Rachel Blainey

Rachel Blainey is one of Oxford’s ‘local preachers’ – a person who leads worship regularly in our churches. She is a mother of young children and works in publishing. She reflects on what drew her into Wesley Memorial Church (‘Wesley Mem’), on how much she enjoys preaching, and on how her Christian faith relates to children with disabilities.

Rachel grew up in Manchester. She went both to a Methodist church where she found a theology she liked because it was open to everyone’s doubts, and to an Anglican church where she loved the energy. After university in Durham, she worked for a hedge fund, but increasingly questioned whether she really believed that what she was doing was helpful to the world. So she moved job to publishing, and came to Oxford, living with her then partner. She explains how she was caught up in ‘Wesley Mem’.

Coming to Oxford clip 2.23′

To her surprise, she found herself wanting to lead worship. She explains why it is important to her:

Leading worship 1.22′

Rachel had her first baby in 2016. She was warned that he might be born with a disability. In the event, he was not – but it caused Rachel to reflect on what having a child with disabilities would mean for her faith:

Challenges of parenting 1.42′

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