Petertide Ordinations 2026 - Meet our new Deacons

Sean Barrington

I am Sean D. Barrington, I was born in Zimbabwe to a South African father and an English mother, in 1980 our family returned to South Africa. Baptised Anglican and confirmed Roman Catholic, I came to a living faith in my teens and was formed for many years within the Pentecostal tradition.

I am married to Stacey from Sunderland, and we have two children, Spencer aged 9 and Saige aged 5. I lived in England from 1999 to 2014 before spending six years back in South Africa.

In 2020 we sensed God calling us to return to the U.K., a call we followed with some reluctance but growing trust. I was drawn back into the life of the Church of England and felt the call to ministry in the Church of England; the breadth of its tradition has become a gift.

As a family, we look forward to serving in rural ministry and discovering how God will continue to shape and use us in this next chapter.

Sian Binley

My name is Sian and I live in Cambridge with my husband, 2 daughters, our excitable yellow Labrador, Fae and our 2 cats, Rory and Amber. Our eldest daughter is at University in Newcastle and our youngest has just finished her GCSEs at St Bedes in Cambridge. I have just finished working as a Database and Business Support Administrator at the Sanger Institute and am now very excited to be starting a new journey and serving my curacy in the wonderful Angelsey Group of Parishes just on the edge of Cambridge.

My journey has been interesting, not coming from a faith background, but coming to faith in my 30’s. At first I think I was reticent about faith, and I went to church, then fell away, then came back again – repeating this a few times! Finally, I stayed and it was whilst attending St John the Evangelist in Cambridge that I became a Pioneer Authorised Lay Minister and then I felt my call to ministry – which seemed so crazy!

I’m really looking forward to getting to know everyone in the Angelsey group and working to deepen all our faiths. I can’t wait to see what wonderful things are happening and getting involved as much as I can. I love being with people and growing relationships and am really looking forward to working with God’s people and seeing the journey He is taking us all on.

Sue Burgess

I am married to Jim, a farmer and we live on a farm with our two teenagers and our cockapoo, Darcy. I have always lived in Cambridgeshire, and before being called to ordination, I enjoyed a rich career as a nurse and then a podiatrist, running my own successful business for many years.

Coming from a non-faith family, I became a Christian as a teenager, after hearing the evangelist Billy Graham speak, and through my mum becoming a Christian. I have been blessed to worship in three evangelical and charismatic churches, each of which have helped shape a rich, living faith over many years.

Within these churches I have served in many areas of mission and outreach, but it is fair to say my call to ordained ministry was completely unexpected! It took me some time to recognise that this was where God was calling me. It has been a privilege to train at St Mellitus College and to experience a context-based training model. Balancing academic study, family life and serving as an ordinand in different placements has been interesting, challenging and deeply formational.

I am very much looking forward to serving my curacy in Wisbech, and hope that we will soon feel at home within the church family across the three churches. I am also excited to get to know the wider community and discover the opportunities God has for mission and ministry during my curacy.

Janine Hamilton

Janine Hamilton lives in Hemingford Abbots, Cambridgeshire and when ordained, will continue her ministry as part-time SSOM curate in her home parish of St Margaret of Antioch, Hemingford Abbots. She is married to David, has two adult daughters and a fox-red Labrador.

Janine has been studying part-time with ERMC. Her full-time day job is as Operations Manager for an Indian pharmaceutical company, Dr Reddy’s. She manages the health & safety and facilities of the research and development division based on the Cambridge Science Park.

In her spare time, Janine enjoys crafting, especially silk-painting and dressmaking. She also loves the theatre and visiting historic places and churches.

Becca Herrick

Becca is married and has three school-aged children. Her career has been varied so far, beginning as a scientist, and most recently working as an administrator for a team of churches. Alongside which she has been involved in several voluntary roles, often to do with supporting parents in their parenting journey.

Growing up in the West Country in a Christian family, Becca was baptised as an adult in Cambridge, where she came up to university. Staying in the area, Becca accidentally ended up in her local parish church two weeks after she married, and she and her family have been involved there ever since. Her call to ordained ministry has been a gradual one of God at work, as she's served in various roles within the parish.

Becca is looking forward to serving her curacy in the parishes of Grantchester and St Mark's, Newnham and to seeing where God leads her next.

Kate Pateman

I live with my husband Alan, our cats - Poppy and Bea, and our dog, Bilbo-Baggins, in Tydd St Giles, a village in the beautiful Cambridgeshire Fens. We have lived in Tydd (which is, arguably, the most northerly parish in Ely Diocese) for over thirty years, and it is here that I will be serving my curacy. We have one son, Miles, who is a priest in the Church in Wales.

I trained as an LLM with ERMC 2018-2020; one of the cohort whose training had to be completed on-line during the pandemic. Along with my fellow LLMs, I was licensed by Bishop Dagmar in October 2020 in a memorably cacophonous Zoom service!

Throughout my years as an LLM, the call to ordained ministry has been strong and would not be ignored (however hard I tried!). And so, here I am, ready for the next chapter in my life to begin.

Ben Phillips

I am Ben Phillips, training for ordained ministry in the Church of England at Cranmer Hall, Durham, and soon to be ordained to serve my curacy at Christ the Servant King (CSK), Hampton, in the Diocese of Ely.

Before training I worked as a Family Worker in the parish of Oakington, supporting children, young people and their families in faith and everyday life.

I am married with five children, and as a family (plus our parrot) we are excited about this next chapter of ministry. I enjoy exploring the Christian faith with others in ways that are accessible and relevant, and I am looking forward to sharing in God’s work at CSK, whose vision is “Connecting with Jesus… Making Him Known.”

Frankie Stead

I originally trained as a scientist and spent 30 years or so working as a geneticist before taking early retirement back in 2018.

I am coming to Ordination quite late in life, and have found myself in the lovely position of being able to give my time in God’s service. After a life of science, I have found studying theology quite different but extremely rewarding and am really looking forward to this new stage in my life as I move to my curacy in Godmanchester and Hilton.

I am married to Bob and we celebrate our 39th wedding anniversary this year. We have one daughter and 2 lovely grandchildren. When I am not working in church, as well as helping with my grandchildren, I enjoy playing folk music.

Archie Torbett

My name is Archie Torbett and I am married, to Elspeth. I grew up in Cambridge, where my involvement in church life led me into youth work, working with young people in my local area.

Before beginning training for ordained ministry, I worked full-time with a church plant in Cambridge, supporting the life and ministry of the church and helping to manage a community food hub serving local people.

I trained for ministry at Trinity College Bristol, where my sense of calling to parish ministry continued to grow.

Outside of church life I enjoy aviation, sport and spending time in nature.

I am really looking forward to serving my curacy at St Mary’s Ely.