The Diocese of Oxford is delighted to announce the appointment of the Revd Amy Cavender as the new Area Director of Ordinands (ADO) for Buckingham.
Amy will support people across the Buckingham Area as they explore their vocation to ordained ministry, journeying with them as they discern where God may be calling them and supporting them through the discernment process.
Amy was ordained in the Diocese of Oxford in 2019 and has served in churches in Reading and rural Berkshire since then. She has also been part of the Berkshire/Oxford vocations team for the last few years.
Before ordination, Amy worked in disaster response, including in contexts affected by violence and earthquakes. She describes her own vocation as having taken many different forms, including through adoption, disability, grief, illness and creativity, as well as through her calling as an advocate, priest and mother.
Speaking about her appointment, Amy said:
“I was born in Bristol 52 years ago and over the years have found I am no stranger to hiding in the belly of a whale or running to the far side of the earth to try to escape God’s plans, yet he has continued to call me even within my poor exit strategies: as a friend, as a wife, through through floods and strife as someone who tries to pray.
“Perhaps the breadth of my own vocation is why I’m especially excited about the role I’ve been offered as Area Director of Ordinands for Buckingham. I think it’s probably vital we challenge each other to step out in faith into all shapes of mission, that we might become God’s promised land for the people we meet in each new day.
“I love sitting with people to explore how Jesus is with them along life’s wild paths, looking at the purpose of our existence.”
Amy is particularly drawn to the Christian mystics, silence and the “gift of a messy family life”.
She added:
“Please pray for me if you’d like, that I might seek the kingdom with all my being so that I might be a blessing to those I live and work with in this new season.”
If you're feeling called to explore ordination, Amy and the Vocations team can help. Find out more on the dedicated webpages.