Venerable Dr Amanda Bloor, Archdeacon of Cleveland and Director of Ordinands, specialises in helping clergy flourish in their roles and encouraging people to discover their individual gifts and callings.

On top of all that she is also a writer for the BRF series New Daylight. And in some timely reflections this week on 1 Samuel she delivered her insight into having to tell a candidate that the church doesn't believe they are the right person for ordination.

She explained: "It's an awful  responsibility to pass on bad news. As a director of ordinands I've helped people investigate what they believe is a calling to ordained ministry. After months - or years - of discernment, they submit themselves to the scrutiny of the church and wait anxiously for a decision.

"Many will have their vocation affirmed, but to some the church will say: 'This is not for you.'

"Having to telephone someone I've got to know very well and destroy their hopes is hard; it's a bitter blow to receive. But better that the news comes from me than a stranger.

"I've found that many disappointed would-be clergy recognise over time that their calling does indeed lie elsewhere. There will be times in our lives when we have to say something that is hard for a friend or a loved one to hear. Do we have the courage to speak out?"

We pray for all those clergy newly-ordained this weekend. And also for the many men and women who may have been guided away from ordination at the moment. You still have a vital role to play in the church of Jesus Christ.