Some thirty people met at the Leeds Office this week to hear Bishop Nick share the story of his journey to being a vicar.
Those gathered were all exploring their possible vocations and came from all sorts of backgrounds across the diocese, some as young as nineteen and some over fifty.
And some of them will go on to be the future clergy of this Diocese.
They heard the bishop share his life story from humble beginnings in Liverpool, through work at GCHQ and a calling to priesthood, a journey that was not always smooth or easy. Along the way he also shared important perspectives about vocation and the challenges involved.
He went on to talk about some of the opportunities he has now both as a member of the House of Lords and a regular contributor to Thought for The Day on Radio 4's Today Programme and also Pause for Thought on Radio 2's Chris Evans Show.
A healthy discussion followed with good questions from the floor.
Derek Walmsley, Director of Ordinands and Vocations (below, right) said: “This was a really encouraging meeting and it was great to see a sizeable group of people keen to explore God’s call on their life.
"We are grateful that the Bishop demonstrated his recognition of the importance of vocations by making time in his busy schedule to come and share with the group.”
The Fellowship of Vocation meets four times a year and is not exclusively for those exploring ordination. Anyone interested in exploring vocation should contact: vocations@leeds.anglican.org or head to the Vocations pages on the new Digital Learning Platform at https://learning.leeds.anglican.org/. There is also a Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/VocationsLeeds/