Meet David Jardine (OLM)
Bishop Harold has ordained David Jardine, as a deacon for ordained local ministry in his role as Prison Chaplain.
The service took place in Willowfield Church on Sunday 1 September and the preacher was Bishop Bill Love (Albany Diocese).
Congratulations to David, who tells us his story below.
It has certainly been an interesting journey to this point and I definitely could not have foreseen ending up in the roles that I am now in.
I am thankful to have been brought up in a Christian family environment with great examples. I enjoyed the benefits of being a minister’s son which included a big house for ‘Hide and Seek’ and easy access to a drum kit at all times.
From the age of 8, I have been part of Willowfield Church. I loved living in East Belfast and spent many hours playing football in the car park where our community centre is now built.
I volunteered in the youth stuff as soon as I was old enough. However, it was never my plan to seek employment in youth work or to follow in my dad’s footsteps into full time ministry. In fact, I said many times that I wouldn’t. Like a lot of teenage boys, I hadn’t really a clue what I was going to do if my career as a a professional footballer didn’t work out! I eventually decided I fancied a job as a video editor and set my sights on that. Following uni and several other jobs, I ended up working as a video editor at NvTv where I worked for 7 years.
It was a major transition for me and my family nearly 10 years ago when I chose to leave that job and work for Willowfield as Youth Work Coordinator. The hours were very different as well as being more ‘up front’ instead of my preferred space in the background. It is only through the support of my wife, Vicki, and my family that I have been able to take on roles such as this and develop and grow.
After working with youth for many years, I set up the project where I work now called ‘Moving Forward’ which is all about supporting young adults to overcome life’s challenges and progress in areas of education, employment, fitness and faith.
Another unexpected opportunity appeared last year as I was appointed as Prison Chaplain at both HMP Maghaberry and Hydebank Wood College. This has been an amazing opportunity to get involved in the lives of men of all ages and build relationships with them and share the good news of Jesus. I am excited to continue to learn and follow God’s plans in this role.
