The Diocese of Leeds’s Facebook page introduces Anthony Bennett.
Having moved up to West Yorkshire 20 years ago, I now live in Oxenhope with my wife Sam and two daughters, Amy and Zoe. I met Sam 30 years ago when we were both students at Sheffield University.
I studied Natural Environmental Science and went on to further study at Cranfield University before starting work in the water industry designing and commissioning systems to treat water for various industries.
After Zoe was born in 2000, I started to work for myself, doing some water consultancy work and writing for magazines and journals about environmental issues.
I also became a school governor and then served as chair of governors in two Church of England schools within Bradford.
It was during that work that I first heard the calling to ordained ministry. I started explorations in 2014 after a profound spiritual experience climbing Kilimanjaro. I had got altitude sickness, but a good friend helped me to the summit and got me down off the mountain safely, exclaiming that I had ‘important work to do in the Church!”
Having completed two years of the diocese’s foundation course in theology, ministry and mission, I was recommended for ordination training and started at St Mellitus College in 2017, where I have been studying their full-time contextualised course.
The course has combined academic study at Liverpool Cathedral each week, alongside a long-term placement in the Parish of Keighley. I am very much looking forward to taking up my role as Assistant Curate in the parishes of Haworth and Cross Roads-cum-Lees, following my ordination as deacon in June.
Please pray for Anthony and all those being ordained over the next six weeks. Our deacons will be ordained at Wakefield Cathedral on 29 June.
