Jill joined the Glenabbey staff team in August 2022, working part-time as a Pastoral Care Worker alongside David Mairs and the wider Pastoral Care Team, with a particular focus on supporting and caring for women within the Glenabbey family. Her connection with the church goes back much further: Jill and her husband, Phil, have been part of Glenabbey since 1995, and over the years she has served in a number of areas, including ten years on the Home Group Ministry Team and, since 2019, as part of the Pastoral Care Ministry Team.

At the heart of Jill’s approach to pastoral care is the belief that caring for one another is something we are all called to do. She deeply values the wider network of people across Glenabbey who make that possible, from the Pastoral Care Team to Home Groups and other ministry teams, and the important part they play in noticing people, connecting them with others and walking alongside them through the different circumstances of life. Home Groups are particularly close to Jill’s heart, and she and Phil have led a group in Carrick since 2006.

Jill has completed five modules of training with BCUK, which have helped deepen her understanding of how the gospel speaks into every part of human experience, including the struggles and challenges of everyday life. She cares deeply about helping women connect the riches of Scripture with the realities they are facing, and about offering encouragement, support and a listening ear when they need it.

Jill and Phil have two grown-up children, Peter and Alice. Away from church and ministry, Jill is someone who enjoys the changing seasons in every sense. Spring means seaside walks as the days get brighter; summer is for a good book on the deck of the caravan and evenings with friends around the fire pit; autumn brings crisp forest walks and early sunsets; and in winter she is quite content with blankets, an open fire and plenty of candlelight. Whatever the season, though, there is always room for a good meal.