“When you read the Bible, particularly with the disciples, if a town wasn’t welcoming to them, they shook the dust off their feet and walked away. They didn’t make a fuss – they just left quietly. That’s what I tell people: God will deal with things in His own way. Getting angry doesn’t serve anything.”

These words capture the faith and perspective of Canon Alexandra Dyer, Reader at St James’ Tredworth, Lay Canon in the Diocese of Gloucester, and a board member of the West Midlands Racial Justice Initiative.

Alexandra has been a Reader at St James’ Tredworth for over a decade, moving from Holy Trinity, Hounslow in London where she began her ministry training as a Reader while working in the church coffee shop.

“That was the start of my Reader ministry,” she said. “I was finding my preaching style. My one requisite was that people not fall asleep while I was preaching. I wanted people to be engaged with what God is saying to them.”

Several of the coffee shop managers before her had gone on to ordination training, but Alexandra knew that wasn’t her calling.

“I didn’t feel called to be ordained. I knew I didn’t have the skills to lead a church – it just wasn’t for me. When I looked at what a Reader does, I thought, ‘Well, that’s more me.'”

Born in Lincolnshire to Caribbean parents, Alexandra grew up moving frequently as her father served in the RAF. “We moved around every three years. We did a couple of tours in the UK, but we lived overseas too – I was confirmed in Germany. I was lucky in that both my parents worked, I had food, a roof under my head, schooling, and opportunities that many children didn’t have,” she said.

Her parents’ faith was central to her childhood. At 15, her father was posted to what was then RAF Innsworth, and her family moved to Gloucester, where they joined Holy Trinity, Longlevens.

“I was in the church choir with my sisters and we attended services twice a week. I became aware of being one of the few Black families in the church community. As far as I know, my mum and dad were the only Black Readers in Gloucester,” she said.

After finishing school and working in her parents’ care home, Alexandra studied Hospitality Management at Thames Valley University in West London. With her sister, she looked for a church where they could sing. “We thought we’d found a gospel church, but it was actually Brethren moving towards Pentecostal. Later we joined Ealing Pentecostal Church. It was so diverse, and our faith really grew there. We did Alpha, Grid, and Bible study courses,” she said.

Alexandra’s faith has been a constant through life’s challenges. One of the clearest examples came during a difficult period in London, when she had lost her job and didn’t have enough to pay the rent.

“If I get stuck, I pray. That’s always plan A: pray. I told the Lord, ‘I believe in you to pay the rent,’ and He did. Small blessings came together that same week – tips from work, a tax refund – everything I needed. If I hadn’t prayed, I would have panicked. My faith got me through.”

Her faith has also helped guide her in everyday moments where she was treated differently because of her skin colour.

“Once, my sister, my friend and I were on holiday in Mallorca. We were the only black people in the shop. When we said hello to the shop assistant and started looking around, I noticed she kept a very close eye on us. She was counting everything we looked at and following us around the store, clearly watching to make sure we didn’t take anything. I thought to myself, ‘Oh, right, you think because we’re Black we’re going to steal something.’

“It was a subtle kind of treatment, but you notice it. You feel it. I wanted to touch everything, just to frustrate her or test her, but I thought, no – lead us not into temptation. I reminded myself to trust God, He will do with them in His own way. Right now, He’s in with me. We walked out quietly without buying anything. It’s in those small moments that faith really helps you respond calmly instead of reacting in anger.”

Last Sunday, Alexandra led a service at St John’s, Churchdown for Black History Month. She was invited by the Revd Jacqui Hyde, who knew of her work with the West Midlands Racial Justice Initiative.

“I shared a little of my story – it was the first time I had spoken about my story in church. I spoke about being followed in shops, and being looked at with fear. I spoke about fear as something that creates division and voices of hate.

“I drew on Psalm 91:

You will not fear the terror of night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,
6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
nor the plague that destroys at midday.

Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”

“When I was preparing for the service, I searched ‘Black firsts’ on the internet – the pioneering Black people who broke barriers in Britain and beyond.

“Reading their stories was inspiring. They opened doors and didn’t close them behind them. They made a path for people like me. Whether it was the first Black boxer, the first woman in the RAF, or the first Black magistrate, they stood up for justice, equality, and opportunity.

“They didn’t wait for someone else to make change happen, they stepped forward and made it happen themselves. It makes me think about what I can do to help someone coming behind me.”

 https://gloucester.anglican.org/2025/alexandra-dyer-on-faith-and-opening-doors-for-others/