Ben on the podcast today, talking about:

✝️ The impact her nan had on her faith

✝️ How an Alpha course helped to encourage her journey with Jesus

✝️ The Goole community

✝️ Encouraging youth work

✝️ The story of an upside-down bible

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Revd Hannah Hupfield, Associate Archdeacon Transition Enabler (AATE) for Adwick le Street & Snaith & Hatfield, is today’s guest for our 150th episode of Words of Grace.

Hannah talks about:

✝️ Her upbringing in Tamworth

✝️ Getting married and preparing for ordination whilst studying at university

✝️ Studying for theological college in Cambridge

✝️ Feeling called to the Diocese of Sheffield

✝️ Why the role of AATE is one of the best in the Church of England

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Beth Henshaw, Focal Minister across Aston, Ulley, and Todwick, joins Ben and guest co-host Graham on the podcast today.

Beth talks about:

✝️ Growing up in Aston in a Christian family

✝️ Having ME as a teenager

✝️ Being diagnosed with autism last year and how it helped her understand herself better

✝️ Her passion for learning

✝️ Leading Godly Play and Messy Church

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Revd June Fox, Focal Minister for St James Woodhouse, joins Paul and Ben on the podcast today.

June discusses:

✝️ Being a ‘distinctive deacon’ and what that means

✝️ Living and working in the same deanery throughout her life

✝️ How a church initiative helped to bring her to faith

✝️ Serving in different church roles across the years

✝️ The best crime thriller series

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Rev Helen Terry and Rev Debbie Coyne-Fearn are our guest hosts for today’s International Women’s Day special. Helen and Debbie interview Charlene and Megan from The Rivers Team congregation, and talk about:

✝️ The women who inspire them

✝️ The women in the bible they’d like to meet

✝️ Charlene and Megan’s parents’ experience of moving from Zimbabwe to the UK

✝️ Experiences of preaching at a young age

✝️ Encouraging other women

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Leo Colson, HR Manager for the Diocese of Sheffield, is today’s guest on Words of Grace.

Leo talks about:

✝️ The HR support available for parishes

✝️ How to get in touch for any help

✝️Why his current role is the best he’s ever had

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‘I believe God calls us to change this world and demonstrate the kingdom of God in practical and tangible ways’

The Venerable David Gerrard, Archdeacon for Sheffield and Rotherham, is today’s guest on Words of Grace.

David talks about:

✝️ Growing up in a Methodist family in Prestatyn

✝️ Getting married, graduating and starting a new job in a matter of weeks

✝️ Why evangelism and social action must go hand in hand

✝️ How the calling to his role here came about

✝️ Which sci-fi franchise he owns the entire DVD collection of

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Revd Cliff Kay, Rector of Gleadless with Frecheville Parish, joins Paul and Ben on the podcast today.

Cliff discusses:

✝️ Growing up in Bradford during a difficult childhood in various houses

✝️ Coming to faith in his teens, but realising God was always with him

✝️ His mum coming to faith later in life

✝️ Knowing when he met his now wife Jane that she was the one

✝️ Sharing his testimonies on his journey to ordination and then Sheffield

This episode comes with a trigger warning due to some of the subjects discussed.

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Revd Ben Lacey, Assistant Curate at All Saints Ecclesall, is on the Words of Grace podcast today.

Ben talks about:

✝️ Growing up in churches around the Diocese of Sheffield

✝️ The importance of unity across traditions

✝️ The tough decisions made in his ordination journey

✝️ The rich experiences he had of teaching in a Catholic school

✝️ How he failed his driving test outside Church House

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‘I just burst into tears – which is not like me at all – and said, “I’ve been running away from God for too long”. I started exploring ordination after that’.

Revd Kath Lonsborough, Assistant Curate at St Paul’s Wordsworth Avenue, joins Paul and Ben on the podcast.

Kath discusses:

✝️ How being confirmed at 11 helped shape her faith in adulthood

✝️ Her sense of social justice from a young age

✝️ Feeling called to serve at the Parsons Cross foodbank

✝️ Her first calling to ordination in 2007 and initially rejecting it

✝️ Getting her black belt in martial arts

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Revd Helena Roulston, Head of Chaplaincy at Sheffield Hallam University, is on the podcast today.

Helena talks about:

✝️ Growing up in an inter-church family

✝️ Her university thesis on The Eucharist: ‘A Sacrament of unity in a divided church’

✝️ Being asked for advice by mainly non-religious students in her current role

✝️ The importance of a multi-faith chaplaincy

✝️ Training for ordination at Wescott House

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‘Very quickly, it made sense. Within a couple of months of reading my bible and praying…I had fallen in love with Jesus’.

Revd Mike Gilbert, Associate Archdeacon Transition-Enabler for Ecclesfield and Hallam, is on the podcast today.

Mike talks about:

✝️ Being drawn back to faith as a teenager

✝️ Doing mission work in Hong Kong with Jackie Pullinger

✝️ Seeing what brought former triad gang members to faith

✝️ Missional challenges and opportunities during his time in Eyam

✝️ Serving his curacy in Sheffield

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‘It was a real outpouring of the Holy Spirit and we didn’t really know what we were experiencing at that time’

Revd Sara Goodman joins Paul and Ben on the podcast today.

Sara discusses:

✝️ Growing up with Methodist and Anglican services

✝️ Teaching in Tanzania and living in Ethiopia

✝️ Answering the call to ordination after years of discernment

✝️ The love and support she received when she had cancer

✝️ Feeling rooted in Sheffield

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Rachel Baker, Young Leaders’ Community Enabler, is on the podcast today.

Rachel talks about:

✝️ Growing up in Bristol

✝️ Helping to release young people into leadership roles in the church

✝️ How God called her to Rotherham

✝️ Worshipping at St Francis Bramley

✝️ The church leaders who inspired her

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Explore Part 2 of our 2025 Words of Grace Christmas Special, as Ben is joined by his wife, and guest co-host, Revd Debbie Coyne-Fearn as they journey through Christmas Live with Christ Church Stannington.

Hear Ben and Debbie talk about:

✝️ How Christmas Live has been going for over 30 years

✝️ Their chats with Revd Alison Cook - one of the main organisers

✝️ How it draws hundreds of people every year

✝️ The cast performing between different locations in one night

✝️ Meeting Jo Jo the donkey

➡️ sheffdio.org/podcast

This episode is composed of edited highlights of Christmas Live, and not the full evening.

Don't forget to catch Part 1 of our 2025 Christmas Special at All Saints Totley!

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Paul is joined by special guest host Becca as they visit the All Saints Totley Christmas Experience!

Paul and Becca talk through with Vicar Ben Tanner what the experience entails, what they think to it and why you should come along next year.

Join us next week for Part 2 of our Christmas Special, as we visit Christmas Live at Christ Church Stannington.

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‘I remember putting my hands up and I felt such an overwhelming presence - I can’t describe it’.

Toby Butler, Church Planting Support Lead for Faith in the North, is on the podcast today.

Toby shares stories on:

✝️ His background in church planting

✝️ Church leadership challenges

✝️ Faith in the North and working across the Northern Province

✝️ Being called to mission work within the UK

✝️ How his new church family has been a place of healing

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The Rt Revd Leah Vasey-Saunders, Bishop of Doncaster, is on the Words of Grace podcast today.

Bishop Leah talks about:

✝️ Growing up in a working-class family

✝️ Coming to faith at the age of 18

✝️ Her experiences of different theological traditions when training for ordination

✝️ Her passion for choral music

✝️ What drew her to the Diocese of Sheffield

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‘When I first heard about Jesus, it all made perfect sense’.

Julie Sandoval, Lay Reader at Tankersley, Thurgoland and Wortley, joins Paul and Ben on the podcast today.

Julie discusses:

✝️ Coming to faith as a teenager

✝️ Why church didn’t initially appeal to her

✝️ How she met her now husband Ricardo on a mission trip in Mexico

✝️ Loving the training process for lay ministry

✝️ Being licensed at the Celebration of Lay Ministries service in September

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Revd Canon Justin Dodd, Canon Missioner at Sheffield Cathedral, is on the Words of Grace podcast today.

Justin talks about:

✝️ His upbringing in Johannesburg

✝️ How the fight against apartheid informed his faith and ministry

✝️ His previous work in advertising and copywriting

✝️ His passion for mission

✝️ His calling to Cathedral ministry

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Tim Renshaw, CEO of The Archer Project, and the Dean of Sheffield Cathedral, the Very Revd Abi Thompson, join Ben and Paul for a Camino Pilgrimage Special.

Abi and Tim discuss:

✝️ Why you should take part

✝️ Abi’s previous experiences on the Camino

✝️ Helping The Archer Project’s outreach work

✝️ Walking 20km a day

✝️ Encountering God through people from all walks of life on the pilgrimage

Sheffield Cathedral, The Archer Project, and The Choir with No Name are coming together as Team Sheffield, raising vital funds for the work they do supporting people experiencing homelessness.

The deadline for booking onto the Camino Pilgrimage is the 28 November, and it will take place from the 14-20 March.

Sign up here: https://www.sheffieldcathedral.org/whats-on/2026/camino/fundraising/sheffieldcathedral

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Siân Checkley, Diocesan Safeguarding Advisor, and Claire Sayce, Safeguarding Training Officer, join Paul and Ben for a special Safeguarding episode.

Siân and Claire talk about:

✝️ Their roles in the Diocese

✝️ How they came to faith

✝️ Improvements made to safeguarding

✝️ Why it’s important to affirm the work of safeguarding officers

✝️ The upcoming Safeguarding Sunday (16 November)

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Revd Tom Finnemore, Rector and Oversight Minister at St Thomas Crookes, joins Ben and Paul on the podcast today.

Tom talks about:

✝️ His working-class background and how it’s shaped him

✝️ Being given bad advice at school

✝️ How faith has transformed him

✝️ The importance of being authentic and speaking directly

✝️ Moving to Sheffield three times

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Lizzie Ilsley, Assistant Curate at Rotherham Minster, is on the podcast today.

Lizzie talks about:

✝️ Growing up in a mixed Catholic and Anglican household

✝️ Working as a Speech and Language Therapist for 20 years

✝️ Her experience of living with depression as a person of faith

✝️ Rotherham Minster’s welcome to the community

✝️ How a silent retreat helped to guide her path to ordination

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