On 26th February in St Saviour’s Cathedral Bishop Mark ordained four new priests and two deacons. Bishop Carol, who is also Director of Ordination, preached to those gathered saying:
‘Being called by God to ministry is both a wonderful privilege and serious responsibility. A deacon or priest in the Church of God must be called by God to that ministry, and this call attested to by the wider church and confirmed by the Bishop.
…
In the choosing of Matthias, we see that the first apostles trusted in God to guide them, relying on prayer, agreed criteria and shared wisdom in their choice of a new apostle. As they prayed, discussed and discerned, the clear call of God became evident and Matthias was chosen.
In our Gospel reading, Jesus told his disciples ‘You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit’. While the apostles certainly did some work on the ground, ultimately the decision belonged to Jesus.
In our own selection of ministers, we value the same things. Our discernment process trusts God to guide us. It is steeped in prayer. Agreed criteria are taken from the Scriptures and there is shared wisdom between the church, a group of mature and dedicated advisors, and the bishops. Ultimately though, as with Matthias, the decision belongs to Jesus.’
We’ve included a biography supplied by each ordinand so you can get to know who they are and how they came to enter ordained ministry.
MEET THE NEW DEACONS
WENDY ROBERTSON
Wendy is happily married to Lachlan and has four school-aged daughters Isla, Lainie, Tahli and Estelle. She grew up in Canberra (Belco girl!) and married an ADFA boy. She has worked as a registered nurse in the many different locations that the Army has taken the family. She has been an active member of lots of different churches, served in a variety of roles, and has found people who love Jesus everywhere!
During a posting to Fiji in 2013- 2016, she helped with hospital chaplaincy at Colonial War Memorial Hospital in Suva and ‘came alive’. Chaplaincy was the way she could best care for people.
A move to Missouri, and studies in ministry (chaplaincy) began. She was fortunate to be able to interact with and learn from military chaplains as she trained for ministry.
Moving to Canberra in 2019, she completed a MA (theology) and thoroughly loved the learning environment at St Mark’s.
In January 2021, Wendy started work at Holy Covenant Jamison as a community chaplain and as a student in the pastoral care team at Calvary Hospital.
This year she is working in chaplaincy in a variety of areas – hospital, community and military soon to follow. Wendy is passionate about her call to chaplaincy, to meet people ‘where they are at’ and be a conduit of the care and love of God.
KIM HOEY
Kim was born in Glen Innes NSW, to farming parents, but spent most of her youth years in far North Queensland. She went to boarding school (New England Girls School (NEGS) & Somerville House) where she was introduced to God and church, and what it was to be part of a church family. After school Kim worked in the travel industry for a few years before deciding she had to get a ‘real’ job which brought her back to Armidale and the University of New England, where she studied to be a primary teacher.
She returned to NEGS as a boarding mistress where the school chaplain, Reverend Andrew Dirks, encouraged her to take on a greater leadership role within the school’s worship, which she did. Teaching brought Kim to the Riverina area where she taught at Yerong Creek, and from there was principal at Wee Jasper and Nangus. Kim married her husband, Phil, whose lifetime career was as a paramedic – now retired. They have two girls; Eleanor is now 18 and Katherine is 15. It was important to Kim to be at home with her girls in their years before school.
Having children and a desire for them to know God as she too had come to know God, brought Kim and the girls to St John’s, Wagga Wagga. Once the girls were both at school, Kim returned to teaching on a casual on-call basis. While doing this, the position in the office at the Anglican Parish of Wagga Wagga became available and it was heaven sent. It was perfect for Kim and her family. While she may have begun in this position as strictly administration, the position has grown considerably into much more than that. Kim is an integral part of the ministry team at Wagga Anglican and coming to ‘work’ is a blessing and a joy each and every day.
Many have encouraged and supported Kim on this journey; her faith family at Wagga Anglican and those who have led her in that place. Kim thanks God for this opportunity and is excited about what the future holds.
MEET THE PRIESTS
VICKI HANCOCK
Vicki was born in Lismore, NSW, the youngest of three children. She became a Christian in 1978 and married Tony in 1983. They moved to Canberra in 1985 and then to Wagga Wagga in 1988. During 1988 their son Ben was born, Amie followed in 1991 and Sara was born in 1994.
During 1992, Vicki made her Cursillo, which was an important event in her life. In early 2000 she completed a four-year Education for Ministry course. While working at St John’s Anglican Church in Wagga Wagga, Vicki attended her first Synod and during this weekend felt a strong call to Ministry.
In 2010 Vicki started studying at Charles Sturt University and this study has continued over the years. In 2012 Vicki and family moved to Tathra to manage Wambiri for a few years and then they moved to Gladstone, QLD, where she was ordained as a Deacon on 6 May 2015.
After serving in the Rockhampton Diocese they moved to Goulburn where Vicki has held a position of Chaplain to The Salvation Army, Gill Waminda Aged Care since 2016. Vicki has also served in the Cartwright Mission District at St Edmund’s Gunning as a Deacon during this time.
KAY PENDLEBURY
Kay was made deacon in St Saviour’s Cathedral on St Matthias Day in 2018. Since then she has held the position of Deacon Assist at St Paul’s Manuka, and locum chaplain to two of Anglicare’s retirement villages. She is a graduate of St Mark’s Canberra, with an academic background which includes a Masters Degree in Economics and a Graduate Diploma in Asian Studies (Sanskrit). Her employment background is tutoring and lecturing in Economics, and (after children) a Hansard reporter in the Commonwealth parliament.
Kay grew up a cradle Anglican in Bunbury, Western Australia, where she attended Sunday school in a little church only a few doors up (St David’s), was confirmed at the Pro- Cathedral St Paul’s, and worshipped as a young adult at the newly built St Boniface Cathedral. As a child she was ‘converted’ by the sense of spaciousness in worship, and the beauty of the music and liturgy.
Kay and her husband, Terry, and their two daughters (soon to be three) moved to Canberra in the 1980s and began worshiping at St Luke’s in Deakin. She joined the bell ringing band at St Clement’s in Yass, and also at St Saviour’s in Goulburn. In 2003 when St Paul’s Manuka installed a ring of bells, she began ringing and worshiping there. Kay joined the EfM group, and began to serve in the sanctuary. She was encouraged to seek a conversation about ordination by a priest friend over a period of three weeks as they rode their bicycles along the 1,000km of the Munda Biddi Track in Western Australia.
Kay’s ministry at St Paul’s includes serving in the liturgy, mentoring the EfM group, facilitating the pastoral care team, visiting parishioners unable to attend church, preparing families for infant baptism, looking after the succulent garden, supervising the young singers in the Junior Choir, and generally hanging around the office and vestry. She preaches on occasion, and writes the odd article for the E-pistle. Unfortunately, she rarely gets into the bell tower these days.
CRAIG ROGERS
Craig is married to Sharon and they have two adult sons, Iain and Seamus. He grew up in Sydney’s north and has fond memories of a childhood living close to the bush. Craig’s earliest memories of church are of Sunday School and the traditional family service at St Peter’s Anglican, in Hornsby. Craig trained as a Navy aviation technician and served at sea and ashore over a twenty-year career, before moving to Wagga Wagga to become a civilian trade trainer at the RAAF School of Technical Training.
The move to Wagga coincided with a reconnection with church life, and over the next two decades he was involved in Bible studies, pastoral care, men’s ministry and as part of the music team. After completing the BTh part-time through St Mark’s, Craig was ordained deacon in 2019 and served two years as Honorary Deacon Assistant at South Wagga Anglican Church.
Craig feels a strong calling to ministry to the elderly, and in early 2021, Craig was appointed as the Anglican Chaplain and member of the pastoral care team at The Forrest Centre’s residential aged care facilities. Craig is now part of the ministry team of the Wagga parish, and enjoys the diversity of worship styles and ministries the parish offers, as well as the supportive team environment.
BYRON STEELE
Byron grew up in Canberra until his parents’ call to overseas ministry. This saw Byron spend his High School years in Portugal in Europe before returning to Australia in 1997.
In 1999 Byron joined the Royal Australian Navy as an Aircraft Maintenance Technician – Avionics, serving in Australia and overseas in a variety of roles. During this time, he experienced the impact of both the presence and absence of good Chaplains and witnessed the difference they can make to individuals and to an entire ship’s company.
While posted to the Navy’s Technical Training Faculty near Melbourne, Byron was challenged to serve God as a Navy Chaplain and was officially accepted as an in-service trainee in 2017.
With a denominationally diverse background due to his parent’s ministry, Byron has been involved in church music since his teens. This developed into gaining experience in a wide variety of church and para-church roles including involvement with IFES in Portugal, youth group and music team leadership, public event coordination, and Parish Council.
Completing theological training at St Mark’s National Theological Centre in 2020, Byron is currently enjoying a two-year placement at Gungahlin Anglican Church where he worships with his wife Meredith and their two sons Lachlan and Caelan.
