Prebendary John Lees writes:
JENNY GAGE read natural sciences at Girton College, Cambridge, switching in her first year to theology. At that time, as she wrote, “God found me” — as she read Genesis, guided by Gerhard von Rad. She became a Baptist lay preacher and began study at Baptist theological college. Deciding not to pursue ordained ministry at this time, she worked as a secretary, and, while bringing up her children, began an Open University (OU) degree in mathematics, continuing her studies when the family moved to Arizona in 1982.
In 1985, her first marriage ended. She obtained a PGCE and taught mathematics. From 1988, she taught with the OU and was accepted as a doctoral student. In 2000, she explored new ways of teaching as part of a University of Cambridge schools outreach programme. She continued her work in maths education in South Africa.
In 2001, Jenny and her husband moved to Ely. At the time, she was writing up her Ph.D. in maths education. Feeling “awestruck by cathedral choral evensong”, she became involved in the life of the congregation. She was ordained deacon in Ely Cathedral in 2009, and priest in 2010. She served her title and held two appointments as an associate priest in two groups of rural churches.
In 2019, she was appointed Minor Canon for Social Justice at Ely Cathedral. She set up a programme focused on modern slavery, especially in fenland agriculture, built local partnerships, and worked with the International Justice Mission. She also shaped the cathedral’s environment group, RENEW, creating a key regional event that brought together ecological and agricultural interests; Ely Cathedral’s 2022 The Voice of the Earth programme was largely her planning. She was an Ely Foodbank trustee and anchor person for Ukrainian refugee hosts.
She also became the Bishop’s Officer for Self-Supporting Ministry in Ely diocese in 2019. She began research on ordained ministers called to work outside the Church. She was awarded a D.Prof. from Anglia Ruskin University; key insights were published in her book Priests in Secular Work (Sacristy Press, 2020) — a significant contribution to the topic.
Building on her post as Bishop’s Officer for SSM in Ely diocese, in early 2021, Jenny helped to establish the National Network of SSM Officers and Advisers, an online community of representatives from most of the C of E dioceses and several other Provinces. As co-convener, Jenny organised much of its work, including a wide range of online events. At the invitation of the National Ministry Team, she led a national programme of research into the life and ministry of SSMs. This work was published in December 2021.
Jenny was highly regarded for her contributions to worship in Ely Cathedral and its outreach work in social justice, and for her leadership and in her national SSM work. She was a natural researcher, a confident statistician, and a skilled facilitator, conducting interviews and focus groups with wisdom and sensitivity.
She had a practical faith focused on the needs of the world, grounded in hope and “the long story of God and his people”. She loved music — singing with the Ely Cathedral Octagon Singers — and everything about the Anglican choral tradition.
Jenny’s illness and sudden death were a shock to her colleagues. Her sadly unfulfilled intention was to write a (much needed) book exploring the theology of self-supporting ministry.
She is survived by her husband, Andrew Evans, four children, and three grandchildren. Her funeral was held at Ely Cathedral on 7 October.
The Revd Dr Jenny Gage died on 10 September, aged 72.