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A former lawyer, a teacher and someone whose journey to ministry began after a chance car breakdown are among 33 people preparing to be ordained in the Diocese of Canterbury in July 2026.

Their routes to ordination have been very different. Some have come to ministry after careers in other professions, while others have spent years exploring a sense of calling within their local church.

The group, who serve in churches across east Kent, will be ordained as Deacons and Priests in the Church of England in Canterbury Cathedral on Saturday 4 July.

Below, the ordinands share an insight into their faith and the path that has brought them to this point. This page will be updated regularly before the ordination services and you can also follow our social media (, , , , ) for updates.

The ordination of Deacons will take place at 10.30am, followed by the ordination of Priests at 2.30pm. Both services will be open to the public and available to .

Anyone interested in exploring a vocation in the Church can find out more on the Diocese of Canterbury's Vocations page.

Priests

Deacons

Priests

Ripeka Bijl
(The Whitstable Team Ministry, based at St Alphege & St Peter)

"Tēnā koutou katoa, greetings all! My name is Rev Ripeka Bijl (Ngāti Mutunga, Te Atiawa, Ngāti Kahungunu) and I have recently emigrated from Auckland in Aotearoa (New Zealand) and the Māori diocese of Te Tai Tokerau, and have been on a joint curacy in the Diocese of Canterbury alongside my husband, Rev Eddie Bijl.

“It has been a remarkable journey that has led us to Whitstable – with doors opening in amazing ways and an encouraging and deeply peaceful invitation that I received on Whitstable beach. My whānau (family) and I are thrilled to be sharing the Good News in the Diocese of Canterbury and joining in with the missional work here.

“I trained as an actor and love Shakespeare, I enjoy reading, I love animals, and I am passionate about children and the marginalised and oppressed being at the heart of the church. In a time full of conflict, fear and anxiety, it is easy to feel lost and downhearted, but there is some (VERY) Good News; Jesus is with you and will never leave you, and you are loved by Jesus who brings hope, peace, and abounding joy!

“Haere Mai, e te Wairua Tapu – Come, Holy Spirit! I look forward to serving with you and walking this exciting adventure of faith together."

Jim Barber

(The Benefice of Birchington with Acol and Minnis Bay)

"Anyone who knows me is aware of my passion for community, and particularly the rural communities. I've lived in the area for nearly 50 years, and for 25 of those years I've been an active reader and minister within the parish.

"I’ve felt the call of God to ordained ministry for many years now, and I'm so inspired and humbled by the support that I've received from my church family and my own family as I move into my new role.

"With God's help, I look forward to a future of service."

Anderson Yan

Priest

"I am Andy. My parents moved from Taiwan to Brazil with my two siblings and I was born and raised in São Paulo. I worked in the hospitality industry before serving in the Chinese Presbyterian Church in Brazil. 

"I came to Britain for further studies nearly 19 years ago, but after marrying Becky ended up staying.

"When I moved to Kent, my wife and I were looking for a church and we felt at home in the Church of England. Although my discernment process for ordination in the CofE started over 10 years ago, I had to interrupt it because I was a research student and a full-time carer.

"As things started falling into place in our lives, this seemed the right timing for ordination, and I am extremely excited to share my gifts with my new parish and be mutually edified (Rom 1:11-12)."

Margaret Bowers

(The Parish of St Peter and St Paul, River)

"I am Margaret Bowers and I was licensed as a Lay Minister in 2020 based at St. Peter & St. Paul Church River, near Dover.

"Over time, through prayer and reflection, I began to sense a strong and undeniable call  from God to explore the path of Ordination.

"It wasn’t dramatic, but it was persistent, and eventually became something I could no longer ignore. 

"I was ordained a Deacon in 2025.

"God has led me this far  and I know He will continue to guide me on this exciting journey I walk with Him."

Deacons

Alan Gostelow

(The Benefice of Tenterden, Rother & Oxney) 

"I have been serving God as a Reader/Licenced Lay Minister for some 50 plus years. I married Ruth in 2020 having been a widower for six years.  At that time Ruth was the Vicar of St George’s Church in Britwell, Slough. So I moved from my home town  to come and share with her in her ministry as well as keeping on a job with an MOD research agency. During the time we have been married I gained quite a few insights into parish ministry. I had at various times explored the possibility of ordained ministry but there were various indicators that the time was not yet right.

"Earlier this year I was challenged to consider the possibility of going forward for ordination via the Dover Pathway Plus – a course of training for those over seventy.  Surprisingly, I was accepted and I now look forward to being ordained deacon this year to serve as an assistant curate within the Tenterden, Rother and Oxney Benefice."

Kharin Setright

(The Benefice of Tenterden, Rother & Oxney)

"I have had a long career as a lawyer. I was a worshipper in a church in Kent for over 30 years.

"One day, I was interceding at a harvest festival that Bishop Rose attended, and she harvested me. She asked me whether I had a vocation, and I was completely taken aback. It took me another year or so to examine whether or not that was the case, and gradually I’ve become more and more joyful in the calling that I have experienced. 

"I'm still learning, and I'll still be learning when I'm doing the job, which I very much hope I'll be able to do when I'm ordained as a Deacon in July. I'm very excited about that."

Anne Loat

(The Saxon Shoreline Benefice)

"My name is Anne Loat, and I became a Christian as teenager, when God called me to follow Him. I went to Bible college in my early 20’s to train as a missionary but changes in circumstances meant that I have served God in England. Following Jesus has been the best decision of my life, and initially took me into nursing, but my faith was severely tested in my late twenties. 

"I came to Kent nearly 40 years ago, and love being near the sea! I have been in three different churches, and currently serve in the Saxon Shoreline Benefice, based at St. Martin’s Church in Aldington. Over the years I have led children’s work, youth work, Bible studies, and services whilst training as an ALM and teaching some children’s work courses. 

"I never thought that God would call me to be ordained, but was called to train as a Licensed Reader, being licensed in September 2020 during Covid. I did say to God that I had done enough training and studying – I can hear God laughing! I prayed about ordination a few years ago but did not feel a call. God waited until a few months before I retired and then very definitely called me to train as a priest using the words in 1 Peter 5. I am now on the Dover Pathway to be ordained as a Deacon in 2026." 

James Archer

(The Parish of St George's, Deal)

"I started writing and performing in short dramas to communicate in church services shortly after starting to take faith seriously as a student.

"I joined a team of four leading a monthly all-age service at my church in St Albans, and found that the peopleo who really responded were those from the estate ... when we started teaching throuhg stories, visual aids, dramas, films and involvement, they came to life.

"I am now part of the leadership team for the midweek service at St George’s Deal, made up mostly of older people, which has grown to include both warm welcome lunches for those without a church background and Anna Chaplaincy among older people.  We have been learning together to be a loving and welcoming community which is a joy, a privilege and a dream.

Most Sundays I am at the village church at St Margaret’s at Cliffe where I live ... I am being ordained Deacon in July to serve part time in both Deal and St Margaret’s."