0:00:02 > 0:00:04# I once was lost... #
0:00:04 > 0:00:06In the week that the Church of England
0:00:06 > 0:00:09has been debating gay marriage, we mark the 25th anniversary of
0:00:09 > 0:00:13a vote that ended another controversial issue - women priests.
0:00:15 > 0:00:18In 1992, the General Synod of the Church of England narrowly
0:00:18 > 0:00:22approved legislation that allowed for the ordination of women.
0:00:22 > 0:00:25It was a decision that produced strong emotions -
0:00:25 > 0:00:29euphoria for some, deep hurt for others.
0:00:29 > 0:00:33We will have the doctrine tested in every court in the land
0:00:33 > 0:00:35and in Europe, Your Grace.
0:00:35 > 0:00:39Just two years later, history was made here at Bristol Cathedral.
0:00:39 > 0:00:42I'll be meeting the first woman ordained that day,
0:00:42 > 0:00:47who recalls the difficulties women faced in being accepted.
0:00:47 > 0:00:51A friend of mine had her hand quite badly bitten at the communion
0:00:51 > 0:00:54rail when she was a deaconess giving communion.
0:00:54 > 0:00:56COACH SHOUTS
0:00:56 > 0:00:59At Trinity College in Bristol, I meet the next generation of
0:00:59 > 0:01:01women priests preparing for ordination.
0:01:01 > 0:01:03THEY SAY THE LORD'S PRAYER
0:01:03 > 0:01:06I definitely feel that I'm kind of standing on the shoulders
0:01:06 > 0:01:10of other female priests and now we get to reap the benefits, don't we?
0:01:10 > 0:01:11Which is amazing.
0:01:12 > 0:01:16And I will be meeting the musicians expressing their Christian faith
0:01:16 > 0:01:18through jazz.
0:01:30 > 0:01:33Women have given the church some of its greatest hits.
0:01:33 > 0:01:37All Things Bright And Beautiful, Just As I Am, To God Be The Glory -
0:01:37 > 0:01:40all written by great Victorian hymn writers.
0:01:40 > 0:01:43But we start our Songs Of Praise with a modern classic, written by
0:01:43 > 0:01:46acclaimed female singer-songwriter Darlene Zschech.
0:04:43 > 0:04:46I've left the city for the stunning scenery of Somerset,
0:04:46 > 0:04:51to meet the first woman ordained into the Church of England in 1994.
0:04:51 > 0:04:54She is now rector of six parish churches...
0:04:57 > 0:04:59..including St George's in Bicknoller,
0:04:59 > 0:05:02which dates back to the 12th century.
0:05:03 > 0:05:08Angela, what do you remember about the day of the vote in 1992?
0:05:08 > 0:05:10Tell us where you were.
0:05:10 > 0:05:12I'd come up from Bristol to London because I wanted to be there,
0:05:12 > 0:05:14outside Church House, to hear the results.
0:05:14 > 0:05:16The night before, we had
0:05:16 > 0:05:17a vigil outside Lambeth Palace,
0:05:17 > 0:05:21right through the night, and I remember someone bringing out
0:05:21 > 0:05:24a very smart tray with fine bone china tea for us,
0:05:24 > 0:05:27which was very nice because it was cold.
0:05:27 > 0:05:30And then, on the day itself, I remember standing next to
0:05:30 > 0:05:31a friend who had been a mathematician
0:05:31 > 0:05:33before he got ordained.
0:05:33 > 0:05:36He'd worked out how many votes we needed in all three Houses
0:05:36 > 0:05:38because there had to be a two-thirds majority.
0:05:38 > 0:05:40I was desperately trying to, on my fingers,
0:05:40 > 0:05:43count, but it was too close to call.
0:05:43 > 0:05:46The motion having received a two-thirds majority in each of
0:05:46 > 0:05:49the three Houses of the Synod is carried.
0:05:53 > 0:05:56And it was just wonderful. Incredible feeling.
0:05:56 > 0:05:58Huge relief, great jubilation.
0:06:00 > 0:06:05- It would have been a long journey. - Oh, yes. People felt it was wrong.
0:06:05 > 0:06:09A friend of mine had her hand quite badly bitten at the
0:06:09 > 0:06:12communion rail when she was a deaconess giving communion.
0:06:12 > 0:06:17Wow. And when did you first recognise your own vocation?
0:06:17 > 0:06:19Did you have a Christian background?
0:06:19 > 0:06:21My father was a rector so I grew up, if you like,
0:06:21 > 0:06:23with the Church in my blood.
0:06:23 > 0:06:25I have to say, going to see my headmistress about what
0:06:25 > 0:06:27A levels to do, she said to me,
0:06:27 > 0:06:29"Have you thought about studying theology?"
0:06:29 > 0:06:32I actually said, and I blush to say this to you now, but I said,
0:06:32 > 0:06:35"Funny subject for a girl." Because in the 1960s,
0:06:35 > 0:06:37that's what it seemed!
0:06:37 > 0:06:41She must have seen something in me, even back then when I was only 15.
0:06:41 > 0:06:44After years of campaigning and longing and hoping,
0:06:44 > 0:06:47finally the day of your ordination as a priest came.
0:06:47 > 0:06:51- Can you tell us what that felt like? - It was really amazing.
0:06:51 > 0:06:54Of course, there were masses of media, absolutely everywhere.
0:06:54 > 0:06:57Just a couple of hours ago, the 32 women who today will make
0:06:57 > 0:07:01history, arrived at the Cathedral following a two-day retreat.
0:07:01 > 0:07:04I was a bit nervous. I knew that because my name began with B,
0:07:04 > 0:07:06I was technically the first.
0:07:06 > 0:07:10The first one to have hands laid on will be...
0:07:12 > 0:07:16..the Reverend Angela Berners-Wilson.
0:07:16 > 0:07:19It was very exciting and we all felt we were where we were meant to be.
0:07:19 > 0:07:21It had been a very long struggle.
0:07:21 > 0:07:23Upon your servant Angela,
0:07:23 > 0:07:27for the office and work of a priest in your church.
0:07:32 > 0:07:36What was it like celebrating your first Eucharist as a priest?
0:07:36 > 0:07:38Did you know what to expect?
0:07:38 > 0:07:40It must have been nerve-racking.
0:07:40 > 0:07:43It was really amazing and I had sort of practised it.
0:07:43 > 0:07:47We had over 300 people packed into St Paul's, Clifton.
0:07:47 > 0:07:51Literally hundreds of pictures on that occasion that were in
0:07:51 > 0:07:55the media. The only one that got it really right was Paris Match.
0:07:55 > 0:07:57They showed me framed by my two male colleagues,
0:07:57 > 0:07:59whereas everyone else just showed me.
0:07:59 > 0:08:02That was so right to have men and women together.
0:10:35 > 0:10:38There are probably as many different styles of music as there are
0:10:38 > 0:10:40expressions of Christian faith.
0:10:40 > 0:10:43A married couple in Birmingham are so in love with one
0:10:43 > 0:10:47particular style of music, they're even opening a new church around it.
0:10:47 > 0:10:49Josie has paid them a visit.
0:10:50 > 0:10:54Now, a Methodist church like this might normally be the place to hear
0:10:54 > 0:10:56some traditional hymns by Wesley.
0:10:56 > 0:11:00But on Sunday afternoons, they do their music differently here.
0:11:00 > 0:11:03JAZZ MUSIC
0:11:06 > 0:11:09# Thine be the glory... #
0:11:11 > 0:11:15This is the newly-formed Jazz Community Church,
0:11:15 > 0:11:19led by husband and wife team Adam and Steph Sanders.
0:11:19 > 0:11:21With band members from across Birmingham,
0:11:21 > 0:11:24they are hoping it will attract new people to church.
0:11:28 > 0:11:32I think a lot of people can feel alienated by traditional forms
0:11:32 > 0:11:35of church, or haven't felt that they've found their home.
0:11:35 > 0:11:37I feel we can offer something slightly different
0:11:37 > 0:11:39that people find kind of accessible.
0:11:43 > 0:11:48Jazz is about improvisation, spontaneity and in a world that
0:11:48 > 0:11:53is complex and confusing sometimes and is forever changing, we need
0:11:53 > 0:11:57to be improvising life and following Jesus within that context.
0:12:02 > 0:12:06Jazz is often associated with dimly-lit nightclubs and in its
0:12:06 > 0:12:09early days was even labelled the "devil's music".
0:12:09 > 0:12:12But Adam believes it can be inspirational.
0:12:12 > 0:12:17We believe in a God who has created so many different types of music
0:12:17 > 0:12:21and we want to celebrate that and so, for me, there's
0:12:21 > 0:12:23no contradiction there at all.
0:12:26 > 0:12:30So when you are making this music in this setting, how does it feel?
0:12:30 > 0:12:31Kind of invigorating.
0:12:31 > 0:12:34The freshness of it because it is different every time because
0:12:34 > 0:12:36there's a lot of improvisation.
0:12:38 > 0:12:42# Thine be the glory... #
0:12:42 > 0:12:47I feel most free to express myself and I really enjoy it.
0:12:53 > 0:12:55As this is the group's first service,
0:12:55 > 0:12:57they had no idea who would come.
0:12:57 > 0:12:59But there has been a healthy turnout.
0:13:04 > 0:13:07I really like the fact they used some traditional hymns that
0:13:07 > 0:13:09everybody knew, but with the jazz twist.
0:13:11 > 0:13:14Obviously you have got that improvisation in jazz,
0:13:14 > 0:13:18but the improvising life as a community, together...
0:13:18 > 0:13:21Yeah, I like bringing that out.
0:13:21 > 0:13:26Adam, how do you make sure people leave here talking about Christ,
0:13:26 > 0:13:28talking about God and not about the music?
0:13:28 > 0:13:32People might come for the music, but hopefully they will go away
0:13:32 > 0:13:36transformed and ready to live that life of following Jesus.
0:13:36 > 0:13:39# How great thou art
0:13:39 > 0:13:42# How great thou art. #
0:13:56 > 0:14:01# When love was king
0:14:02 > 0:14:08# Do you remember when love was king?
0:14:13 > 0:14:17# He ruled the land
0:14:18 > 0:14:23# With his fist unfurled
0:14:23 > 0:14:28# With open arms for the world
0:14:29 > 0:14:36# Of hungry children, first he'd think
0:14:38 > 0:14:42# To pull their lives from the brink
0:14:45 > 0:14:48# He rescued souls
0:14:48 > 0:14:53# That were lost in the sea
0:14:54 > 0:15:00# In drifting vessels He would hear their plea
0:15:00 > 0:15:05# Beside him stood his mighty queen
0:15:08 > 0:15:13# An equal force, wise and keen
0:15:16 > 0:15:19# He lifted up
0:15:19 > 0:15:22# The underneath
0:15:24 > 0:15:29# And all his wealth he did bequeath
0:15:30 > 0:15:36# To those who toiled without a gain
0:15:39 > 0:15:43# So they would remember his reign
0:15:43 > 0:15:46# Oh-oh
0:15:46 > 0:15:55# So seek some place to call your own
0:15:55 > 0:15:59# Right beside this mighty shining throne
0:15:59 > 0:16:03# When love was king
0:16:04 > 0:16:06# Oh
0:16:08 > 0:16:12# When love
0:16:12 > 0:16:14# Was
0:16:14 > 0:16:24# King. #
0:16:29 > 0:16:32Our next hymn is one of the most ancient in the Christian church
0:16:32 > 0:16:34that's still sung today.
0:16:34 > 0:16:38Veni Creator Spiritus is believed to date from the ninth century
0:16:38 > 0:16:41and has been used in the consecration of bishops,
0:16:41 > 0:16:44the election of Popes and the coronation of monarchs.
0:16:44 > 0:16:49This 1627 English translation has also been sung at the
0:16:49 > 0:16:52ordination of countless generations of priests.
0:19:39 > 0:19:41Though we live in a busy, crowded world,
0:19:41 > 0:19:44isolation and loneliness is common,
0:19:44 > 0:19:48but in a male domain, usually found at the bottom of the garden,
0:19:48 > 0:19:52Claire meets a group of men who've forged strong ties.
0:19:52 > 0:19:54Lots of men love pottering about in their garden sheds
0:19:54 > 0:19:56on a Sunday afternoon.
0:19:56 > 0:19:59But here at St Thomas' church hall in Kirkby in Ashfield,
0:19:59 > 0:20:03some of the male congregation are using their tools not just to
0:20:03 > 0:20:04build woodwork in their shed.
0:20:04 > 0:20:08They're using it to help build their confidence, too.
0:20:09 > 0:20:13The idea of Men in Sheds was in response to concerns about the
0:20:13 > 0:20:18high level of mental health problems and suicides in post-retirement men.
0:20:18 > 0:20:20You might have to use a skew chisel now
0:20:20 > 0:20:22just to get that bit down a bit further.
0:20:22 > 0:20:26The idea is that it brings them together to make things
0:20:26 > 0:20:29and that's a great way to socialise.
0:20:29 > 0:20:32Chris Manning helped to set up the workshop at his church.
0:20:32 > 0:20:35You can hold a coffee morning and the women will come and drink
0:20:35 > 0:20:39a cup of coffee and chat for an hour.
0:20:39 > 0:20:41The men will come and drink a cup of coffee and go home.
0:20:41 > 0:20:46But, if you put a tool in somebody's hand, it's very different.
0:20:46 > 0:20:50It gives you a relationship where you feel safe to talk about
0:20:50 > 0:20:54things that you wouldn't maybe in any other circumstance to the fella
0:20:54 > 0:20:58who's working alongside you.
0:20:58 > 0:21:01Men in Sheds has really helped their members
0:21:01 > 0:21:03through some very tough times.
0:21:03 > 0:21:06We look at a community like ours
0:21:06 > 0:21:10and what's the role of the church?
0:21:10 > 0:21:14The church's role is what Jesus did
0:21:14 > 0:21:17and where would Jesus be?
0:21:19 > 0:21:23Well, he'd be looking after these fellas who've retired.
0:21:23 > 0:21:25We, as the church, should be there.
0:21:25 > 0:21:3015 years ago, 69-year-old Pete was forced to retire early after
0:21:30 > 0:21:34having a stroke and it hit him hard.
0:21:34 > 0:21:38There are days when I get depressed.
0:21:38 > 0:21:42You feel as though the world's finished.
0:21:42 > 0:21:44It's difficult to describe, to be honest,
0:21:44 > 0:21:47you know, unless you've experienced depression.
0:21:47 > 0:21:50It's part of the baggage of having a stroke,
0:21:50 > 0:21:52but this takes my mind off things.
0:21:52 > 0:21:55And how much do you look forward to coming here every Friday?
0:21:55 > 0:21:57I can't wait to get back here on a Friday,
0:21:57 > 0:22:00have a banter with the lads, you know.
0:22:00 > 0:22:04The shed has also helped retired teacher Dai to deal with his
0:22:04 > 0:22:08health problems as he was diagnosed with Parkinson's four years ago.
0:22:08 > 0:22:10Sometimes it's very difficult to talk about it,
0:22:10 > 0:22:13but at least in this environment you feel you can share it with
0:22:13 > 0:22:17people without that fear of stigma or whatever, you know.
0:22:17 > 0:22:20And it's difficult to put a price on that acceptance, you know.
0:22:20 > 0:22:23Because of your condition, whatever the condition is,
0:22:23 > 0:22:26you can still come along and we'll look after you.
0:22:26 > 0:22:29We may come to use pieces of wood to make things,
0:22:29 > 0:22:33but perhaps the most important part for us is coffee break at half ten.
0:22:33 > 0:22:36After I'd been coming here for about four or five weeks, I walked
0:22:36 > 0:22:39in through the door and I started having a load of abuse thrown at me.
0:22:39 > 0:22:42I thought, "Oh, I finally belong!" do you know what I mean?
0:22:42 > 0:22:45That's how it is, isn't it, with menfolk, you know?
0:24:47 > 0:24:5025 years after the Church of England's vote to accept women's
0:24:50 > 0:24:54ordination, I've come to Trinity Theological College in Bristol
0:24:54 > 0:24:58where the next generation of priests are being trained for ordination.
0:25:02 > 0:25:04Many of those training for the priesthood today were
0:25:04 > 0:25:08children in 1992 and it's not just theological barriers that
0:25:08 > 0:25:11have been overcome in the two decades since.
0:25:16 > 0:25:18So, tell me about rugby.
0:25:18 > 0:25:21This seems like a tough girls' theological college.
0:25:21 > 0:25:25I'm actually quite sore from yesterday, playing!
0:25:25 > 0:25:26Yeah, it's really, really fun.
0:25:26 > 0:25:28We all really, really enjoy it.
0:25:28 > 0:25:31It's really quite liberating to do it, actually.
0:25:31 > 0:25:33When did you decide, all of you,
0:25:33 > 0:25:35that you wanted to go into the priesthood?
0:25:35 > 0:25:39I think for me it was maybe a thread that's been in my life all along.
0:25:39 > 0:25:42For me, it was actually different.
0:25:42 > 0:25:47My growing up in the church, I wasn't very passionate about God.
0:25:47 > 0:25:49Yeah, it was just kind of a gentle process.
0:25:49 > 0:25:52There wasn't any sort of lightning bolt from the Lord, you know,
0:25:52 > 0:25:54"this is what you're meant to do".
0:25:54 > 0:25:57I guess it kind of started with my mum's ordination
0:25:57 > 0:26:00three years ago.
0:26:00 > 0:26:03I stood in Winchester Cathedral and I just said,
0:26:03 > 0:26:07"Oh, Lord, you're asking me to do this as well, aren't you?"
0:26:11 > 0:26:14I think there's something about stepping out of kind of
0:26:14 > 0:26:18normal life and coming here that is very different.
0:26:18 > 0:26:22It's sort of a different rhythm of life and you're in the community.
0:26:22 > 0:26:26Every morning we go to morning prayer and we have lunch together.
0:26:26 > 0:26:28The world's going to throw a lot of things at us, I think,
0:26:28 > 0:26:31in the next however many years left we've got of ministry,
0:26:31 > 0:26:34so it's good to have a good foundation, I think.
0:26:34 > 0:26:39So you are all clearly really keen and vibed up about it.
0:26:39 > 0:26:42But, on the other side, what do you think are the biggest
0:26:42 > 0:26:47challenges that face a female vicar and a female priest?
0:26:47 > 0:26:49I think for me it's probably two-fold.
0:26:49 > 0:26:51I think one is how people approach you.
0:26:51 > 0:26:55So I know that in the past I've stood up and given a sermon
0:26:55 > 0:26:58or I've led a service and the first thing that someone does is
0:26:58 > 0:27:00comment on what I'm wearing.
0:27:00 > 0:27:02The whole time I'm going, "I was talking to you about the poor.
0:27:02 > 0:27:04"I was talking to you about this
0:27:04 > 0:27:06"and I'd have really loved it if that's the thing you took away"
0:27:06 > 0:27:08but I know that, for some reason,
0:27:08 > 0:27:11as a woman, physical appearance is really important
0:27:11 > 0:27:15and what I wear can be a help or a hindrance to those around me.
0:27:15 > 0:27:19And I think the second thing is learning to live with those
0:27:19 > 0:27:20comments with grace.
0:27:20 > 0:27:23I think that's a struggle that women priests perhaps have to deal with
0:27:23 > 0:27:26that male priests don't just because of our gender.
0:27:26 > 0:27:31I think there are still people that don't feel that women should
0:27:31 > 0:27:32be in leadership, and, actually,
0:27:32 > 0:27:35if they've wrestled with it and they've come to that conclusion,
0:27:35 > 0:27:38then that's fine, that's their opinion.
0:27:38 > 0:27:40How do you see the future?
0:27:40 > 0:27:44There are now women bishops in the Church of England.
0:27:44 > 0:27:47I definitely feel that I'm standing on the shoulders of other
0:27:47 > 0:27:50female priests and now we get to reap the benefits, don't we,
0:27:50 > 0:27:52which is amazing.
0:27:52 > 0:27:57I think I'd like to see it that we don't have to talk about
0:27:57 > 0:28:00- women priests or male priests any more.- Just priests.
0:28:00 > 0:28:03We're all just priests and it's cool.
0:31:09 > 0:31:12CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:31:15 > 0:31:18Next week, we're down on the farm with
0:31:18 > 0:31:22a group of girls from the inner city, getting a taste of rural life.
0:31:23 > 0:31:26But for our final hymn, we turn to the great
0:31:26 > 0:31:30Victorian woman songwriter Frances Havergal.
0:31:30 > 0:31:34Take My Life, And Let It Be is her prayer that we use all our
0:31:34 > 0:31:37gifts and talents to God's glory.