New Team Vicar for Great Yarmouth parish

Rev Ashley Hines will be moving to the Yarmouth area in the autumn to become the new Team Vicar for the Great Yarmouth parish.

Ashley left school to begin nursing training but, over the years, has been a dinner lady, factory worker, and school cleaner.
 
Ashley says “When God called me to ministry in 2011, I thought he must have a sense of humour - I am neither middle class, educated, nor male, all qualities that I believed you needed to be a vicar! Well, how wrong I was, and here I am living proof at the age of 57 that if God calls, he will equip you to do the work he has planned for you.”
 
She began theological training at Queens ecumenical college in 2011 and gained a BA in Theology in 2017. She says it was hard work studying part-time and working four part time jobs as well as raising a family, but she did it with God’s help.
 
Ashley, right, currently serves in the benefice of Alrewas, Fradley, and Wychnor, leading worship, supporting the Little Fishes preschool and participating in the sacramental side of ministry. She is married to Roger, with one daughter and son-in-law, three sons, a daughter-in–law, and three grandchildren, one of whom is mixed race, his mum is Japanese.
 
So, why did Ashley choose to come to Great Yarmouth?
“Firstly you have a beautiful beach and, of course, the sea” she explained. “Secondly working in Great Yarmouth is where God called me to be. You have a wonderful history and a story to tell. Working with you all will enable me to use the gifts that I have been given by God. I do not judge anybody for who they are, or where they have come from. We are created by God and have a unique story to tell.
 
“I hope that by walking together I will be able to help those in need find their own identity and not the one given to them by society. I want to help the people of Great Yarmouth tell their stories to others so that we can become a community of God. In return I ask that you forgive me my mistakes, support me as I support you, and that together we will begin to be all we are called to be.”
 
Ashley will be working with the Great Yarmouth Ministry Team, based at Yarmouth Minster, pictured above, picture courtesy of www.norfolkchurches.co.uk.

This appointment is not connected in any way to St Andrew's church in Gorleston which we stated in an earlier version of this article. We are sorry for this error.

This story is based on an article in Network Yarmouth.

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