“The service will be wonderful. I’m looking forward to the moment the names are called and the room answers with noise: footsteps, applause, a catch in the throat, a laugh that escapes at the wrong time. I love watching someone walk from seat to aisle, from “maybe” to “yes.” In 2024, I led the service, and I still carry one scene: the cathedral breathed as one body while we prayed, then exhaled, and, as some will remember, walked several miles in celebration! This year, I want that again, hands raised, heads bowed, hearts steady, welcoming new evangelists into a life that won’t let the Gospel stay put.

Church Army goes where the maps fade. It sends people to the doorstep, the park bench, the ward corridor, the foodbank queue, the job centre, the youth club, the streets after dark. Support turns calling into training; training into presence; presence into friendship; friendship into the kind of conversation where Jesus can be named without shame and without fuss. And if we’re honest, many of us cheer evangelism in theory, then forget to fuel it in practice. Supporting Church Army is my way of putting my money where my prayers already are.

Church Army Evangelists are so important because Christ meets people where they stand. Commissioned evangelists build small bridges, between Church and estate, pulpit and kitchen table, tradition and Tuesday. They listen long, speak plain, show up again. They start gatherings that fit a life: a café table becomes a chapel; a walk becomes a liturgy; a phone call becomes a lifeline. They serve people others pass by, and they help the whole Church relearn the simple move of mission: go, notice, stay, invite. In a time of noise and loneliness, we need witnesses who carry hope in their pockets and put it, gently, into someone else’s hand.“

“Our Admitting and Commissioning service is such a highlight of the year, and we can’t wait to celebrate with Anjela, Donna, Jon and Phil. This day marks the culmination of years spent discerning their vocation and undergoing formative training to be ministers in the Church of England.

During their time with us, we refer to our students as Evangelists-in-Training. That’s because they’ve already been called and equipped by God to be Evangelists when they arrive! While with Church Army, they deepen their faith as disciples of Christ, explore their vocation within both our organisation and the Anglican church, and refine their skills as Pioneering Evangelists.

Many of our Evangelists being Admitted and Commissioned have also achieved a Diploma or Certificate of Higher Education in Theology, Mission and Ministry, accredited by Durham University through the Church of England’s Common Awards. This accomplishment is a testament to their dedication to growing in knowledge and understanding of what it truly means to be an Evangelist.

We’re excited to celebrate this wonderful occasion together as a family. It’s a day to honour their journeys and witness the incredible impact they’ll continue to have in their mission.”