New minister for Rochdale Unitarian Church

Rev Shammy Webster, the new minister for Rochdale Unitarian Church

Rev Shammy Webster will be welcomed as the new minister of Rochdale Unitarians when she leads worship for the first time at 10.30am on Sunday 7 September.

Rev Webster completed her BA in Contextual Theology at Unitarian College Manchester, which is a member of the Partnership for Theological Education based at Luther King House. As part of her training for ministry, Rev Webster spent nine months at Rochdale Unitarians as a student minister shadowing the previous minister, Rev Gillian Peel, who retired in 2013.

Prior to starting her ministerial training, Rev Webster was Worship Leader of Unitarian New Chapel, Denton, and had careers in both retail and banking management.

Originally from south east London, Rev Webster moved to the north west in 2002 to join her partner, Pat, to whom she has been married for eleven years.

Looking forward to taking up her post, Rev Webster said: “In our fast-paced 21st century lives it is becoming increasingly important to care for our 'inner-being' as much as our physical form.

"I truly believe in the value of being part of a community where spirituality is encouraged along individual routes.

"I am confident that the Rochdale congregation also support my desire to provide a spiritual haven to the local area, and that, together, we will learn from, aid, support and welcome new people into our family of spiritual variety."

Rev Webster has many ideas for introducing new forms of worship and opportunities for spiritual activities. She also believes, very strongly, that building pastoral relationships with 'the healthy' as well as caring for those in crisis or ill-health, is a vital part of ministry.

Rev Webster’s hobbies include ancient religion and integration in Egypt, Mesopotamia and The Levant and walking in Snowdonia. She and Pat are also animal lovers, sharing their home with a dog, cats and degus.

Joyce Ashworth, chairwoman of the Rochdale congregation, says: “The congregation is pleased to be welcoming Shammy back to Rochdale as our minister. We look forward to working with her and supporting her in her ministry.”

A formal service of induction will be held later in the year.