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On Sunday, the Revd Liz Howlett was licensed by Bishop Karen as an Associate Priest in the Bride Valley Benefice, even though they were over 30 miles apart at the time.

Liz takes up the story:

"I live and work at the Othona Community near Burton Bradstock. I had been ordained and had worked for many years in the Birmingham diocese and came to live at Othona exactly a year ago.

"The licensing was due to take place at Litton Cheney, one of the churches in the Valley, but of course this wasn’t possible.

"I had begun to think that we would have to wait until after the coronavirus crisis had passed, so I was delighted when Bishop Karen sent an email to say that she wanted to licence me via Zoom!

"It all went very well, with the Bishop and the Revd Jane Williams the Rector linked in from their homes and, as you can see from the photo, I was able to sit in our chapel at Othona, alongside the other members of the core community.

"A number of folks from the local churches were able to connect with us through Zoom, plus some of my relatives too.

"I am joining the ministry team of Jane and Sue, another associate priest along with our readers James, Yvonne and Mike, and we are already keeping in weekly contact with one another through Zoom.

"But we all look forward to the time when we can reopen the church doors and welcome people in once again."

If you would like to find out more about the Othona Community that Liz belongs to, click here.