‘Niggling’ led me to wanting to become ordained

Cherry Sandover, a lecturer at South EssexCollege, has become deacon at St Clement’s Church, Leigh, after being ordained at Chelmsford Cathedral.

Alongside her duties at the church, which include conducting sermons, she will continue to work four days a week at the college.

She said her “calling” came while studying British artists’ tombs for her PhD.

She said: “When I was young, the familywould go to church on Sunday, but it was during my PhD that I felt the connection and God’s calling.

“Older tombs have a large connection with the church and I was fascinated with the story behind them.

My studies really opened my eyes to religion and the message behind it.

“I believe God’s ‘niggling’ will only stop once you’ve reached the path he has chosen for you.

“The ‘niggling’ continued and I thought about being ordained. It was going to be a huge step.

“A woman has never been a deacon in the 500-year history of St Clement’s. Some people were still opposed to the idea, but God was calling me, so it was something I had to think about.”

Once she had completed her PhD, she joined a local group designed to talk about Christianity before taking a course in Christian studies, as well as starting work at the college in 2004.

Cherry said she is working towards becoming a priest next year.

She said her new vocation was a good pairing with her work at the college.

She said: “We are blessed at the college to have a wonderfully diverse culture, which is a good thing. Just because I have been ordained, it doesn’t mean I will be preaching about Christianity.

“Everyone has their own beliefs and I enjoy learning about other people’s faiths. The foundation of the diverse religions and beliefs we celebrate at the college are based on love and respect, so we can, and should, all work together to make our world a better place.

“By educating people about other religions we can break down barriers and bring people closer together.”