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
| Jim Barber | The Benefice of Birchington with Acol and Minnis Bay |
| Eddie Bijl | The Whitstable Team Ministry, based at St Alphege and St Peter |
| Margaret Bowers | The Parish of St Peter and St Paul, River |
| Lesley Brookes | The Benefice of Shepherds Lees |
| Ben de Garis | The Parish of Holy Trinity, Margate |
| Tim Gosden | The Parish of St John the Baptist, Folkestone |
| Penny Lowe | The Romney Marsh Benefice |
| Dave Mulcock | The Parish of St Paul's, Cliftonville |
| Henry Setright | The Benefice of Tenterden, Rother and Oxney |
| Graham Snellin | The Dover Town Team Ministry |
| Anne Talbert | The Canonry Benefice |
| Ripeka Bijl | The Whitstable Team Ministry, based at St Alphege and St Peter |
| Nick Tomaszewski | The Parish of Upper Deal and Great Mongeham |
| Phil Trainer | The Parish of St Luke's, Maidstone |
| John Wakeman | The Parish of Upper Deal and Great Mongeham |
| Tracy Williams | Sittingbourne St Michael with Murston, Bapchild & Tonge |
| Sally Willins | The Wantsum Group |
| Anderson Yan | The Parish of St Leonard's, Hythe |
| Stephen Brown | The Benefice of Cheriton with Newington |
| Angela Swindley | The Parish of All Saints, Canterbury |
Deacons
| James Archer | The Parish of St George's, Deal |
| Sandra Ellis | Romney Marsh Benefice |
| Alan Gostelow | The Benefice of Tenterden, Rother & Oxney |
| Richard Heywood | The Parish of St Faith, Maidstone |
| Julie Hopkins | The Parish of Whitstable |
| Aleksey Kolesnikov | The Benefice of Kingsdown, Creekside and High Downs |
| Anne Loat | The Saxon Shoreline Benefice |
| Steve Manion | The Parish of Upper Deal & Great Mongeham |
| Kat Ogden | The Parish of St Dunstan's, Cranbrook |
| Peter Roberts | The Castle Churches Benefice |
| Kharin Setright | The Benefice of Tenterden, Rother & Oxney |
| Rob Sparkes | The Benefice of Walmer & Cornilo |
| Elizabeth Walsh | Faversham |
Priests
Ripeka Bijl
(The Whitstable Team Ministry, based at St Alphege & St Peter)
"Tena koutou katoa, greetings all! My name is Rev Ripeka Bijl (Ngati Mutunga, Te Atiawa, Ngati Kahungunu) and I have recently emigrated from Auckland in Aotearoa (New Zealand) and the Maori 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 whanau (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."
Sally Willins
(The Wantsum Group)
"I have served as a Reader since November 2000 in the village parishes of the Wantsum Benefice. My husband, Paul, and I have lived in the village of Minster in Thanet for over 43 years.
"Following a personally fruitful two year Vacancy period, I was invited to consider taking The Dover Pathway to ordination. A call to ordination was not something I had explored before: I felt Reader ministry was where my gifts were best utilised.
"By God's grace, and with support and affirmation, here I am! I feel ready and eager to serve our benefice communities in different and exciting ways."
Dave Mulcock 
(St Pauls, Cliftonville)
"My name is Dave Mulcock and I’m excited to be starting a self-supporting curacy at St Paul’s, Cliftonville alongside being a Geography teacher. I feel called to love and serve the people of Thanet and am excited for taking part in all that God is doing already.
"Some of my passions include a variety of sports (football, NFL and rugby being the main ones); listening to a wide range of music; and playing board games with friends."
Eddie Bijl
(The Whitstable Team Ministry, based at St Alphege & St Peter)
"Tena koutou katoa! (Greetings!) I’m Reverend Eddie Bijl. My family and I have recently moved from Aotearoa (New Zealand) and I am delighted to be in Whitstable as I continue my joint curacy.
"Before studying theology I trained and worked as an actor and director specializing in making Shakespeare. I love hearing and sharing stories and in 2019 it was put on my heart to take these skills to share the good news of the Gospel.
"I’ve been serving at Hemi Tapu (St James) Mangere Bridge in Auckland for the last three years and was ordained as a deacon in 2024. I love spending time with my family, singing in choirs, playing squash, and bridge.
"Kia ora!"
Graham Snellin 
(The Dover Town Team Ministry)
“I am Graham Snellin, in 2020 I was licensed as a Lay Reader serving the Dover Town Benefice Team Ministry.
“Since then, I have continued to pray for direction and guidance as to the next step along the ministerial development and formation pathway which led me in 2024 to prayerfully consider the ordained ministry through the Dover Pathway Plus local ordained ministry scheme.
“I was ordained Deacon in June 2025 since then God has continued to direct and to guide me along this journey that I am on.
“It is my joy and privilege to be able to serve the people of Dover Town through the Dover Town Benefice Team Ministry.”
Nicholas Tomaszewski
(The Parish of Upper Deal and Great Mongeham)
"I was born within sight and sound of Bell Harry Tower many years ago. Married to Muriel forever, we have four children, eleven grandchildren and three great grandchildren. I resisted the call to ordination for many years, however, God never gave up on me.
"My love for family, my parish family at Upper Deal and Great Mongeham and the fine community of Deal underpins all that I do. I first entered the church of St Leonard, Upper Deal, in 1972 and the love for that place, especially when it is full, remains with me.
"The day has not arrived when I cannot thank God for the blessings He has poured upon me. God's call to me for ordination greatly humbles me, enabling me to further serve my parish and community.
"My discernment and time at St Augustine's College further recognises and validates my call to the ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ, with a willingness to learn and grow."
Tracy Williams
(Sittingbourne St Michael with Murston, Bapchild & Tonge)
"Many years ago I read that God loves the Sparrow, the tiny, drab, scrappy birds that we find everywhere – the birds that we take for granted. I realised that if God loves each and every one of them, then God loves me too.
"If I am loved then I also in my turn should love, and this walks hand in hand with serving and listening and being there for others.
"My husband and grown-up daughters and cats have supported me in this journey all the way, even when I announced that I was going back to college to follow the kick in the ribs from God that moved me from Reader to Ordinand.
"So now I look forward to how this journey will continue."
Penny Lowe
(The Romney Marsh Benefice)
"My journey to ordination in the Church of England has been a quiet and gentle one. In 2017, I became a Licensed Lay Minister while still working full-time as an Employment Advisor in Maidstone.
"I always felt called to serve people on the margins, and I thought that calling would grow more fully after retirement. When Covid changed so much of daily life, I retired earlier than I had expected and spent the next few years volunteering in the community and supporting the Ministry Team in the Romney Marsh Benefice. I believed I was simply continuing the ministry God had already given me.
"Then, through a simple conversation with our Incumbent about starting a Café Church, a new door opened. That moment led me to the Dover Pathway to Ordination.
"Looking back, it feels less like a sudden change and more like God leading me, step by step, to where I am now. For that, I am deeply grateful."
John Wakeman
(The Parish of Upper Deal and Great Mongeham)
"Hello. My name is John Wakeman, husband to one wife; father to three grown-up children; grandfather to three granddaughters; retired and now entering retirement age, and I will have my coffee - in this room or the next!
"I am also just about to be ordained as Priest in the Church of England.
"I cannot present a clarion call to the ministry: mine was rather similar to the Biblical story of Jonah! However, unlike the unresolved self-pity that Johan’s story ends on, mine is now one of peace and a sense of real purpose.
Phil Trainer
The Parish of St Luke's, Maidstone
"Four years ago we felt called as a family to move to Kent to serve the Lord in Maidstone – my wife as the Worship and Creative Pastor at St Luke’s, and myself discerning and then entering ordination training.
"I'm now really looking forward to being able to get involved full time in all that God is doing in the churches in Maidstone and across the Diocese. I've been serving God in full time ministry in a variety of churches for many years, and now I'm excited to embrace ordained ministry and all that that entails.
I'm particularly passionate about helping people grow in confidence as they read the scriptures, encountering Jesus in worship and in their day to day lives, discovering and growing in the gifts and the calling that he's leading them in and being transformed by the work of The Holy Spirit in them."
Ben de Garis
The Parish of Holy Trinity, Margate
"I’m very excited that the Lord is bringing me back to the coast.
"Since I was a teenager, I felt Jesus showed me that following Him is a real adventure.
"Ordination is part of that adventure He’s taking me on.
"I believe Jesus is the hope for every human heart, and I can’t wait to continue sharing that hope by being ordained deacon this summer."
Henry Setright
(The Benefice of Tenterden, Rother and Oxney)
"I am being ordained to serve in the Benefice of Tenterden, Rother and Oxney. This includes the Church of St Mary the Virgin, Rolvenden, in the far west of Kent, at which I have worshipped with my wife – and while they were growing up, our children – for more than 35 years.
"A quiet discernment of calling – given practical effect by some much needed kicks to get me started – led to my taking services of the Word for the past five years, but I really thought that must be the limit – it was surely too late for ordination.
"How wrong I was – nothing is impossible for God. Suddenly, joyously and unexpectedly, all obstacles were removed and I found myself last year starting at St Mellitus, in the Caleb Stream / Dover Pathway, being formed and shaped for self-supporting ministry.
"After a short period as a school teacher, I have spent my working life in the law. I started with giving volunteer advice in an inner-city law centre, and – for the last 20 plus years – have been a Queen's Counsel (QC) then King's Counsel (KC) doing international children and Court of Protection work. This has given me opportunities to try to serve people in distress, and to do my best to develop the law both here and internationally to protect children and vulnerable adults. That, and the teaching and pastoral work around it, has been an opportunity for ministry in the world.
"Now I feel truly blessed, and humbled, to be entrusted with a ministry of service to the people of my own benefice and parish, in which I can share with them the limitless joy that the love and saving power of Jesus brings."
Tim Gosden
The Parish of St John the Baptist, Folkestone
“I’m really excited to be joining the Diocese as a priest at St John’s Church in Folkestone. I’m married to Nichola; we have three boys and two dogs.
"Prior to studying I worked in the NHS, predominately in the Ambulance Service or Emergency Department.
"My discernment for ministry began some 16 years ago, and God has been wonderfully gracious in leading me to this point, slowly and surely growing my passion for the local church and loving the community we will be living in.
"I am really looking forward to being able to share Jesus with those I come into contact with, whether walking the dogs or through the activity of the local church. Being able to serve Him daily is a joy and privilege."
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."
Sandra Ellis 
(Romney Marsh Benefice)
“The journey has been absolutely amazing, completely transformative.
“When I had my first no I felt completely knocked back and yet somehow, I was picked up dusted off, and not by me, and really felt the call to move into ministry.
“I started functioning within the benefice and within the diocese and two years on from that when I came from my interview with Bishop Rose I suddenly realised that actually I have been transformed in that time and the girl that thought she was ready was now ready and the role that I was playing in the benefice really was of that of a minister and the things I couldn’t do like baptisms, weddings, and Eucharist I really felt were missing.
“I did a funeral as I did a course to do funerals which helped equip me, I went to a funeral one day in choir robes because I am not ordained and I just felt like I wasn’t wearing the right clothes and that call to move forward was so powerful and here I am saying yes!”
Julie Hopkins
(The Parish of Whitstable)
"Finally, (rather late!) I felt the Holy Spirit was challenging me to explore the option of the Dover Pathway Plus.
"This sense of calling is as much an expression of my love for the St. Peter's community and concern for her future as it is about my personal vocation,"
Kat Ogden
The Parish of St Dunstan's, Cranbrook
"I have a rural background, growing up in Northumberland and have lived and worked in the Kent countryside for over a decade; it’s such a joy and a blessing to be continuing this journey with God in such a beautiful area with its warm and welcoming community.
"I met my husband Tom when we were both studying at agricultural college and we’ve been married for nearly fifteen years. Tom is very outnumbered in our household as we have four children, two dogs and six chickens - all of whom are girls!
"I first felt God calling me towards ‘more’ about nine years ago and following lots of testing of what this ‘more’ might look like, I began training for ordination at St Mellitus College in London. I have absolutely loved studying theology and it has been such a privilege to meet and journey alongside some of the wonderful people that God is calling to lead his church.
"I am excited to find out how God is going to be shaping me and my ministry as I enter into this new chapter at St Dunstan’s."
Aleksey Kolesnikov
The Benefice of Kingsdown, Creekside and High Downs
“My story is quite out of the blue. We were living in Newington, we moved from Gillingham, and I was commuting [to church]. On that specific Sunday, my car broke, so I went to St Mary’s Newington. That was the very first time I came to the Church of England.
“The community were really warm and supportive. The only other time when I felt that was during the 1990s when I came to Jesus, when I became born again.
“Everything rolled out from there really speedily. They would ask me ‘what do you want to do’? I said ‘well I want to do something with the theology I already learned’ and then I met Jon (Head of Vocations for the Diocese) and then from there the rest is already history."
Peter Roberts
The Castle Churches Benefice
I am a Reader/Licensed Lay Minister in the North Downs Benefice and Focal Minister at Kingswood Church (Local Ecumenical Partnership) which is supported by Anglican, Methodist and Baptist churches. It has been my joy and privilege upon retirement to serve the Lord as a Reader since being Licensed in 2020 after training at St Augustine’s College of Theology at West Malling.
"I have felt the call to Ordained Ministry for some time but thought that opportunity had passed until a conversation with my Area Dean led to me being accepted on the Dover Pathway+ to ordained ministry.
"I am looking forward to serving the Lord as an Assistant Curate in the newly formed Castle Churches Benefice which comprises the Parish of Otham with Langley and the Parish of Leeds, Broomfield and Kingswood
Elizabeth Walsh
Faversham
"I look forward to continuing to serve the community – a community which has welcomed and supported me."
Richard Heywood
The Parish of St Faith, Maidstone
With a bemused sense of incredulity and a profound sense of being called by God, I am looking forward to joining Mark and the team, and serving the community of St Faith’s Maidstone.