A special licencing service was recently held in the chapel at Launde Abbey for the Revd Debbie Smith, as she joined the Community and College of Chaplains at the Abbey as their new Resident Chaplain.
The Venerable Richard Tretheway, Archdeacon of Leicester, presided over the act of licencing during worship attended by residential guests, Companions, Friends, Trustees, and the Launde Abbey Community and staff.
Revd Debbie has joined the Launde Community alongside her husband Andrew.
Talking about her understanding of her calling to be Resident Chaplain at Launde Abbey, Debbie said: “Simply to be present as part of the Launde community and, where appropriate, to invest my gifts and experience.
“At the heart of my calling is building relationships, exploring life and spirituality in a way that models the life of Jesus and blesses others; accepting people wherever they are on life’s journey.”
She added: “My approach to ministry is living in ‘The Story’ and living out ‘The Story of the Gospel’. This involves connecting The Story of the Gospel with the story of individuals, their families, and communities, together with my own story, which enables and sustains people to encounter God through word, prayer, and sacrament.
“I seek to be a signpost to God and to make my own often-limited love the gateway for the unconditional love of God, often experienced as ‘holy ground’, where God is tangibly present in moments difficult to describe. I thrive when I am part of a team where there is shared vision and direction. It is a ‘gift’ to be at Launde and to be part of what God is doing here.”
