10 Jun 2026
A packed St Albans church attended a special service to welcome and induct a new minister to its pastorate, as well as to churches further afield.
Revd Naomi Young-Rodas now has responsibility for St Albans URC at Homewood and Greenwood (in South St Albans) and Newland Church in Luton and Dunstable.
She has been called to be part of a team ministry that covers Heartland Local Area Group of United Reformed Churches, covering a wide area of Herts and Beds.
During the service Revd Naomi described the path that led her to answer the call to her new churches. Coming from Essex, where her father was also a URC minister, she had an interesting and varied career, taking in volunteering in Switzerland and also including periods of church work in Guatemala and Texas. She also held roles in the national URC offices and Cambridge University.
She came to ministry later in life and her previous pastorate was in Essex, at Rayleigh and Westcliff-on-Sea URC churches. She aims to help her churches serve the communities around them and show the love of God towards all people.
Saturday’s service was presided over by Revd George Watt, Moderator of Thames
North Synod, assisted by Revd James Fields, who had oversight of the churches during the ministerial vacancy. The sermon was given by Revd Dr Jennifer Smith, Superintendent Minister of Wesley’s Chapel and Leysian Mission Methodist Church in London.
Revd Naomi was greeted by Elders from her new churches and introduced to representatives from several other churches and denominations – including Churches Together in St Albans, City Centre Churches and Churches Together in Marshalswick, and the Grassroots Project in Luton.
She and her wife, Claudia, will live in St Albans.
