THE AREA'S newest deacon has spoken about how she found her calling as a member of the church and how she is looking forward to beginning work in the community.

Last week the Guardian reported that one of the area's landmark churches, St Mary's in South Woodford High Road, has welcomed Annie McTighe as its new deacon.

Ms McTighe, 43, of Elmhurst in South Woodford, was born in Highgate, north London, and had a varied career before beginning her formal religious training.

After completing her A-levels she worked in personnel for BT for several years, before studying for a degree in Natural Sciences at Brunel University and then becoming a secondary school teacher.

After a decade she decided that her calling was with the church and took the first steps towards becoming a deacon at Trinity College, Bristol. She was ordained at a ceremony at Chelmsford Cathedral last Saturday (July 4).

At a time when it is reported that church attendances are falling and that more and more people are moving away from faith and becoming atheists, Mrs McTighe argues that actually quite the opposite is true.

She said: “I think Richard Dawkins and this 'new atheism' is a fad, and if you look the church continues to grow while his group is actually diminishing in numbers.

“They're looking to disparage something I believe is true. At one point he said that the church would be dead in six years, whereas actually it's grown.

“But the thing is I thought the bus campaign a little while ago was great, but it got people talking about God.

“Ultimately God's greatest gift to us is the gift of free will, and that's what it's all about, debating and thinking the important things in life.”

What do you enjoy reading?
I like reading and most of all I enjoy a good John Grisham, he's a great thriller writer.

What's your favourite piece of music?
My tastes are quite eclectic. I like modern music, popular stuff, but I always like opera. My son is 18 and he has very different tastes, in fact he'd say my taste was rubbish!

What's your earliest memory?
I don't have a lot of memories as a little one, but I do remember that one Christmas I was given a beautiful prayer book by my grandmother, that was very special.

My grandparents were religious but my parents weren't when I was younger, although when I was about 10 my father became a Christian, and he has actually been very influential in my life.

Why did you become a Christian at the age of 14?
I had some friends who were involved in the church and they encouraged me to come along with them, and visit their youth group. I did, and then I joined the youth group, and made some more friends.

I suppose I've always been a thinker, and when I heard the good news of the gospel I felt it was true, I can't see any reason why it's not.

Is there anything you miss about being a teacher?
I have always liked young people and throughout my theological training I didn't really come into contact with them very much, so I'm looking forward to meeting the young people of the area, and hopefully speaking at schools in the area too. It's a health a church in an are with lots of young people.

I spent ten years as a teacher, starting out in science at secondary school, but later I moved into RE and PHSE, because my heart was more into helping people understand how to live in our complex society.

Do you hope to be ordained as a priest after one year as a deacon?
That's the plan, in fact most deacons are ordained after a year, you sort of know before you start if you're not. It's a kind of probationary period, a time when you don't do the whole job.

I won't be giving communion for example, but the time allows you to slowly work your way into the job, otherwise you'd become inundated.