Ordination Profile: Sally Farah

SALLY FARAH

I was born in Essex, and raised in Tiptree, famously known as the land of strawberries and jam. Both my father and grandfather worked the land for the village's renowned jam producers. Later, my father farmed leased land from the URC Chapel for over forty years and was among the pioneers of the “pick your own” strawberry initiative.

At 18, I applied to Trinity College, Bristol, as an independent student. It was there that I met my husband, who was training for ordination with the Diocese of St Davids. I graduated in 1987 and we were married that December, ahead of beginning our curacy in Aberystwyth in June 1988.

Two and a half years later, we moved to Lampeter, where we served in chaplaincy for seven years. This was followed by sixteen years in the Diocese of Chelmsford, ministering together on a housing estate in Chelmsford. In 2014, we returned to Aberystwyth for five years before relocating to Capel Hendre in 2019.

Since 1994, I have been actively involved in lay and preaching ministry, with a particular passion for encouraging members of the congregations we’ve served -young and old - to discover, develop, and live out their God-given calling.

Together with my husband, we established two schools of ministry over the years, dedicating ourselves to nurturing a deeper understanding and practice of the gifts and ministry of the Holy Spirit, both in our own lives and in the lives of others. The call to ordained ministry had been growing in me for many years and became clear and compelling in 2019. This led me to begin the discernment process, culminating in my attendance at a Provincial Selection Board in March 2023. I then began training at St Padarn’s in September 2023.

My deepest passion has always been to create and nurture worship spaces where the presence of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is both experienced and honoured. I delight in growing and flowing in the gifts and guidance of the Holy Spirit, and I’m equally passionate about encouraging others to do the same. Nothing brings me greater joy than seeing people discover, develop, and confidently step into their God-given gifts and calling.

I enjoy reading, films, cinema, walking, and writing whenever I find the time. I also have a beautiful Welsh Collie who I love spending time with. My husband and I are blessed with four daughters—Elizabeth, Eleanor, Mary Anne, and Sarah, along with seven grandchildren, one more on the way, and three great-grandchildren.