Christine McMullen, the Diocese of Derby's former chair of the House of Laity, has been awarded The Canterbury Cross in this year’s Lambeth Awards, in recognition of her exceptional service to both the Diocese of Derby and the Church of England for over 40 years. 

The Bishop of Derby, The Rt Revd Libby Lane said: “Christine has been an extraordinary servant of Christ and His church.

"I am delighted her contribution over so many decades and in so many spheres has been recognised and celebrated in this way.

"Her faith and sense of duty have sustained and equipped her to serve at a local, diocesan and national level. 

"In the Diocese of Derby, she has been an advocate and champion of lay voice and ministry especially in rural contexts. For 40 years, she has held licence and now has permission to exercise ministry as Reader, for two decades she served as Chair of the House of Laity for Diocesan Synod and is a member of the Bishop’s Council. For many years she held the roles of Deanery Lay Chair, School Governor and Business Committee member. She has also sat on the Vacancy-in-See Committee and acted as Warden of Readers.

"Christine has been Diocesan President of the Mothers' Union, National Vice Chair for the MU and member of the Central Council at Mary Sumner House, London. Christine was the manager of Salcare before, in 1994, she became lecturer and then Vice Principal at the Northern Ordination College, where she taught Pastoral Studies, Human Relationship, Ethics and New Testament Greek. Christine was subsequently on the Governing Council of Trinity Theological College Bristol. 

"Whilst a member of the General Synod Christine was a member of many committees and working parties, including at Ministry Division considering Clergy Stipends and working conditions.  She was a member of the working party on The Family which produced its report in 1995. She was the founder member of WATCH which campaigned for the ordination of women first as clergy, then the Episcopate.

"We are deeply grateful to Christine for the generous ways she has used her gifts and experience for God. We congratulate her on being awarded the Canterbury cross.”

On receiving the award Christine said: “I was not very excited when I read the email offering me the Canterbury Cross. I thought it was just a hoax! 

"I decided I had better check so I phoned Bishop Libby to ask her if it were genuine, and when the Bishop stopped laughing, she reassured me it was true and I had better send a reply!

"This was a few weeks ago and the hardest thing has been not able to share the news!

"What I have done with my life is based on the support of my friends and what my family taught me - to trust God, to be kind, to look into people’s eyes when talking  to them and to listen carefully to what they are saying ( and not saying) without making judgements.

"There was a lot of noise round our family table, my mother was a great giggler, and my father was quieter but had a canny eye for the idiosyncrasies of people in everyday life and had a great gift for doing things in his own way, and my children were unbelievably honest. I owe a lot to them.”

Congratulations to Christine on this amazing achievement!