New Gaywood St Faith's Church rector Rev Kyla Sorensen ‘looking forward to learning about community’
A new chapter in the life, worship and mission of St Faith’s Anglican and Methodist Church at Gaywood began this week with the official welcome of new rector, Rev Kyla Sorensen.
And the Rev Sorensen was the first new incumbent appointed within the Lynn Archdeaconry to swear the Oath of Allegiance to His Majesty King Charles the Third, his heirs and successors.
In a service on Tuesday evening full of ceremony and liturgical symbolism, Rev Sorensen was formally instituted by the Bishop of Lynn, Rt Rev Dr Jane Steen and inducted and installed by the Acting Archdeacon of Lynn, Rev Canon Sally Theakston.
Borough deputy mayor Margaret Wilkinson and her consort Dawn Leigh led representatives from the wider community who attended the service. Members of clergy from the Lynn deanery, including chaplains from the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, were also among those at the service.
Rev Sorensen and her landscape gardener husband Peter have moved into Gaywood Rectory next to the church. Rev Sorensen’s first official Sunday as rector will be this Sunday when it will be a celebration of Harvest Festival starting at 9.45am.
The new rector comes to Gaywood after serving her curacy at Watton and people from her previous parish of Watton attended Tuesday’s service.
She has said she is very excited to become part of the well-established Local Ecumenical Partnership (LEP) with Methodists and building on the near-50 years of shared experiences between Anglicans and Methodists at Gaywood.
Rev Sorensen will lead the congregation in ministry and mission alongside Methodist minister, Rev Robert Roberts and team vicar, Rev Karlene Kerr.
A graduate in languages and theology, Rev Sorensen’s working life before ordination has taken her all over the world in a number of different sectors, including publishing, hospitality and aviation.
In her new role as rector of St Faith’s, Rev Sorensen said: “There is much learning and listening to do together as we seek to live out the Gospel message in our neighbourhood.”
She added: “I am very much looking forward to finding out more about the partnerships between church and community in Gaywood.”
The Bishop of Lynn will be returning to St Faith’s Church tonight when she will officially license Rev Kerr as the new rural dean of the Lynn Deanery. Rev Kerr will continue in her existing role as team vicar of St Faith’s. She has been acting rector during the period of vacancy at St Faith’s.
