General Synod Election Candidates 2026

Who am I?
I am 22, and have been blessed to live and worship in Cheadle all my life
other than a brief interlude in Sheffield for University. I have volunteered
in ministry to Children and Youth for the last 6 years, and was a ministry
trainee 2024-25. Since then I have continued to study theology, served on
our PCC, and been co-chair of our church’s Accessibility Working Party. In
my spare time I love reading, theatre and visiting family and friends
around the country.
Elizabeth (Beth) Pugh
[email protected]
Why stand for General Synod?
During my time as a ministry trainee I had the privilege of attending
conferences and meeting people working in ministry in various ways within
the Church of England. Throughout the year I fell in love with the Church of
England and experienced first hand the powerful witness that the Church is
of God’s love, grace and mercy. I am passionate about ensuring the
Church of England continues to be this, working together to be faithful to
God’s word, loving to those Jesus loves, and intentional in our witness to
those outside the Church family. I uphold an orthodox view on God’s
design for marriage and I feel called to step forward to serve on General
Synod, committing to the National Church and helping ensure the Church
of England continues to be a place filled with the Holy Spirit, where all are
able to hear the good news of salvation and find a place of belonging,
regardless of age, race, gender, background or disability.
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Why vote for me?
Some particular areas of interest I am keen to contribute to discussions on
are:
Accessibility
The Church should be a place for all to belong, knowing they are made in
God’s image and are loved not due to ability but due to God’s character.
Being disabled myself, I have felt the pain and isolation that comes from
believing God made a mistake in creating me, but also the joy in having
that belief corrected. Many disabled people aren’t so fortunate and
individual churches are ill-equipped both in knowledge and resources to
reach out into the disabled community and welcome them in.
Church Unity
We are called to be Christ’s body on earth. One body united in He who died
for us. Jesus himself warned that internal division leads to self-destruction
and undermines the Gospel message of hope and peace. I believe we must
work with our brothers and sisters across the tradition to reflect the hope
to which we are called.
Clergy wellbeing and Lay ministry
It’s no secret that morale amongst clergy is low and the number of
ordinands is suffering as a result. Not only do we need stronger structures
in place to support clergy, but training for laity should be made more
widely available, allowing more to serve and support clergy in a variety of
contexts.
Thank you for taking the time to read this, I am more than happy to
answer any questions you may have so please feel free to email me.
I pray that God may guide you and give you His wisdom as you vote.
Yours in Christ,
Beth Pugh
Nominated by:
Fiona Goode
Ruth Ormiston
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clergy wellbeing,disability,disabled people,good news,gospel,isolation,marriage,ordinands,orthodox,pcc,tradition,witness,youth