God’s Vinyard
What, barren here! in this so good a soil?
The sight of this doth make God’s heart recoil
From giving thee his blessing; barren tree,
Bear fruit, or else thine end will cursed be!
Art thou not planted by the water-side?
Know’st not thy Lord by fruit is glorified?
The sentence is, Cut down the barren tree:
Bear fruit, or else thine end will cursed be.
John Bunyan
Perhaps what you need to consider is if your calling is to the wider Church of God or if it is specifically to the Anglican corner of the vineyard? If you are content that it is the former, you could follow the route Fr David suggests.
Rev. Martin Short & Rev. Canon Anthony Oehring
Not long after speaking to Rev. Don, I also emailed Rev. Martin Short, who I used to work with at the Chaplaincy of Canterbury Cathedral when I worked with The Scrine Foundation between 2003-2009 as an ongoing relationship. He also thought the Bishop’s certificate, as Rev. Don suggested, might be a way forward. Martin confirmed that he would help in any way he could.
I should say Rev. Martin is a lovely man, and I have known him specifically since he had been the principal liaison when communicating with the office of Archbishop Rowan Williams, who was the Patron of the charity in Canterbury. I would typically meet with them both on Christmas Day, when ++Rowan would come to the homeless projects I managed to spend time with, listening and talking to homeless people.
Martin also advised me to get back in touch with the Rev Canon Anthony Oehring, the former parish vicar of St Mary of Charity, Faversham, where I used to live. Tony confirmed that he would help in any way he could.
So this seemed like a way forward in pursuing Christchurch and providing Fr. David with the reference contacts he had said he needed. The most significant point he wrote was:
Perhaps what you need to consider is if your calling is to the wider Church of God or if it is specifically to the Anglican corner of the vineyard? If you are content that it is the former, you could follow the route Fr David suggests. When you return to the UK, there is nothing to stop you from enquiring about the process for translating a recognised ministry from one indigenous local context to another.
About Rev Lloyd Hobbard-Mitchell
Rev. Lloyd Hobbard-Mitchell, an Englishman deeply connected to Thailand, was ordained to the Sacred Priesthood on 28th May 2023.
In addition to his religious journey, he has worked as an online English teacher and pursued a career as an artist. He has also operated a tour desk business with his wife within international brand hotels.
Lloyd has extensive experience in the voluntary sector, specifically in addressing homelessness and social welfare.
He is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and embraces opportunities to meet new people, see new places, explore cultural similarities, and celebrate differences.
