Words of Grace: Living Hope in the Diocese of Sheffield

"No matter how difficult life can be, or how much we feel lost, there’s always God waiting for us to take us back in".Revd James Gould, Curate at St Francis Bramley and St Leonard’s Thrybergh, joins Paul and Ben on the podcast today.James discusses:✝️Dealing with criticism and hurt on his ordination journey✝️How moving to Sheffield changed his life✝️The moment he felt encouraged to be ordained✝️His role as a Curate and what responsibilities it entails✝️Settling into his new role in Rotherham with a young family

"When I read the gospels - when I read those stories of Jesus and his teachings, he went to where the mess was in life"Revd Dr Beth Keith, Associate Vicar and Liberal Theologian at St Mark’s Broomhill and Broomhall, joins Paul and Ben on the podcast today.Beth talks about:✝️Her strong sense of calling to ministry as a child✝️Hearing God’s “Yes” when the church said “No"✝️Youth work and supporting survivors of sexual violence ✝️What is liberal theology?✝️Life and ministry at St Mark’s

We’re joined today on the Words of Grace podcast by Revd Will and Revd Gill Briggs, speaking from St Stephen’s Church, Netherthorpe.Hear Will and Gill talk about: ✝️Their upbringing in Australia and how they first met✝️How the love of Jesus shone through during a serious illness for Gill✝️What brought them both to Sheffield✝️House of Prayer and 24/7 Prayer✝️How they consider Sheffield to be home

"People can seem far off – like I was – but God can change a heart in an instant. That’s the good news that we live with and the joy of salvation that we get to share." Curate in Charge of Christ Church Hackenthorpe, Claire Welch, is on the podcast today, talking about: Her upbringing in East London and her powerful encounter with Jesus as a teenagerWorking with people in some of the poorest communities in the worldRecognising singleness in ministryHaving a heart for social justice, doing youth work and writing songsHer curacy in Sheffield and the next steps as Oversight Minister

"So much is beautiful and rich about a community like this, but it does feel very ignored and downtrodden. Doing what we can to help people to thrive in their lives is exactly why I felt called to a community like this"Oversight Minister of St Leonard’s Arbourthorne, Revd Lucy Sablan, is today’s podcast guest.Lucy talks about:✝️ The original history of St Leonard’s as a pub✝️ Starting her role at St Leonard’s during a pandemic✝️ The health inequalities faced by many people in the community ✝️ Her calling to serve in an area of deprivation✝️ The outreach work the church is doing as a hub

"Toddler groups are some of the absolute shining lights of what we do as a church"Oversight Minister of St John’s Owlerton, Joy French, is today’s podcast guest.Joy talks about:✝️ The empowering experience of her upbringing✝️ Her passion for mental health and families✝️ St John’s as a focal point in the community✝️ Her recent appointment as Chaplain to the Lord Mayor of Sheffield✝️ What more needs to be done in affirming women’s ministry

Happy 50th episode of the Words of Grace podcast! Ben and Paul take a look back at some of their favourite episodes, delve deeper into their own faith journeys and talk more about the process of putting the episodes together.Words of Grace launched in August 2023 and we’ve been delighted at the response, grateful for the stories shared and encouraged by plans for the future. Thank you for listening and remember to send any questions to wordsofgrace@sheffield.anglican.org

"I couldn’t imagine myself being anywhere else"Revd Andy Poultney from St Paul’s Wordsworth Avenue joins Ben and Paul on the podcast today, talking about:✝️ Starting new things at Parson’s Cross✝️ His re-licensing as an Oversight Minister and what it means✝️ Growing up in a Baptist household and his calling to faith as a teenager✝️ Serving in youth ministry ✝️ His favourite musical artists