From global mentoring to vicar of West Norfolk church 

Rev Rachel Alexander, who has spent the past few years praying for and mentoring people around the world through her Norwich-based Prophetic Lighthouse ministry, has taken up the position of Vicar Designate for St Mary’s Church in Snettisham.

Rev Rachel Alexander was in Jackson, Mississippi with her singer-songwriter husband Noel visiting the mission where their daughter works when she received an unexpected text from the Archdeacon asking if she was interested in the part-time post of Vicar Designate of Snettisham.

Rachel and Noel (pictured) have spent the past four years growing the Norwich-based ‘Prophetic Lighthouse’ ministry encouraging people both in Norfolk and around the world.

Rachel said: “I had felt for some months that God was leading me to a church leadership post and had already had a few conversations with the Archdeacon and prayer-walked a number of potential locations.”

Ordained as a Church of England minister in 1999, Rachel has always been drawn to prayer and listening to God and for a decade after ordination, Rachel chose to live what she calls a ‘contemplative lifestyle’.  In 2010 Rachel took a job as an Assistant Minister with the Diocese of Leicester in Loughborough.  In 2015 Rachel and Noel moved back to Norfolk and Rachel became Community Spiritual Director for St Stephen’s Church in Norwich.

The couple led a weekly meeting of prayer, prophecy and worship in Weston Longville, as well as prayer, worship and mentoring in St Stephen’s Church. The rest of Rachel’s time was taken up mentoring and praying for people around the world on Skype.

Now Rachel is excited about swapping this global ministry for a more local one as she joins the Western Shore Team Benefice.

She said: “I really feel that God has led us to Snettisham and I was so delighted to be installed as Vicar designate for St Mary’s on August 12. The church is a significant building and has a village congregation who have been so warmly welcoming to us in many ways as we settle into this lovely village.”