Translation form

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Rt Revd Cherry Vann

"As a child who was intensely shy, deeply introverted and hated the limelight, I was probably one of the least likely of people to become a priest, never mind a bishop. But God has God’s ways of leading us to where God wants us to be and shaping us for the work God wants us to fulfil."

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I can’t remember a time when I didn’t believe in God. I was blessed to be taken to church from my earliest years and joined the choir as a youngster. I loved the music and the drama of the Eucharist through which God shaped and nurtured my faith.My parish priest was a saintly man with a deeply pastoral heart who encouraged me in my faith and my Christian life. I grew up in a rural village where my parents gave me a love and appreciation of God’s creation and encouraged me to grow things in a patch of garden of my own. As a child, I found God in music, in worship and in the countryside around me.At 18 I went to study in London and met others from very different church traditions who challenged my understanding of the Christian faith. I began to learn that it’s through our doubts and questions that we learn new things about God. God never lets us go, even through the darkest times.I have always known myself loved by God, despite being told by the church that being lesbian is a sin. It is through loving and committed relationships that God has taught me so much. I have learnt to love even the parts of me that are the most unloveable; as God loves me. Through this I have discovered God’s healing and wholeness.As a child who was intensely shy, deeply introverted and hated the limelight, I was probably one of the least likely of people to become a priest, never mind a bishop. But God has God’s ways of leading us to where God wants us to be and shaping us for the work God wants us to fulfil.