She said, “I’d recognised God call to his service from my childhood; therefore, I was open to any opportunity to participate in church activities and explore more about God. My upbringing in the Assyrian church gave me a strong foundation, and my priest there always encouraged my faith, and allowed me to speak in his church, though it was not part of any formal ministry structure.

“Annie encouraged me to think about becoming a lay minister, and I have been preaching, reading and helping with children’s work, as well as being involved with healing services. I managed to get onto the course to become a lay minister to learn more about God and serving people.”

“The course at Sarum College has been fantastic. I already had some confidence in my knowledge of the Bible, but it has helped to go deeper and discover other people’s perspectives. The group of students is like a family, and it’s wonderful to share our experiences and contexts.”

“One of the beautiful things about being here is the rich diversity of the Church of England, where people from so many different backgrounds come together to share the love of God which I experienced differently in Iran.”

Elena will continue to volunteer in lay ministry at St Luke’s after her licensing in our cathedral by the bishop on June 20.