Rev. Victoria Sibley-Bentley

My calling towards ordination as a priest has been, you might say, somewhat of a meandering journey.  Originally from Scotland, I was brought up in the Church of Scotland (Presbyterian Church) and then as a teenager, in the Scottish Episcopal Church, where I served as an Acolyte, Crucifer and Server.  But having first responded to an altar call at a Billy Graham rally in Scotland when I was 7, and having accepted Jesus into my life as my Lord and Saviour then, it would be a number of years before my faith was more firmly rooted in Christ and I felt connected with God in a deeper and more grounded way.  

Having completed my secondary and tertiary education in the U.K., I came to New Zealand in 2007 for a gap year and immediately felt a sense of peace at being where God wanted me to be, albeit I didn’t know why…. 

Towards the end of that gap year, God placed on my heart the desire to minister amongst internationals and in 2008, I moved from Auckland to Palmerston North, where I have been involved in tertiary chaplaincy and ministry with international students and migrants ever since.  

Having then experienced a call towards ordained ministry through All Saints Church, Palmerton North, I entered the discernment process and was ordained as a Deacon in 2011, having spent the year prior to that exploring my sense of call with a discernment mentor.   

In 2012, I met my husband, Ash, and we were married in 2014.  

Over the years, I have experienced my sense of call evolving, and this has been re-affirmed by the words and invitation from others in ministry, in my personal quiet time with God and in the ministry opportunities God has opened up.  There have been persistent reminders and invitations from God to partner with Him in this, and along with this God has given to me a heart for gathering His people together in worship, and to see the transformation and reconciliation that occurs within that space and within the Eucharist.  I continue to trust in God’s plans, purposes and timings and that “he who began a good work in you [and us] will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6). 

The Ordination Service or Rev. Victoria Sibley-Bentley is 5 pm Sunday 10 November at All Saints Palmerston North.

For more information, please contact Rev. Julia Budd by emailing juliabudd07@gmail.com