Rev Gill says ‘GB played a significant part in my teenage years and helped me to grow in confidence. It was in GB that I experienced my first leadership training which has stood me in good stead over the years. I may not be in the role I have now if it wasn’t for GB. Also, I am in awe of the GB leaders who work week in, week out, with the young people and who make such a difference to their lives in positive ways.’
She joined GB, aged 13, when a group opened at a Methodist Church in a Cornish village near where she lived.
‘I was invited to join and loved it,’ she says. ‘I loved the badge work, completed all my Duke of Edinburgh’s Awards, and became a Warrant Officer before my work took me away from the area. GB played a huge part in my faith journey – sharing in weekly devotions, attending camps where there was always an opportunity to respond to the gospel, and observing how the leaders lived their lives have all been important in my own faith journey.’
Rev Gill went into ministry in 1997 after a career in banking. She has been the District Chair for the Sheffield Methodist District since 2014. She was a Trustee for GB between 2008 and 2014 and then took on the role of National Chaplain in 2015.
She says ‘Despite the progress that has been made, the world is still not always a place where young women feel they can thrive so any work that GB can do to instil confidence in young women, as well as inspire and nurture faith which will sustain them in the face of adversity and all of life’s challenges, has to be worthwhile.’
Rev Gill will take up her new role for 2023/24 on the afternoon of Saturday 24 June at the Hilton Birmingham Metropole.
Talking about her Presidential year, she says ‘There are lots of exciting things in store, but I’m simply looking forward to meeting lots of our faithful Methodist people, and those with whom they partner in our communities, and discovering the hidden treasures there may be amongst them.’