accountability,church schools,inclusive,lgbtq,mission,ordination,stewardship,tradition,women in ministry,working class

Kerry Gilbert

for General Synod

Plymouth Deanery - Candidate for the House of Laity, General Synod

Proposed by Jenni Coates

LLM and Lay Chair Shirwell Deanery

As an LLM with a background in Special
Education, I am delighted to support Kerry to
represent the laity on General Synod. We need a
strong voice to speak up for all those who are
marginalised in any way, to ensure they know they
are fully included, and that their place in the
Kingdom of God is fully recognised and
acknowledged. I am confident that Kerry will shine
a light on and speak for all these people and strive to

give us a voice in General Synod.

Dear Elector,

Thank you for taking the time to read this and
whether you decide to vote for me or not,
please ensure you do vote in this election — it is
important to have broad representation of
candidates and views from our diocese.

Why am | standing?

| have been a churchwarden for nine and a half
years and have served on deanery and diocesan
synod, including as diocesan lay chair, and the
Church of England matters to me. | love the fact
that as a Church, it upholds the right to be
diverse, holding in tension the different views
and standpoints of many different people. It is
my firm belief that this makes it truly a place
where Christ can be followed and represented in
our communities.

It is of paramount importance to me that all
voices are heard, from across the diocese — from
the isolated rural churches at the centre of the
community to the large urban gathered
churches that draw Christians from across the

Seconded by Ken Ball - LLM and Lay Chair
Woodleigh Deanery

I’ve known Kerry over the last couple of years
during her time as Diocesan Lay Chair. She has
done an excellent job of organising meetings of the
Deanery Lay Chairs and I know that her heart is
in representing the voice of laity within the
structures of the Anglican Church. She will make a

great representative for Devon on General Synod.

city or county — all are important, regardless of
tradition or outworking of their faith. All are
loved by God and thus all have to have a voice at
the heart of its governance. | am always ready to
listen and to hear about the difficulties faced
and to feed them into the wider debate. That is
why | stand for inclusion at all levels including:
women in ministry, ethnic and cultural groups,
neurodivergent groups, those with different
learning needs and the LGBTQ+ community.

Learning from difference

As an educationalist for almost 30 years, | have
found that learning happens most, and at its
best in diverse communities and settings. When
surrounded by like minds we become echo
chambers of our own fiercely held beliefs and
Opinions. It is only by listening to others and
trying to see things from different angles and
perspectives that we can open our minds to
better ways of working to improve life for
everyone. | base my thesis on the teachings of
Paul in his letters to the Romans (Romans 12)
and the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 12) that we

are all contributors to the body of Christ with
our different and wonderfully awesome gifts
and skills. One type of person does not build the
Kingdom, we all have our place — gifted from
God, who loves us all equally. It is through the
voices and ideas of others that creativity of
thought to solve big issues can be realised.

We are better together.

My own story of faith

| was born in Leeds to a working class family
with working class values. My mother was a
secretary and my father a welder. My mother
had been a church goer since childhood and my
father came to faith rather later in life, when he
felt he was being watched over as his car’s
wheel bounced past him on a bend as he drove
to collect us from church one Sunday morning,
he was confirmed the following year. It was he
who instilled in me a sense of fairness — and that
not everyone had an equitable share of what
was fair!

| went to church schools between the ages of 9
and 17 and there | learned some valuable
lessons about social accountability and good
stewardship, which were woven throughout the
curriculum, not just in religious education. |
learnt about my responsibilities to others, not
just to myself and immediate family. As |
ventured into the big wide world and university,
my faith deepened and grew. Studying in Wales,
| learned more about the broader church and
the outworkings of different expressions, which
continued to fascinate me — | love the fact we
are different but that we can still support, love
and care for one another. As | developed my
career in education, my love for different ways
of thinking grew further, especially when
speaking to students from a broad diversity of
backgrounds, cultures, ethnicities, genders and
sexualities, as an academic and a pastoral tutor,
supporting them through good and difficult
times. | feel most at home when listening to
others, learning from them and thinking about

how that changes how | think, how | express
who | am and who God made me to be. It is this
that drives me to stand in this election, to be
shaped by listening and feeding into the
important debates. | want to see the laity thrive,
to see their gifts, skills and vocation fully
actualised through lay mission and ministry as
well as encouraging those for whom calling is to
ordination in the diaconate or priesthood. My
role as Head of Formation allows to me to work
towards this on the ground and | would relish
the chance to take this to the broader reach of
the Church of England through representing you
at General synod.

My hopes for how Synod will
shape the Church in the next
quinquennium

| would love to see a Church that can continue
to remain broad and inclusive and find ways to
work through the divisions that threaten to tear
it apart. It is
important
for us to be
open and
honest
about what
divides us,
but in that
to understand that there is more to hold us
together than push us apart. | am passionate
about working towards pathways for lay
leadership working alongside the clergy to
ensure all are able to fulfil their vocation, in

whatever ministry best suits their gifts, skills and
individual sense of calling. We are all held
together by the message of enduring love and
hope in the resurrection. We are an Easter
people and Alleluia is our song.

Please give me your first or high preference vote
if you believe my statement resonates with how
Exeter Diocese should be represented at General
Synod. Feel free to contact me on 07765464846
or [email protected]