Richard was fourteen and at Spring Harvest when he first heard the call to be ordained, but it was almost three decades later before he said yes.

“As a teenager I was full of excitement and determination to follow God and shifted my life’s plans to do that by moving to London and joining London City Mission. But it was confusing, I lost my self-worth and eventually I lost my faith.”

A career in social work unfolded, partially fulfilling a need to help people in the way that Richard had thought being ordained would have done. But it was following a protracted period of illness that God properly caught up with Richard again.

While laughing at Christian TV, God challenged Richard to remember the dream He had for him

“I was watching a lot of Christian programmes on Sky as I was recovering, mainly to laugh at them. But one day Joyce Meyer filled the screen to nudge then challenge and finally push me into re-evaluating everything. It was when she asked the question, ‘Do you remember the dream God has for you?’ that I knew things had to change. It was a dream I had never forgotten, no matter how hard I tried to run away from it.”

By this time, Richard was living in Gerrans on the Roseland and found himself secretly sneaking out of the house to go to the local church. It just happened to be Anglican but Richard believes that was all in God’s plan and is very grateful for the breadth of expression the church offers. “There are all sorts of people worshipping at Anglican churches, with very different ways of understanding Christianity and, really, they shouldn’t get on but they do! It works and its inclusivity is beautiful.”

“There are all sorts of people worshipping at Anglican churches, with very different ways of understanding Christianity and, really, they shouldn’t get on but they do! It works and its inclusivity is beautiful.”

Grace – a complete and utter gift

Richard sees his past as preparation for ordination. “We’re justified by grace – we can’t earn it, gain it or give it away – it’s a complete and utter gift. No one earns a place in heaven by sticking to a check list of behaviour and attitude, all we have is by God’s grace.”

He also knew that he was on the right road when the all-important journey to the vocations interview in Saltash was almost thwarted by a bus depot fire, “Terrible for the bus company but conviction for me that I was doing something significant enough to create obstructions!”

After ordination, Richard will be working with Father Simon Bone in the Eight Saints Cluster. “Simon has a great pastoral ministry that I’m looking forward to being part of and learning from. I’m also excited about the ministry of church business – baptisms, weddings and even funerals. There are so many opportunities to come alongside people and share God’s love.”

For the past three years Richard has been working alongside Father Chris Epps at St John’s in Truro, where he discovered he has a heart for men’s ministry. “Men are different when they’re on their own, or with other men – with partners around they too easily retract and defer. I really want to open up opportunities for men to better relate to men, to God and to themselves.”

Like most of the Ordinands, the journey has been long, diverse and challenging for Richard. All of which gives him a solid foundation to live out the ministry that God always knew he would.