Priest-in-charge

Position within the Church: Priest-in-Charge

How long have you been a Christian? Since 1979.

How and why did you become a Christian? It was at the age of 17 in a Christian Youth Centre in Berkshire. It was an amazing place with a fantastic welcoming atmosphere. I had an encounter with the love of God and I was so struck hearing about all that Jesus said and did. I remember how it had such a ring of truth and the more I thought about it, the more it rang true. In the end, I gave up my resistance. I knew my friends would think I was a bit of loser becoming a Christian but, honestly, I think they are the ones who lost out.

What are your hobbies and interests? I am interested in music, cinema, sport, French culture and wine and I can often be seen early in the morning running around Preston Park looking completely shattered.

Do you have any family who attend church? I am married to Kathie and we have four children, two of whom are grown up and now live in Edinburgh and Versailles. They both go to churches there. Joe and Ben live with us here and are at All Saints’. Kathie and I also wait on our cat around the clock but Orion appears, so far, to have little interest in spiritual things.

What are your aspirations for All Saints’ Church for the next 12 months? I expect to see us moving ahead with our vision of reaching out to every home in the parish.

What are your long-term desires for All Saints’ Church? My role is to lead All Saints’ to discover and accomplish his will for its future. He calls me to do that by casting vision, by training and releasing ministries and by encouraging an atmosphere of expectant prayer. I want to see All Saints’ filled with the glory of God; a place where God’s presence is tangible, where people regularly come to faith and then daily grow in maturity and Christlikeness.

Finally, what has been the best advice/guidance that somebody has given you as a Christian? Don’t overestimate what you can achieve in a year and don’t underestimate what you can achieve in five.