Welcome to Jo MerrygoldWe are looking forward to welcoming Jo Merrygold to our Synod, as she takes up the new post of Mission & Development Enabler.
Born in the early 80’s, Jo grew up in East Devon with her extended family. On leaving college she spent 18 months trying to sell cars before going to university in Manchester. It was in Manchester that her faith came alive and she became heavily involved in the chaplaincy and church life which built on her earlier experiences at the local United Reformed Church in Devon.
While in Manchester Jo became co-ordinator of the chaplaincy society and student representative to the Ecumenical Church Council. It was during this time that she was baptised and confirmed into membership of the Church; and she also took initial steps in leading worship, and in engaging in faith through theological reflection and social justice and activism. She looks back on this as a time where things came to life and transformed the way she thought about and engaged with all aspects of life.
On leaving university, Jo took time to discern how best to take further what she had gained from her time in the chaplaincy. This led to her becoming involved in the Student Christian Movement, the national body for the student group she had been involved with. She also spent six months living amongst a group of Anglican sisters in a convent in Birmingham. Both these voluntary roles were combined with working for the Community Safety Partnership which provided a solid grounding in community engagement.
These combined experiences led to a passion for community support in their great diversity. And before long the opportunity arose to combine these passions; for communities, active engagement in faith and encouraging others to engage more in the Bible and our ongoing relationship with Jesus. Jo took on the role of Links Worker with the Student Christian Movement, which enabled her to do all these things and more. The role involved working with student groups and chaplaincies across the UK to support them and help them grow within their own context.
More recently Jo has been leading an interesting church project in Birmingham at Carrs Lane United Reformed Church. As part of its exploration of new ways to be church, a lay residential community was launched. Jo was invited to create and lead that project and has been doing this for the last two and a half years. She has also been working voluntarily as a part-time university chaplain, and has also been heavily involved with the City Centre Churches Together Group. She has particularly enjoyed projects on interfaith development, prayer and worship resources, web design and other creative activities. She has also run retreats, conferences, workshops and training on a variety of themes and greatly enjoys the opportunity to share with others through such events.
She also values the opportunity to share in worship whether as leader or participant. She relishes alternative and creative expressions of worship as much as the traditional and more familiar. She is a Methodist Local Preacher and is currently working towards full recognition in the URC. She also enjoys engaging in faith development and exploration, especially when linking such growth with creativity.
Jo also enjoys swimming, travelling (especially around the UK) and spending time with friends. She can frequently be found sitting in her rocking chair and listening to radio 4. She is a prolific knitter and it’s almost impossible to find her without a pair of socks on the go. She tell us that she is looking forward to getting stuck into her new role and getting to know the people and environments which make the North East such a special region.
will be held at St James's Church, Northumberland Road, Newcastle NE1 8JF led by Revd Rowena Francis - preacher: Revd Terry Oakley all are welcome: for catering purposes please send numbers asap |