Jenny was ordained a deacon on 30 June 2019. Rather than go into a parish to minister, Jenny will serve as a self-supporting minister in a secular setting: her workplace.
She’s the Head of Veterinary Anatomic Pathology at a global company, IDEXX. Her own team of 12 veterinary pathologists work in a lab diagnosing veterinary diseases, with a total of almost 280 people on site
She says: “If your pet is ill, a biopsy might come to us for testing. I love my job and I feel my calling is to minister in the workplace. I wear my dog collar in the lab and I’m recognised as a priest. I see it as a good opportunity to work alongside people and share my faith at the same time.”
Jenny explains that it differs to chaplaincy as she’s not paid to carry out her religious duties but is simply identified as someone who is a priest and also in a paid secular job. She works alongside others in the workplace sharing all the normal ups and downs work can bring.
Jenny says: “People know I’ve been trained to be a priest and they do tend to ask about pastoral things. I’ll have conversations in the coffee room and I’ll ask them about their weekend. It opens up the opportunity for deeper conversations.
Revd Dr Jenny McKay in the lab
“It’s important that as Christians we’re confident and bold enough to share our faith every day of the week. I would encourage all Christians to look for those opportunities to share what you believe. You can bring it into conversations quite casually by simply telling someone you went to church on Sunday – sometimes that’s all people need for them to ask questions and start a conversation.”
At times Jenny says her role goes beyond the casual conversation, and staff will occasionally share their fears and troubles.
“Sometimes people will come to my office and it will be more confidential. For example, somebody recently came to speak with me as they’d just been diagnosed with cancer. She was really scared and wanted to know what would happen.
“At other times people feel shame that they’ve not been to church for a while and want some advice. I always try to approach these conversations by talking a little about my own faith journey. I explain some of the doubts I’ve had along the way and the fact that I haven’t always gone to church regularly. I try and show compassion and love to them and show that they’re not alone. I say that even if they don’t go to church, God is still looking out for them.
“My employer has been very supportive. They’re quite laid back and very happy for me to come in in my collar, and as long as I get my normal lab work done, they’re happy to have me in this role.”