I was ordained as a minister of the Methodist Church in 2005 having served two years as a probationer (trainee) minister. The Methodist Church tries to be as inclusive as possible reflecting the breadth and diversity of its membership.
I bring this experience and perspective into my role as coordinating chaplain at City. Growing up as a Christian and then accepting myself as a gay man, I have experienced that feeling of not quite fitting in or being entirely acceptable on two fronts as people make all manner of assumptions about your beliefs and lifestyle. It's why our chaplaincy strap line 'Welcoming EVERY faith, belief and culture' is so crucial to our work. No one is excluded from our life and work in the chaplaincy and it's a joy and privilege to share with people from all different walks of life, those who share my beliefs, those who have different beliefs and those who disagree entirely with my world view.
I also have the privilege of working with some amazing people in other parts of the university to ensure we build a positive and vibrant community together. City is a profoundly rich and diverse community and we should celebrate our diversity. in my view, it's not enough to show tolerance to one another - we need to go the extra mile to understand each other and respect each other for who we are rather than who we want each other to be.
Revd Ian Worsfold - Coordinating Chaplain