clergy wellbeing,disciple,mission,ordination,rural communities,safeguarding,young people

Revd Becky Hancock

! am standing for General Synod because | am
passionate about parish ministry, clergy wellbeing
and | also love the Church of England. !am
committed to creating safe and welcoming places of
worship in every community where people can
encounter living hope in Jesus Christ.

Who am !?

| was ordained Priest in the Diocese of Southwell and Nottingham in 2018
and in 2020 was licensed to serve as the Vicar of the parishes of Bawtry
with Austerfield, Misson, Everton and Mattersey in the north of the Diocese.
Last year | was also appointed to be Lead Mission Enabler of The Riverfold
Cluster. This is an initiative seeking to revitalise faith in rural communities. |
am an active member of the Bassetlaw and Bawtry Deanery Standing
Committee and member of the Southwell and Nottingham Diocesan
Synod. Prior to ordination | worked for 23 years for a large global financial
organisation in a variety of IT Management roles, which included Data
Centre Management, Crisis Management and latterly with responsibility for
the successful delivery of high profile IT projects across Europe.

As a child | attended church with a family friend, but my faith lay dormant in
my teens and early twenties, until | became a mum in 2001. With my
husband John, | attended the village church in the North Nottinghamshire
village where we lived, and it was here that | encountered Christ and it was
from here that my faith flourished. | finally walked away from my career in
2014 to train for ordained ministry and haven’t looked back since. It is a
huge privilege to walk alongside people in the best and worst of times and
to share the love of Christ with all, whether in a school assembly,
occasional offices, or through conversations in the local communities that
Il serve.

What would | bring to Synod?

lam committed to the flourishing of the Church in the different contexts in
which we serve. | offer:

e experience of General Synod and a good understanding of the
various contexts in the Diocese of Southwell and Nottingham.

e an ability to think strategically and to work within the structures of the
Church of England.

e apassion for the wellbeing of clergy from a working experience of
what it is like at the ‘coal face’ of parish ministry.

e adedicated approach that means | attend all sessions and commit to
represent the clergy of this diocese in all decisions taken at a
national level.

e Awillingness to seek the heart of Christ and listen to what the Holy
Spirit is saying to the Church today.

What is important to me?

| am committed to growing a younger, healthier and more sustainable
church. This means | am passionate about encouraging faith in children
and young people as well as continuing to teach, disciple and pastorally
care for older members of our churches.

Safeguarding is also hugely important to me. | long for a Church where
everyone is valued, where people are safe, where difference is respected
and where our life together reflects the love and welcome of Christ.

| believe passionately in the Church of England and in the contribution that
parish churches make to the communities they serve. From the village
church where | first encountered Christ, to the rural churches | now have
the privilege of serving, | have seen how God can use ordinary churches
and ordinary people to bring hope, love and transformation.

| would bring to General Synod a commitment to listen, to work
constructively with others and to keep the needs of our parishes and clergy
at the heart of the decisions we make. | will seek to be a voice for Southwell
and Nottingham while also listening carefully to the wider Church, and
above all seeking the heart of Christ in all that we do.

| came to faith through an ordinary village church in this diocese. | want to
help ensure that, wherever people live in our diocese, there are churches
where they too can encounter the living hope of Jesus Christ.

| would be honoured to serve you on General Synod. | would welcome your
first-preference vote.

Becky