Rev Ailsa Hunt was ordained as Priest in July this year. We asked her to reflect on her curacy so far, and where she has seen God at work in the communities around her. 

"I started curacy licensed to one church (Kirk Hallam) but am now licensed to five, with my training incumbent Rev Christine French now priest in charge of the West Hallam, Stanley, Stanley Common and Mapperley benefice too. I love the variety which this has brought to my curacy and am grateful to serve in several different contexts.

"I started my curacy holding tight to this verse: “I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living” (Psalm 27: 13), and certainly I have seen the Lord’s goodness in too many ways to mention! One example is through a reflective prayer space I ran in a state primary school, during Children’s Mental Health Week. It was themed around Psalm 139: 14, helping the children to think about words of affirmation – what made them amazing and wonderful. It was hard that some children struggled to think of something amazing about themselves, but then a beautiful glimpse of God at work when other children gently suggested something to them.

"Ministry with children has also helped me to grow in readiness to speak of the hope that is within me! I remember one evening when I was talking to a local cubs group about Easter. I had spoken about Good Friday and then everyone started talking at once – “Jesus lived with the Romans?” “They put nails in his hands?!” “That was not a good Friday.” “Why did Jesus have to die?”. I love how children’s quick-fire theological questions have challenged me to get better at communicating Christian hope in a succinct way which works for the context.

 "For me the biggest joy so far of being a priest is being able to offer formal blessings. I find there is a hunger for blessing in our parishes. Last year I was asked by one village school to do formal blessings in collective worship, and had to explain that I couldn’t until priested. It was a moment to treasure when I could offer a blessing for the year 6 leavers at this little school. I have long been drawn to Celtic blessings and poems of blessing, and often use Jan Richardson’s beautiful book Circle of Grace. Being able to offer blessings myself feels like a fulfilment of something that has been tugging at my heart for a long time."