Sue Groom has been the Archdeacon of Wilts since 2016, having previously served in the dioceses of London and St Albans. She is stepping down in May to spend
time exploring the English waterways with her husband Phil, who has already retired. Find out more about her plans, and her reflections on her ministry here, in the Q&A below:
What has been the highlight of your ministry here?
I cannot think of one highlight. There have been several wonderful experiences: preaching at the cathedral for the ordinations in 2019 and giving the addresses in Holy Week in 2020 just after we’d gone into the first lockdown; commissioning Lay Worship Leaders and Lay Pastoral Assistants; seeing new clergy being welcomed into their parishes following vacancies; and travelling around the fantastic landscape of Wiltshire, catching glimpses of white horses and tanks as I go.
What will you miss most?
The warm welcome of the people of the parishes and the beautiful scenery of this part of Wiltshire. I will miss visiting different communities to lead them in prayer and worship week by week.
What are your plans for the next few years?
We intend to spend time aboard our narrowboat exploring the inland waterways. We also have a flat near Torquay so that I can swim in the sea and we can explore the coast of Devon and Cornwall.
What are your hopes for the Diocese and the wider Church over the next decade?
My hope for the people of this Diocese and the Church is that we would seek the Lord our God with all of our heart and all of our soul and all of our mind and all of our strength, and learn to love both God and our neighbours. I know that I still have a long way to go with this but I hope that over the next few years I will be able to spend more time in prayer.