Gareth is to be ordained as a deacon on Sunday 26 June and will serve his curacy at St.Matthew's, Wolverhampton.
Gareth is from Wolverhampton and will be moving across the city for his curacy at St Matthew's. For the last few years he's been involved in leading worship and small groups at church alongside his training. He's married to Gemma who is a secondary school RE teacher. Their son, Isaac, is two.
Discipleship is really important to Gareth. He would like to help others to grow in Christ and discover more of who they are called to be. Having been openly Christian in the workplace, he feels that God might be calling him to encourage people who are in secular employment to share their faith in appropriate ways.
Since Gareth started training, people have tended to assume that he knows the answer to everything. Instead, he has a lot more questions! Having said that, he has learnt a great deal during the process, especially about himself.
Gareth had a number of roles before he started training. In church, he had paid and voluntary roles as communications coordinator and youth worker. In secular employment, he's worked in hospitality and retail management, and for a disability charity. Mostly he has been trying to discern who God is calling him to be - mostly it's been fun. He's met a lot of great people along the way.
For anyone exploring God's call, he would advise starting by considering who God has made you to be. What makes you tick? What gives you joy? Look for opportunities which will allow you to be yourself with authenticity. There are wise people around who can help you to explore options.