Deputy Warden of the Methodist Diaconal Order Welcomed
26 November 2024
Michelle Legumi has been welcomed as Deputy Warden of the Methodist Diaconal Order in a service held at Methodist Church House on Wednesday 20 November.
In this blog she shares a little of the journey that led to the new role along with her hopes and expectations.
"Becoming part of the diaconal order wasn’t really a decision, rather a deep sense within me that there was a pull to something beyond what I was doing and being."
Michaela Youngson - Assistant Secretary of the Conference, Michelle Legumi - Deputy Warden of the Methodist Diaconal Order; Karen McBride - Warden of the Methodist Diaconal Order; The Revd Dr Jonathan Hustler - The Secretary of the Conference
I made a personal response to follow God’s will for my life when I was 15. I am SO thankful to the faithfulness of a lady called Mary who lived out & shared the gospel with and nurtured a whole group of young people in the faith, including myself – and most importantly she expressed the unconditional love of God towards us.
I became a Methodist when I took on the role of lay worker in a Methodist Church in Bath at age 30. Prior to that, I had just been part of the nearest church to where I lived, regardless of the denomination. It wasn’t a decision to become a Methodist, Methodism found me! Seeds were sewn before this in Sheffield, where I was nursing, where I attended a conference at which Inderjit Bhogal was speaking. He spoke about a ‘table for all’. This deeply connected with my understanding of God, mission and ministry. I seemed to glide into a commitment to the Methodist Church. It was where I found a sense of home and connection with my soul.
It was during my time as a lay worker that I pushed at doors in terms of discerning vocation, which led me to be a part of Foundation Training, set up to help those discerning a call to ordained ministry. I really didn’t know what I was offering for, just that there was something God was walking me towards
I didn’t know much about deacons back then but, as I met more of them, there was something about their ministry that resonated with me deep inside! I have a passion for contextual mission, growing community, looking to create a sense of belonging amongst those who are overlooked; a desire for people to know they are loved and to live in a way to call the whole Church to diaconal ministry. I heard the same kind of language from those deacons I spoke with.
"The Diaconal Order are united in our ‘doing’ as we are called and ordained to live out, through word and action, the servant ministry of Jesus. We are attentive to those who are being excluded or discriminated against, and work to bring change within the Church, at local, community and societal level."
As Deputy Warden, I will be working closely with Karen McBride, Warden of the Order. We will walk alongside deacons at their different stages of discernment, life and ministry, through candidating, probation, ordination, stationing and those who have ceased to be itinerant and become supernumery. We will work together, along with others, to discern where God is leading us at this time as a Religious Order, and our role within the Methodist Church and the wider world.
At times over these past few months I have felt terrified at the prospect of becoming Deputy Warden! Yet I have sensed that I am called to do this at this time. It really feels like that. I have been using the phrase, ‘for such a time as this’ so I am trusting that no matter how inadequate I may sometimes feel, God has called me into this role. During my wrestling with whether to apply for the post, I really identified with Moses who focused upon all the reasons why he couldn’t do what God was asking of him. But in the first instance God had promised to be with him – he seemed to underestimate the power of this fact, rather he was overtaken by fear as he focused upon his inadequacies!
Michelle Legumi - Deputy Warden of the Methodist Diaconal Order; Karen McBride -Warden of the Methodist Diaconal Order; Adeola Awojobi - PA to the Diaconal Order
I take on this role believing that I will be given all that I need to carry out my duties to the best of my ability, and in ways which enable the Order to continue to grow and to walk into all that God has for us. I do feel excited, privileged and humbled. There is much to learn, and in time I believe that I will come to more fully inhabit this role.
As deacons, we will continue to seek God together, with others and intentionally listen to the Spirit in terms of development and direction.