News from The Scottish Episcopal Institute
Farewell : We say farewell at the end of next month to Mrs Denise Brunton who has been SEI ’ s Administrator throughout its life , and before that worked for TISEC and Coates Hall . In total , Denise has served the Scottish Episcopal Church for 27 years ! We are highlighting her retirement now in order to give the very many people whose lives Denise has touched , through her immensely caring attitude to all that she does and all whom she meets , a chance to write to her or ‘ phone her before she leaves .
Meet the Ambassadors 7 : The Revd Nick Bowry writes : ’ I am the SEI Ambassador for the Diocese of Aberdeen and Orkney . I am in my second year of my curacy , at St Clement ’ s , Mastrick , on the outskirts of Aberdeen . I was a student , initially of TISEC ( Theological Institute of the Scottish Episcopal Church ) and then of the SEI from my second year onwards . The first three years of training , as an ordinand , was with an incredibly supportive cohort of fellow students . The peer support from those I met frequently at mid-week classes and those who I met less frequently on residential weekends and at the Summer School was an important aspect of the studies . Meeting people with different styles of worship and theological outlooks contributed to my formation , alongside the studies I undertook . I had not studied for many a year , and started the course with considerable trepidation . The support and encouragement of fellow students , both ordinands and Lay Reader candidates , was of considerable help , and eased me into the challenges of studying , or writing essays and preaching to the SEI community . In my curacy I continue to be an SEI student , as I study to convert my diploma achieved after the third year to a degree . The challenges are different , juggling the role of curate ( especially in the first year of curacy ) with study time and essay deadlines . The relationship with the peer group changes as we connect for seminars solely by computer video links , but luckily the peer group members are people I have studied with over the past five years .
The seminars are also more personal , with a smaller group of students . This enables some deeper and richer discussions compared to a large group 21