Students in their third and final year of formation and training during Initial Ministerial Education Phase 1 (IME1) with the Scottish Episcopal Institute reflect on their formational journeys so far below.
‘Over the past three years, the four of us have journeyed through what has often felt like constant change. Alongside the usual ebb and flow of student cohorts, the SEI itself has experienced significant transition: in our fifteen residential weekends and three orientation weeks, there has been only one occasion when a full SEI staff team was present together. Indeed, each of us has now been part of the SEI longer than every member of staff except Liz Crumlish. We have also had the privilege of seeing Acting Principal Anna-Claar inhabit no fewer than three leadership roles within the SEI — proof, we are convinced, that there is very little she cannot do.
And yet, amid all the transitions and challenges of IME1 — three years that have at times felt closer to ten — the most steadying constant has been one another. . . the four of us.
From the outset, we recognised the importance of community and sought to nurture a genuine sense of belonging within SEI IME1. That was not always straightforward. In our second year especially, we often found ourselves acting as a bridge between those arriving and those leaving, trying to preserve continuity while a new community formed, stormed, and gradually began to norm. Through it all, we learned the value of simply showing up for one another.
Among the most formative parts of our shared experience were the reflective practice and theological reflection sessions during residential weekends. These moments gave the four of us space to reflect honestly on the joys, challenges, and complexities of our spiritual, ministerial, and pastoral journeys. The care we offered one another — listening attentively, acknowledging difficult experiences, and sharing insight and encouragement — became a source of strength amid the inevitable storms of formation and IME1 community transition. We celebrated one another’s gifts, held one another accountable, and helped keep each other grounded.
Our final RWE together in early May felt like a deeply fitting conclusion to this chapter. On Sunday morning in Perth, we found ourselves passing once again by the Salutation Hotel, where our journey into IME1 had first begun more than three years earlier at our selection panels. It seemed a poignant reminder of how far we had travelled together. The closing liturgy was equally moving. Anna-Claar and Liz offered words of grace and encouragement, alongside the gift of a holding cross. Bishop Anne’s blessing over each of us carried a particular intimacy; as she traced the sign of the cross on our foreheads, we felt profoundly aware of the Spirit’s presence among us.
Now, as we prepare to enter our curacies and step into new expressions of ministry, we do so with deep gratitude for the journey we have shared — both with one another and within the wider community of SEI students. We hold our fellow students in prayer as they complete this year and prepare for the next stage of their own formation.
And while this season draws to a close, our shared journey does not. As peers, colleagues, and friends, we look forward to continuing the reflective practice that has sustained us thus far.’
– Karen, Tosh, Emma, Lana
