Welcome to Doral Hayes – new Hertfordshire Ecumenical Facilitator!

Churches Together in Hertfordshire have appointed a new Ecumenical Facilitator.  Its a paid part time job and we are delighted to welcome Doral Hayes to the job!  Below is a short biog.

Doral Hayes – Ecumenical Facilitator for Churches Together in Hertfordshire

Having grown up as an interchurch child I have been involved in ecumenism from an early age, I was raised within the Church of England and the local independent Free Church.  After a journey through several different churches in my early adulthood, I found my spiritual home within the Church of England.  My husband, Declan is a Catholic and our children, Amelia and Dylan, attend both Anglican and Catholic schools.

After completing my degree in Health and Community Studies I spent ten years working for medical and educational charities, followed by another ten years working in learning and development roles. In 2013 I became the Executive Development Officer of the Association of Interchurch Families, supporting and speaking for interchurch families as well as communicating their witness and service and the opportunities they bring to the Church and to Christian Unity. Throughout this role I have worked with both the national Churches and the national ecumenical instruments, CTE and CTBI.  I am currently the Chair of Bodies in Association with CTE and CTBI, a group of ecumenical organisations working across the UK and part of the CTBI working group editing the resources for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.  I will continue in this role alongside my position as Ecumenical Facilitator for CT Herts.

In my local area I am a lay preacher, retreat and housegroup leader and I am responsible for promoting Lay Leadership on the Mission and Pastoral Team for the Wycombe Deanery.  I also am currently completing my MA in Contemporary Christian Theology at Newman University.

I am delighted to be taking on the role Ecumenical Facilitator for Churches Together in Hertfordshire and look forward to working together to further promote Christian Unity across the county.