Four new ministers to bring bring vitality, energy and hope to our movement
Tina Gandhi, Kieren Mardle-Moss, Robert Foreman and Janine Sim have all successfully passed their viva assessments by the GA’s Interview Panel on completion of their studies in the last six months and are now on the General Assembly Roll of Unitarian and Free Christian Ministers. They bring vitality, energy and hope to our movement, and we are excited to have them on board.
Each have marked the start of their ministry with induction and ordination services either in their home chapels or in the congregations they are now serving. In the spirit of our tradition, each service was uniquely shaped to the minister and congregation.
Tina’s ordination was held at Walmsley Unitarian Chapel in October – she made history as the first Hindu Unitarian Minister in England. In Tina’s words, it was a ‘deeply moving service, filled with music, celebration and solemn blessings.’
She said: “My path to ministry began with a longing for a spiritual home where my husband (agnostic) and I (Hindu) could both belong. Raised in a Hindu household steeped in ritual, song, and Advaita’s sense of oneness, I carried deep spiritual curiosity but no obvious route into ministry. When we first walked into Walmsley Unitarian Chapel, its openness, poetry, and genuine inclusivity felt like coming home. Unitarianism allowed me to bring all of myself, Hindu faith, questioning mind, and love of community, without needing to fit a mould.
“The loss of my grandmother reminded me that life is short, and the call to serve became impossible to ignore. Ministry training became the natural next step: not to preach doctrine, but to help nurture the kind of compassionate, spacious community that once welcomed me so generously.
“I believe every being, human or animal, is an embodiment of the divine, carrying inherent worth and dignity. Loving all and serving all sits at the heart of my spirituality, and kindness is woven through my ministry. My faith is rooted in Hinduism, Advaita Vedanta’s sense of oneness, and a lifelong instinct toward pantheism. Bhajans, family prayers, and ashram summers taught me that the sacred is both intimate and expansive. Unitarianism gave me the freedom to hold all of this alongside, curiosity, and a deep love of community.
“Outside ministry, I manage a team tackling fuel poverty across Greater Manchester, helping thousands of residents each year to make their homes warmer and more affordable. I love swimming, it’s my moving meditation, and life is joyfully full with my two young children, who keep me on my toes and grounded in the everyday.”
Tina is currently the part-time Minister of Chowbent Unitarian Chapel, and in May will begin serving as Minister at Walmsley Unitarian Chapel.
Kieren first came across Unitarianism when developing materials for teaching, as a trained RE teacher. His ordination was also in November, and was held at Belper Unitarian Chapel, where Kieren serves as Minister.
He said: “I felt called to ministry since childhood. When asked what I wanted to be, I’d say “a priest,” simply because it was the only model I knew. I first trained as a teacher, and during a period of part‑time teaching I discovered liberal religious traditions. That opened the door to Unitarianism, and I knew I’d found where I was meant to be…the rest, as they say, is history.
“Spiritually, I believe faith should be accessible to everyone, at whatever depth they choose. My vocation is to hold people as their whole selves, honouring the spark of light and divinity within each soul.
“I currently serve with Belper Unitarian Chapel in Derbyshire, the first minister dedicated solely to the congregation since 1952, as we continue to grow as a community and a hub of Unitarian heritage in the community.
“Outside ministry, I adore musical theatre, but my true obsession is all things Disney.”
Rob’s ordination was held at Padiham Nazareth Unitarian Chapel and was led by Rev Ant Howe. Rob will now serve as minister to three congregations in the Merseyside Unitarian Ministry Partnership: Park Lane Unitarian Chapel, Bryn, Cairo Street Unitarian Chapel, Warrington and Matthew Henry Chapel, Chester Unitarians.
He said: ”My path into ministry grew slowly out of community life, history, and a deep love of Unitarian worship. I was first drawn to Unitarianism by its freedom of thought and its conviction that faith should be lived with both heart and mind. Over time, that openness became a calling, shaped by pastoral encounters, theological study at Luther King House (with Durham University as the awarding body), and by the generosity of congregations who trusted me as I learned what it means to serve.
“My ordination was especially meaningful because it took place at Padiham Nazareth Chapel, the chapel my third great-grandfather Eli Whitehead and his father Smith helped to build as early followers of Joseph Cooke, the Methodist preacher who became a Unitarian. To be ordained in the very place where my own family helped bring Unitarianism to the town felt like a circle gently closing.
“Outside ministry, I’m a keen family historian and chapel archivist, fascinated by genealogy and the stories that shape who we are.”
Janine’s service was held at St Mark’s Unitarian Church in Edinburgh earlier this month.
She said: “My path into ministry hasn’t been a straight line. I found my way to Unitarianism because it welcomed my questions, my love of ritual, and my refusal to squeeze spirituality into neat boxes. My calling has been shaped by years of community work, trauma-informed and therapeutic practice, and a deep desire to create spaces where people can breathe, soften, and be fully themselves.
“Spiritually, I’m drawn to embodied, devotional, and contemplative traditions — influenced by Bhakti yoga, earth-based spirituality, and the mystics. My approach to faith is joy-led and community-rooted, firmly “deeds, not creeds”, and much more interested in how spirituality is lived than how it’s labelled.
“Outside ministry, I’m a festival-loving hippy who enjoys camping,music, chilling with my Couch Hippo Staffys, dreaming up ideas — and nothing beats a good old kitchen disco.”
Helen Mason, Director of Unitarian College, said: “Unitarian College is so proud of our four new Ministers. They have worked incredibly hard to reach professional ministry. I always say that Ministry training changes people and we have seen Tina, Kieren, Rob and Janine grow into their calling and become the competent and hard-working Ministers they are today.
“Their new perspectives bring a fresh injection and diversity into the Unitarian movement. Their new congregations are very lucky to have them and I believe they will make an inestimable contribution to the future of our Unitarian faith.”
Liz Slade, Chief Officer of the General Assembly, said: “We’re delighted to welcome Tina, Kieren, Rob and Janine into ministry. They’re stepping into ministry with energy that the movement needs and they bring new voices, new perspectives, new life into our congregations.
“They bolster what we already have: a strong, bold ministry with deep roots into their communities and a thoughtful understanding of how to reach new people. It is a wonderfully exciting time for the movement. Congratulations to all our new ministers, and their congregations, who are fortunate to have them.”
The General Assembly awards around £80,000 annually to cover students’ living costs during training, making sure ministry isn’t only accessible to those who can afford it.
If you’d like to contribute to the Ministry Students Fund, donations of any size help, from individuals, congregations, and Districts. As Liz says: “When you support ministry training you are investing in our denomination’s future. Every new minister strengthens every community in our movement.”
Get in touch with Simon Bland, Congregational & Ministry Support Officer for details on how to contribute.
Interested in exploring ministry yourself? Start a conversation with Simon or visit the GA website for more information.