Ministry Team Letter for the Month

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​Hello,

 

Please let me introduce myself. My name is Shelma Vaughan and I am the new curate here in Wareham. Within a short time of hearing me speak, you will probably be able to tell that I'm not from round here. In fact, I originally come from a small market town called Ormskirk, in southwest Lancashire. I left there at 19 to go to Manchester, where I trained to be a nurse and then subsequently a midwife. I also discovered that I am not a city girl at heart! But, because God had called me to live and work there, I stayed.

 

Then, ten years later, a friend and I went on a coach tour of Italy. Also on that trip, was a Welshman, Perry, who lived in Poole. By the end of the holiday, he had swept me off my feet and a few weeks later we were engaged. Within nine months of meeting, we were married and living in Broadstone!

 

Once settled in Dorset, I started working as a theatre nurse at Wimborne hospital, becoming the junior sister. Then our three children came along, and I became a full-time mum to Rhodri, Myfanwy and Bryn, until they were all at senior school when I returned to theatres, now at the Harbour Hospital, in Poole.

 

In 2015 we felt that God wanted us to move to a different church and, much to our surprise, as we are from NonConformist backgrounds, he eventually led us to Christ Church, Creekmoor. Before I knew it, I was on the Parochial Church Council and, a year later, became a churchwarden. This was a steep learning curve for me as I had no idea how the Church of England worked but, fortunately, I had a lot of people to guide me in the right direction.

 

Then, one Sunday evening in October, God decided to drop an even bigger bombshell. As the vicar prepared the altar for communion, God said, ‘That is what I have called you to do.’ Not being a great visionary or anything, I was rather taken aback! My first reaction was to say, ‘Lord? Me? Are you sure?’ Then, just in case he was, I asked him to make it clear that it was what he wanted and not just a figment of my crazed imagination.

 

As you’ve probably guessed, that is precisely what he did – repeatedly. I couldn’t move for people telling me I should be a vicar, or giving me Scriptures to read, or telling me of visions they’d had for me. Eventually, on another Sunday evening, the service leader said, ‘God is saying to someone here that they should just do it!’ The words hit me with such force that I knew I was the someone in question.

 

Well, even I can take a hint! So that was how I started the journey to curacy here in Wareham. I look forward to getting to know you all as we adventure together over these next few years and I am excited to see what else God has got up his sleeve for us all,

 

Shelma