We are continuing the series of stories celebrating our soon-to-be Reverends as we head towards the ordination weekend on Saturday 29 and Sunday 30 June. Today's story comes from Joanna Day.
How was Joanna called?
I grew up in a Christian home, attending small charismatic house churches and fellowships. My faith has always been core to my life and, after a brief wobble in my late teens, I knew that I wanted to serve God in whatever capacity He led me.
I thought that He might lead me onto the mission field in the Middle East; instead, to my surprise I found myself working in the corporate world, and I have over 20 years of experience in communications and research across a variety of fields. I love the Middle East and have studied, lived in and worked with both the Arab and Jewish worlds.
Coming from a non-denominational background, my family all thought it somewhat strange when one of my sisters married a vicar. After realising that the Church of England wasn’t quite as odd as I thought, I started attending an informal Anglican church myself.
Later I attended a more traditional church and became good friends with the vicar and curate. Their descriptions of their priestly calling and the way they demonstrated Christ’s love and concern for the community were incredibly inspirational.
One day, our curate asked me if I had ever considered ordination. It was as if someone had turned a light on and, in an instant, all the seemingly disparate experiences in my life came together and made sense through the lens of ordination.
It is a blessing beyond words to be travelling on this journey with my husband Alex who is being ordained with me on the same day. Our daughter is our greatest joy and we thank God for the opportunity to minister together as a family.
God has a plan for each of our lives. If you don’t know what yours is, why not ask Him to show you?
My favourite Bible verses are Psalm 19:9 “The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever,” Psalm 12:6 “The promises of the Lord are promises that are pure, silver refined in a furnace”, and Jeremiah 23:29 “Is not my word like fire, says the Lord, and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?”. The word of God is powerful, and we can depend on it.
The promises of the Lord are promises that are pure, silver refined in a furnace.
Psalm 12:6