Introducing Revd. Sue McCoan

Induction Service Saturday 23rd July 2.30 pm at Wembley Park URC, HA9 7NN

Welcome Service Sunday 31st July 10.30 am at St. Andrew’s Ealing

Born in Sheffield, I studied Architecture at Cambridge but decided I was not cut out for professional practice. I took a number of short-term but interesting jobs including designing diagrams to illustrate a DIY magazine in London, and cataloguing the costume collection in the Usher Gallery in Lincoln. In 1980 I did a Foundation Course in Art and Design in Sheffield and then moved to Leeds where I accidentally got a proper job with ICL and trained as a computer programmer.

In Leeds I met Jamie, and when he got a place at the National Film School we moved to Slough, where we lived until I was called to ministry. I worked for ICL in Bracknell as a software designer and customer requirements analyst.

I was brought up in the Church of England but lost my faith towards the end of my time at university. I spent some years exploring Eastern spirituality and, briefly, the Quakers, until work and mortgage took over and I had nothing to do with faith for years. Then in 2001, in a difficult situation, I turned to prayer and woke up with a call to come back to God. A local URC congregation invited me to their home group and dealt graciously with all my questions, until I felt strong enough to go to church. They sponsored me to do the TLS course (Training for Learning and Serving), which led to Lay Preaching, and from there to a call to full-time ministry. I trained at Westminster College, Cambridge and was ordained in July 2010 at Wylde Green URC in Sutton Coldfield.

In my spare time I enjoy painting and walking and have recently got back into amateur dramatics.

Rev Sue McCoan