"The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away" Job 1:21

Aidan Melville recently left his role as Head of Communications in the diocese to commence his training for ordination at St Hild, Sheffield. For full continuity, we have welcomed Jane Appleton as the interim Head of Communications for a period of three months.

Aidan's journey to ordination

Upon leaving the diocese, Aidan said: “I’ve been in the formal discernment process since 2023, but it is something that I believe God laid on my heart while I was a teenager.

I wouldn’t have used the term ‘priesthood’ back then, but a desire to serve God and the Church in some capacity has always been with me. It wasn’t until we moved to Sheffield in 2017 that my thinking around this began to shift to ordained ministry.

It’s a call that I have tried to test in a number of ways: serving in local government, joining the various PCCs of the churches I’ve been a part of, holding various offices within them, and most recently working for the Parish Support Team in the Diocese of Derby.

What each of these experiences has confirmed is that the Kingdom of God is best served in local church contexts: providing space for his people to gather in worship and prayer, equipping and inspiring them to join God in what he is doing in their communities and the lives of those around them. I hope to draw alongside people in their discipleship, to learn from them as we seek to serve God together.

As I prepare to start training, I am convinced of the perfectness of God’s timing. It is sad to leave the diocese, having only been here for 18 months, but I am excited for what God has in store - for all of us.”

A homecoming for Jane

As she arrives in the diocese, Jane Appleton shares, “I grew up in the diocese, in Rosliston, part of Mercia Deanery, and I went to school in Newhall, before going to university in Birmingham. My mum lived in Derby most of her life. Oxfordshire has been my home for many years now, but my ties to Derbyshire are strong. I’m therefore thrilled to be able to help out.

I have had a long career in communications, mainly over 21 years in the NHS but also in the private sector and charities, as well as leading communications in the Diocese of Oxford until earlier this year. In my spare time, I’m a member of my local PCC, a Trustee of my local almshouse charity, and love being outdoors, either in my garden or on a long hike. I look forward to meeting you all, serving God in this Diocese and my home county.”

Jane can be contacted by email – jane.appleton@derby.anglican.org.

Please do join us in holding Aidan in your prayers as he commences this exciting pathway, and Jane for her valued support at this time.