University chaplain & city priest become cathedral canons
 
A University chaplain and a Nottingham priest will become honorary canons of Southwell Minster following appointments by the Bishop of Southwell & Nottingham, the Rt Revd Paul Butler.
 
The Revd John Bentham, Senior Chaplain at the University of Nottingham and the Revd Joan Whysall, Priest-in-Charge at Christ Church, Cinderhill, will be installed as canons during a service of Evensong at Southwell Minster on Saturday, 9th October 2010 at 5.45pm.
 
Joan Whysall, who is originally from Derbyshire and worked as a teacher before becoming ordained, felt drawn towards ordained ministry for many years.  After joining St Helen’s Church Trowell, she became involved in leading children and young people’s groups and in pastoral care. She eventually resigned from teaching and trained at East Midlands Ministry Training Course (EMMTC), based at Nottingham University, gaining an MA in Theological and Pastoral Studies.
 
After being ordained at Southwell Cathedral  in 2001, she became curate at the new united  Benefice of Trowell, Awsworth and Cossall. In 2006 she was appointed as Priest-in-Charge at Christ Church Cinderhill –  a large and busy Nottingham city parish.
 
Over the years she has explored questions about how the church can be relevant in the local community and has set up outreach and family events, including schemes such as  ‘Messy Church’ and  the ‘Life is for Living’ course. Joan is passionate about community involvement and is a Governor at Rosslyn Park Primary School,  Aspley, as well as being on the board of Aspley Community Training Centre, and a member of Aspley/Bells Lane Partnership .
 
Joan became involved in the healing ministry after her own eyes were healed from problems she had since she was 19. She is also involved in training in the diocese and lectured on ‘Mission in the local Church’ at the Easter School for EMMTC as well being a mentor for the Diocesan Certificate course.
 
She said: “It is such an honour to be invited to be a Honorary Canon of the Cathedral and I am very humbled by God’s hand on my life and grateful to so many people who have travelled with me on my journey of faith. I pray that I might be able to contribute to the life and mission of  the Cathedral in the years to come.”
 
Joan is married to Don and they have three children - Peter, Steven and Joy.
In her spare time she says she enjoys visiting family, gardening, walking, cycling, photography and creative IT.
 
 
•      Joan Whysall will take the stall of ‘Woodborough’ in the cathedral, taking the place of Linda Church, who has moved to another diocese.
 
 
John Bentham is the Senior Anglican Chaplain at the University of Nottingham. Originally a graduate of Loughborough University, his study of Urban Geography fostered a calling to inner city ministry. He studied theology at St John’s College, Bramcote and after being ordained into the Church of England, he worked in two parishes in Leeds as a curate, before becoming vicar of St Saviour’s church in the Meadows from 1990 for eight years, where Notts County's floodlights lit up his vicarage lounge (amusing to a West Ham fan). John moved to be an Anglican Chaplain at the University of Nottingham in 1998. In recent years he has combined this with being Area Dean of West Nottingham and now West Bingham (an area whose northern reaches are lit up by Trent Bridge's floodlights.) John was one of the team which set up the Soul Survivor  Christian youth festivals, running their seminar programme for a number of years and still contributes to their summer festivals. He is also an advisor to student Alpha. His research interests have included the Social Conscience of the Charismatic Movement, and the ethics of the use of laboratory animals. His Christian passions include intelligent, questioning Christianity for the 21st century that relates faith to all academic disciplines and everyday life, and encouraging new ways of being church.
 
John has served on the council of St. John’s Theological College in Bramcote, Nottingham (where he trained) for the past 9 years and is on the trustees of the Malt Cross cafe bar in the city centre, encouraging Street Pastors and the centre’s other work. He is married to Marianne, a nurse, and is father to Alice (17) Henry (15) James (12) and Rosie (8). His personal passions include, West Ham United F.C., Real Ale, second hand bookshops and U2.. His main hobby these last few years has been as a ‘taxi driver and supporter’ for his children at Nottingham Youth Orchestra, Nottingham Youth Jazz Orchestra and just about every Nottingham theatre and dance venue!
 
John said: “It is an honour to be asked to contribute to the Cathedral and Diocese in this way. Standing squinting in the summer sun outside another cathedral 25 years ago, I never imagined the curious paths that ministry would take me. Southwell can seem a different world to the churches of the inner city and the young students of the University which I have served, and I hope in a small way to bring along the riches of those communities  such as these which have shaped me."
 
•        John Bentham will be taking the stall of Oxton Prima Pars in the cathedral, from Alan Payne, who recently retired.
 
 
 
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