Almost 1,000 men and women will be ordained by the Church of England over the next few months.

"The ordination of so many men and women is an occasion of joy," said the Bishop of Sheffield, Steven Croft, chair of the Church of England's Ministry Council.

"Not only for these priests and deacons and their friends and families but for the communities they will serve and for the Church of England as a whole."

The high number of ordinations this summer is "a sign of a hopeful future for the Church of England," he said. It runs counter to the general narrative that the Church of England is in decline. 

"I thank God that so many different men and women have answered God's call to ordained ministry, for their witness to the good news of the gospel and for the life of service to all that they are embarking upon," said Croft.

Among the ordinands, who number around 950, are a former lorry driver, midwife and teacher.

"I remember having an overwhelming feeling at my mother's ordination service that this was going to be me one day – I had a great sense of peace and a curiosity about God," said Lucy Savage, 26, who will be made a deacon at Wakefield Cathedral on July 2.

"Over the years I have been inspired by her example of love and service and her great hospitality to all."

Catherine Okoronkwo, a former teacher, will also be ordained a deacon on June 26 in Lichfield Cathedral.

"Something had always kept calling me back to think about what my faith would mean in terms of lived experience and how I might do something practical that reflects my passion and commitment to follow Jesus," she said.

She had a chance meeting with Archbishop of York John Sentamu, which "was a key moment in helping me to take this calling seriously."

Rev Phil Maries, a former scaffolder and lorry driver for 32 years, is set to be ordained as a priest on June 25 in West Yorkshire.

His journey to faith was heavily influenced by a vicar on a cell broadcast that he heard.

"The vicar who spoke on the CB radio broadcast would not have known if he had reached anybody – but that was his calling, and it was a life-changing moment for me. Looking back, my life could have gone two ways – the way that it has done, or I could have ended up in prison or an alcoholic and in a very low place," Maries said.

"The faithfulness of that vicar has had an enormous impact on my life and I want to pay that back and do the same for somebody else."