Who Are We?
“LOL Youth Ministry is a youth ministry for those in school years 6 to 13, overseen by two Durham City Churches working in partnership (King’s Church Durham and St John’s, Neville’s Cross). ‘LOL’ is an acronym for ‘Living out Love’ – referring to the love of God made known in Jesus and through the Holy Spirit; the love which inspires and empowers the ministry.”
Meet the Team
Joanna Edworthy
Joanna is originally from the south, but came to Durham in 2017 to study Theology. After completing her degree, she joined the staff team at King’s Church as the Youth and Children’s Ministry Coordinator. She has been involved in leading various groups within LOL Youth Ministry for the last 5 years. In her spare time, Joanna enjoys going on walks with friends, watching Disney films, baking and being creative!
Joel Ryder
Joel came to Durham to study Theology. After covid tried its best to keep him away from Durham, he managed to graduate in 2022 and began the Kings Internship. Joel has now joined the staff team as a Youth Worker whilst undertaking the Ministry Training Programme alongside it. Joel is slightly competitive, and you’ll often find him turning any and everything into a game, from various sports to sharing testimonies over dinner. Joel is one of the leaders at Dive.
Management Team
Mark Bonnington
Mark is Senior Leader at Kings and leads the staff team. After teaching Maths, he studied theology and wrote a PhD on Galatians. He came to Durham to teach New Testament and has been leading Kings since 2001. He is married to Ruth. They have three grown up children and he enjoys DIY, swimming and holidays in Scotland.
Katherine Jacklin
Katherine is a Durham theology graduate, who joined the leadership team at Kings Church in 2007. She has worked for many years as an RE teacher and school chaplain but joined the staff team at Kings in 2010 and co-ordinates their pastoral ministries and the Ministry Training Programme. She is married to Seymour, who can be heard playing harmonicas or whistles in worship or ceilidh bands.
