Ordination Candidates 2023
Please pray for those being Ordained to the Office of Priest on Saturday 1st July and to the Office of Deacon on Sunday 2nd July in Southwell Minster
PRIEST CANDIDATES
DANIEL BAUHAHN was born in the UK but lived overseas in his early years of life, before settling in Maidenhead. Daniel would go on to work as a Structural Integrity Engineer for power stations in Nottingham, having trained as a Mechanical Engineer in Manchester. During this time, he married Camille, and they have since been blessed with two wonderful gifts from the Lord: Elsa (6) and Titus (4). Having trained for ordained ministry at Oak Hill in London, the family returned to the Nottingham area for curacy, and are settling well into life in a village with considerably fewer people and sirens. Daniel has really valued walking alongside the wider church family through this first year of curacy as together they have looked to, and learned from, and known the love of the Lord Jesus. Daniel continues to serve his title post with the Revd Tim Parker in the Benefice of East Leake, West Leake, Stanford-on-Soar, Rempstone and Costock. Read more.
LOUISE BEARDER was born and grew up in Worksop, Nottinghamshire. She qualified as a nurse in 1987 and worked in Sheffield before moving to Bassetlaw hospital where she worked for 19 years. In May 2023, Louise retired from nursing. She enjoys meeting people, coffee and craft shops, walking her dog Charlie and holidays in Scotland, especially walking by the sea in Arbroath where her sister lives. Family is important to Louise, and she enjoys spending time with her niece and nephew and her great niece and nephew Rebekah and Sam. In 2015 Louise was licensed as a reader and over the past year, has been furthering her studies at St Mellitus College in Nottingham having already studied at St Mellitus London on the Caleb Stream. She has been busy with pastoral visits and bereavement care at Christ Church, initiating the bereavement group and café. She has also enjoyed being a host to Olivia who is an intern from Brazil. Louise continues to serve her title post with the Revd Luiz Lima in the Benefice of Worksop Christ Church and Shireoaks. Read more.
DANIELE BOCCHETTI was born in Naples, southern Italy. He studied Theology and Religious Studies at the University of Aberdeen, Scotland. He moved to England in 2013 where he met his wife, Angelika. After living in Germany and the Pacific Northwest of the United States for two years, he returned to England and moved to Nottingham in 2020 where he completed an MA at St Mellitus College as part of his ordination training whilst on placement at St Nic’s Church. Daniele joined a church graft from St Nic’s for his curacy and in his first year has loved working with students, overseeing formation, running Alpha, and teaching for the diocesan LLM programme and RealLIFE course. Daniele enjoys reading, running, cooking, good coffee, and wine. Daniele continues to serve his title post with the Revd Garreth Frank in the Benefice of Lenton and at the University of Nottingham as the Anglican Chaplain. Read more.
RACHAEL BURN has lived in Nottinghamshire all her life and studied for a degree in English and History at Nottingham Trent University. Born in Hucknall she moved to Langley Mill when she met her husband Michael, and they returned to Hucknall after 8 years. Prior to training Rachael worked for E.ON for 20 years. Rachael and Michael have a family of two boys, Henry and Samuel, and their niece Meabh who joined the family in 2015. Rachael came to faith through the baptism of Henry and Meabh, and during training for licenced lay ministry began to explore a call to ordained ministry. During her curacy, Rachael has enjoyed building deeper relationships with those whom she serves. Rachael continues to serve her title post with the Revd Helen Chantry in the Benefice of Hucknall St. Mary Magdalene with St. John the Evangelist. Read more.
JAKE HYATT was born and bred in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire and it is in Mansfield where he met and later married his wife Sarah at St John’s with St Mary’s Church. Jake has been involved in church leadership for several years in a variety of contexts. He studied theology at the University of Chester and went on to work in recruitment, managing various contracts for local authorities. Responding to God’s call, Jake began training for ordination with the Church of England, something he never anticipated, and began an MA in theology as part of his training. This coincided with the birth of his daughter, Lillia. During the beginning of his curacy, Jake and Sarah found that they are expecting their second child. The last year has been challenging, educational but mostly fruitful. God has given Jake a taste of things to come, and he has never been more excited about the Gospel and its potential to transform every person’s life. He is a passionate sports fan, following Mansfield Town and playing for Mansfield Cricket Club. Jake continues to serve his title post with the Revd Chris Lee in the Benefice of Mansfield St John with St Mary’s.
RYAN MELLOR was born in Belfast and spent his childhood in Northern Ireland and then East Sussex, before reading Biological Sciences at Oxford then moving to Nottingham for a master’s degree in environmental sciences. He and his wife, Sally, live in Beeston with their two teenage daughters, Phoebe and Lotty, who have both inherited their dad’s love of rugby (they play, Ryan just coaches and watches these days). Theo the Labrador is also very much part of the family. Before training for ordination at St Mellitus College, Ryan worked as an ecologist and environmental consultant, assessing the environmental and social impacts of land-use change in the UK and overseas. Ryan still loves to understand and connect with creation, seeing people and other things grow as they should, and finds rest by cooking meals and spending time in the countryside. Ryan has found being a deacon has offered a different perspective on the world; he has grown through the practise of watching, listening, understanding and serving the community around him, and through hope that remains at the heart of future ministry. Ryan continues to serve his title post with the Revd Andy Tufnell in the Benefice of Chilwell with Inham Nook, working to establish a new worshipping community, called The Orchard, in an outer estate of Nottingham. Read more.
KRISTINE MOLE was born in Norway but spent most of her teenage years growing up in Israel where her dad was vicar to a congregation of Jewish believers in Jaffa – which is also where she met her husband Jonathan during his gap year. She and Jonathan have four daughters, Elisabeth, Hannah-Maria, Esther and Susannah. She studied Ancient and Modern Hebrew and Aramaic at Cambridge University which led to postgraduate research in undocumented forms of Modern Aramaic. Kristine trained for ordination at St Mellitus, East Midlands. She has a passion for the worldwide and local church to flourish and loves to see lives changed. She is loving her curacy setting up a church graft in Lady Bay, seeing a new community formed and children, young people and adults coming to faith and growing in discipleship. Kristine enjoys music, spicy foods and time with friends and family. Kristine continues to serve her title in the Benefice of All Hallows’ Lady Bay with Holme Pierrepont and Adbolton
TASHA MORTON was adopted from South Korea and grew up in Anoka, Minnesota, USA. After receiving a Bachelor of Arts in Biology and Classics she decided to pursue ministry in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. She met her husband, Adam, at Luther Theological Seminary in St. Paul, MN. She served churches in Eden Prairie, MN and Lancaster, PA before moving to Beeston where her husband works as a Research Fellow at the University of Nottingham. They have one son who loves maths and parsing out the differences in the various versions of the Lord’s Prayer. Tasha loves cooking and baking; consuming media whether it’s movies, TV shows, books, or music; and connecting pop culture and theology. She has greatly enjoyed her crash course in Nottingham and Anglican culture through her role as a deacon and is grateful for all the grace she has received. Tasha continues to serve her title post with the Revd Canon Steve Silvester at the Benefice of Nottingham St Nicholas. Read more.
BETHAN RESCH grew up in Glossop, near Manchester, and was part of the family church where her parents had come to faith when she was a child. At 18, she moved to Watford to take part in a leadership gap year with Soul Survivor Watford. From here, Beth moved to Twickenham to do a youth internship with St Stephen’s Twickenham. Following this she stayed on to become the youth pastor. Whilst serving at St Stephen’s, she started the discernment process for ordination and also married her husband, Luke. In 2018 Beth and Luke moved to Feltham as part of a St Stephen’s church plant team. Beth trained at St Mellitus College in London and was on placement at Christ Church Feltham. On New Year’s Eve 2020 Beth and Luke welcomed their daughter Bay into the world, and she is a great joy. Over the last year, Beth has been involved in a weekly drop in café open to all, starting a new midweek service and running Alpha. Beth continues to serve her title post with the Revd Jonny Hughes at Trinity Church Nottingham. Read more.
CLAIRE TUFNELL is a Nottinghamshire girl, born and bred but has found homes in Durham, Oxford, Cheltenham, and Cambridge as well as two years in Uganda. These places saw her working with secondary age children sharing her love of Geography and Jesus. Her passion for serving Christ came from her teenage years and has never left her. She leads alongside her husband Andy at Christ Church, and they have two girls, Beth and Grace. She loves walking in the countryside with their dog Olive, as well as trying to improve her tennis and when the opportunity arises, to ski. Claire has been involved in a range of ministries this diaconate year, which includes helping with the development of a new ministry to young people from a hot chocolate stand! Claire continues to serve her title post with the Revd Andy Tufnell in the Benefice of Chilwell with Inham Nook. Read more.
DEACON CANDIDATES
DAN BISHOP grew up in Cheshire in a Christian family. At the age of 18, he went to the University of Chester to train as a youth worker, where he met his wife, Anna. They got married in 2016. After university, he served as a lay chaplain in two schools: St. Michael’s High School in Chorley, in the Diocese of Blackburn, and Bishop Ramsey School, in the Diocese of London. It was while serving in London that Dan began the discernment process for ordination and started training at Ridley Hall in 2020. Dan has a passion for food, music, and board games. Dan will serve his title with the Revd Rich Atkinson in the Benefice of Aspley. Read more.
JO HARLEY was born in Kettering, Northamptonshire and emigrated to South Africa with her parents and younger brother, Lee, when she was 4. The family settled in a town called Witbank, not far from Johannesburg. Jo loved growing up in South Africa surrounded by family and friends. She chose a career in computers and enjoyed travelling around the country building banking systems. Jo met and married Colin in 1992 and they have three children. In 1998 the family left South Africa and settled in Nottingham. Jo and Colin have seven grandchildren, with an eighth on the way. The two youngest granddaughters, Azariah and Aianna, live locally and Jo loves spending time with them. Jo was licensed as a reader in 2010. In 2022 she began studying on the Caleb Stream at St Mellitus College, East Midlands. Jo will serve her title in the Benefice of Aspley and Benefice of Basford St. Leodegarius and St. Aidan with the Revd Lydia Corbett.
EDITH IHEAMA was born and raised in Onitsha, Anambra State in Nigeria. She was baptised in and attended a Roman Catholic church until she became a born-again Christian and joined a Pentecostal church at university. She trained and graduated as a medical doctor from Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Nnewi campus. She worked as a junior doctor at Enugu State University Teaching Hospital Parklane, Enugu before moving to the United Kingdom for postgraduate studies, achieving a Master’s in Public Health at University of Wolverhampton in 2010. Edith worked for the Wolverhampton City PCT as a Public Health Practitioner and Health Exchange CIC in Birmingham. She moved to Nottingham in 2016 with her three daughters, where she set up a successful Community Interest Company providing wellbeing services to marginalised and vulnerable communities, especially refugees and asylum seekers. In 2018, Edith was encouraged to attend a vocations exploration evening, following which she attended the RealLIFE course. It was while training for Licensed Lay Ministry that Edith started to discern a call to ordained ministry. She trained at St. Mellitus College, East Midlands. Edith enjoys walking, travel and good food. She will serve her title post with the Revd Dave Gough in the Benefice of St Anne in Worksop. Read more.
AMY JONES lives in Carrington with her husband Adam and four children, Reuben, Mabel, Agnes and Eli. They have been in Nottingham for 6 years, moving from London to be a part of Trinity Church Nottingham. Amy very much enjoyed being Executive Assistant to Bishop Paul in Southwell, before discerning a call to Ministry. Amy became a Christian as a teenager at a friend’s house before school, establishing hospitality as a key part of her faith. Amy and Adam long to live a life of wholehearted hospitality, with food, welcome and adoption being a big part of their life in the city. Together they co-own Punch Coffee, a small coffee shop on the Mansfield Road which has been a wonderful place to see people served good coffee, tasty food and the welcome of God. When she isn’t in the city, Amy loves to walk her Labrador, River, in Sherwood Pines with a huge flask of hot coffee. Amy will serve her title with the Revd Jonny Hughes at Trinity Church Nottingham (Bishop’s Mission Order). Read more.
JOHN LEES-ROBINSON grew up in Teesside and aged 13, encountered God’s love through the Holy Spirit, receiving a call to serve God wholeheartedly. After briefly living in Oxford during his gap year, John came to Nottingham in 2011 to train as a nurse. At university John met Jo and they married in 2015; they now have two boys, Joshua and Levi. Whilst John was working as a nurse, Jo was ordained and, shortly after the birth of Joshua, John felt called to ordination as well. John has trained at St Mellitus, East Midlands where he has been on placement at Trinity Church Nottingham. John is particularly passionate about prayer and has a deep desire to see people encounter God, become whole and be released into God’s purpose for their lives. In his spare time John loves running, gardening and reading. John will be licensed as Assistant Curate at Trinity Church Nottingham and, with Jo, will be planting a new worshipping community into St Saviour’s, Nottingham. John will serve his title post with the Revd Jonny Hughes at Trinity Church Nottingham (Bishop’s Mission Order) Read more.
LIZ MACK was born and bred in Nottingham. Liz had been part of a family coffee and food business for most of her life before beginning training at St Mellitus College, having studied a BTEC HND in Business and Finance at Loughborough many moons ago! She has been recently enjoying a quieter household with her twin girls now at university, and has discovered a love of open water swimming, along with being out in nature as much as possible. Liz came to faith at 40 through an Alpha Course at her placement church, and still loves to share faith around the table with friends, good food, and wine. She is passionate about welcoming people into the church, often through hospitality, and discipling them into deeper relationships with Jesus, with a heart for reaching out into the community and making God possible to those of no faith. Liz will serve her title post with the Revd Becky Hancock in the Benefice of Bawtry with Austerfield, Mission, Everton & Mattersey. Read more.
DANNY MARSHALL was born in Nottinghamshire but has lived and worked between Lancaster and Milton Keynes. He is married to Bec who is a Special Educational Needs teacher, and they are expecting their first child in August. Danny studied Theology at the University of Chester and St John’s College, Nottingham as well as teacher training at the University of Derby. After a few years as a youth and schools’ worker, Danny spent ten years working in the apprenticeship and prison education sector. He loves outdoor cooking and would describe himself as an average runner. Danny has felt a calling towards ordained ministry from a young age and after a few years of wrestling and discerning this call with others, he started training at St Mellitus College, East Midlands and was on placement at his sending church, St Jude’s, Mapperley. Danny will serve his title with the Revd Chris Lion in the Benefice of Newark on Trent, St Mary Magdalene with St Leonard. Watch here.
TOM MURPHY was born in Birmingham, one of eight children. He went to a Catholic grammar school, was trained as a manager by Cadbury’s in Bournville, then did an Economics degree at Nottingham University. Tom married Helen after university, trained as a Youth and Community worker and then worked for the Derby Diocese as a community development worker in an urban priority area of Burton. Tom was a pastor with Trent Vineyard church for 21 years then he planted a Vineyard church in Derby (with his wife Helen) before taking on his new role, as a ‘Church Growth & Planting Enabler’ for Christ Church Chilwell. Tom and Helen have four daughters, four grandchildren and a dog. Tom loves travelling, skiing, chess and Arsenal and serves as a trustee of the charity ‘Love the One.’ Tom will serve his title with the Revd Andy Tufnell in the Benefice of Chilwell with Inham Nook, working to establish new worshipping communities and helping the churches in the parish grow. Read more.
EDEN PARRIS was born in Edinburgh but grew up in Sydney, Australia. In Australia Eden trained in law and worked in disability rights advocacy. Eden is married to Bethany, and they have two daughters, Oriana and Serena. Prior to ordination training, Eden was worship director at St Paul’s Crofton in Kent. For many years Eden and Beth sought to live out their faith through sharing their home, and as foster parents. Eden has a keen interest in how the Kingdom of God is communicated in church. He also likes song writing and bike riding with his family. He has been training at Ridley Hall, Cambridge and looks forward to joining the diocese. Eden will serve his title with the Revd Chris Lee in the Benefice of Mansfield St John’s with St Mary. Read more.
LAUREN SIMPSON grew up in Letchworth Garden City, Hertfordshire, and she moved to Nottingham to study Product Design and Manufacture at university. She grew up in a Christian family and after a ‘prodigal’ first year at university she came back to faith in a taxi after a night out with friends. After Lauren graduated, she launched a fashion brand, worked as a barista, and served as a Community and Youth Intern at Bestwood Park Church. From there she had a role with Transforming Notts Together helping local churches to develop social action in their communities. Lauren is passionate about people of all backgrounds encountering the loving power of God in both the extraordinary and the mundane. Lauren loves hot chocolate, deep conversations and eating good food with good friends. Lauren will serve her title in the Benefice of Lady Bay with Holme Pierrepont and Adbolton with the Revd Jonathan Mole. Watch here.
NIGEL STONES was born and grew up in Worksop, Nottinghamshire. He qualified as an Electrical Engineer after serving an engineering apprenticeship in the open cast mining industry where he stayed for 10 years, before becoming Engineer for a chemical recycling centre near Sheffield. He then became a Safety and Environmental Manager working for many years with an electrical equipment manufacturer based in Worksop. After 43 years in full time employment, Nigel took early retirement to train for ordained ministry with St Mellitus College, East Midlands. Nigel is married to Lianne, and they have been blessed with two children and four grandchildren, who are much loved and currently enjoying their school years. As well as spending time with the family, Nigel also enjoys the outdoors and learning to play his drum kit. He has been a Licensed Reader since October 2013, ministering and worshiping at St Anne’s church in Worksop. Nigel will serve his title with the Revd Dave Gough in the Benefice of Worksop St Anne and the Benefice of Norton-Cuckney. Read more.
DANIEL TSOI is of Chinese heritage and was born and raised in Hong Kong. He moved to England with his wife Tracey in 2004 to explore if God might be calling them to cross-cultural works. God has kept them in England and blessed them with a daughter Abigail who was born in Sheffield. The family moved to Nottingham in 2008. Daniel used to work for the NHS as a psychiatrist. To the surprise of many people, including himself, he sensed an unexpected but persistent call to ordained ministry through Holy Communion whilst on a retreat in an Anglican monastery. Since then, his life has changed considerably. He became an Anglican and assisted the ministry among Iranians at St Stephen’s, Hyson Green. He also recovered from a health challenge and finally started his ordination training. Daniel has spent the last three years doing a doctorate at Cranmer Hall, Durham, researching something close to his heart: Christians from a minority background and Holy Communion. He loves travelling and experiencing diverse cultures in the world God created. Besides Tracey and Abigail, Daniel also loves his cat, Sooty, and dog, Rocky. Daniel will serve his title post with the Revd Canon Steve Silvester in the Benefice of Nottingham St Nicholas. Read more.
CHARLOTTE TURNER was born and raised in Bushey, Hertfordshire and joined the Women’s Royal Naval Service upon leaving school. It was during her service that she met and married her husband Martin, also an Aircraft Engineer. They settled and raised their three children near Yeovilton in Somerset, during which time Charlotte worked within schools and church settings with children and young families. A move north to Nottinghamshire in 2015 started an exploration of a new place to settle and as it turned out, a call to ordained ministry and she started training at St Hild College in 2018. Charlotte loves to grow and care for all things and people; she has recently created a Japanese inspired garden where she loves to spend time. She is also delighted to be a new Grandma. Charlotte will serve her title post with the Revd Hazel Robinson in the Benefice of Annesley with Newstead & Kirkby Woodhouse. Read more.
JACOB TYERS was born and raised in Nottingham. He was brought up in church, but Jesus became real to him when he was 15. As part of his salvation story, during a walk in the park with his parents, he began to feel that he was not being called to live a ‘normal’ life, but that God was calling him to ministry. In 2016, he moved to Bournemouth where he studied Theology. In 2019 Jacob began to feel a call to ordained ministry in the Church of England and began the process of discernment. Jacob spent time at Trinity Church Nottingham, where he served the youth, before moving to St Wilfrid’s Church in Wilford. Jacob recently married Ellie and is a proud uncle to four gorgeous nephews. Two other loves of his life are playing golf (badly) and drinking coffee! Jacob will serve his title post with the Revd George White in the Benefice of Wilford.
LAURA WARD was born and bred in Nottingham. She always had a faith although did not attend church until her teens. In 1999 she moved to London to work as Cabin Crew for British Airways and at the same time met her husband, Paul, whom she married in 2005. Laura later studied Emergency Planning at university, and qualified as Complementary Therapist. Laura worked as a manager for the British Red Cross Emergency Response Team. Laura has always been involved in volunteer youth and community ministry and, following maternity leave, she worked as a Youth Leader at St Leonard’s Church, Wollaton, which is where she began to feel called to ordained ministry. Laura then worked as a Health and Pastoral Care Manager before stepping out to establish a social enterprise, Break the Chains. Laura is passionate about pastoral ministry, health, wellbeing and hospitality. She and Paul live with their two sons, Jacob 15, Aidan 12 and their Labrador Retriever, Elsa. In her spare time Laura enjoys walking, swimming, cycling, and spending time with friends and family. Laura will serve her title post with the Revd Rich Atkinson in the Benefice of Aspley and Benefice of Bilborough and Strelley.