are hubs for the community in Wickford and Runwell. Between them activities and groups
supported include: Coffee Mornings; Councillor Surgery; Art and Heritage Exhibitions; Floral Art; Gamblers
Anonymous; Huff & Puff; Lace Makers; Ladygate Scribblers; Martial Arts; Meet & Make; Mothers Union; Parent &
Toddlers Group; Parent’s 1st Group; Phlebotomy Clinics; Singing Group; Tai Chi; U3A; Unveiled arts and
performance evening; Warfarin Clinic; WI Craft Group; Wickford Chapter; Wickford Lodge; Wickford Women’s
Institute; Yoga.
These groups and activities provide a wide range of social, leisure and educational opportunities for the local
community, as well as providing warm spaces that enable those attending to save on heating in their homes while
attending. In addition, local schools visit our buildings for a range of educational opportunities.
Our Unveiled arts and performance evening plus our art and heritage exhibition programme deliver new cultural
offers in Wickford. These seek to bring high quality art and performance to Wickford while also encouraging local
talent by providing new platforms for local performers and artists. We take part in Bas-Arts Index and Wickford
Voices (Creative Basildon) and use heritage displays provided by Basildon Heritage. We have worked with local
arts organisations such as Runwell Art Club and Next Step Creative, while also utilising local artists and performers such as Jackie Burns (Space Artist), Dave Crawford (Musician), Eva Romanakova (Singer), John Paul
Barrett (Artist) and Steven Turner (Dancer).
We have supported the possible development of a Wickford Business Improvement District (BID), including
joining the Town Team.
We are making use of the HeartEdge 4 Cs which has enabled a focus on cultural programming that has brought new contacts with the community and which is generating additional opportunities for grant funding. One church in the team is being developed as a cultural and heritage hub for the town, while others are expanding their focus on contemplative spiritualities and traditional parish activities. Within these initiatives, a new enquirers course has been introduced and a monthly discussion group for young people.
The Basildon Deanery is a group of Church of England churches in the Basildon, Billericay and Wickford areas. Our 19 churches are grouped in 10 parishes and have great community activities, enjoyable cultural events and artefacts, beautiful environments, and fascinating heritage. In the Basildon Deanery we have used Mission Opportunities Fund grants to set up a Deanery website (
https://basildondeanery.co.uk/) and to work with mission consultants/coaches.
My creative writing has been published by Amethyst Review, International Times, Strait, and Stride Magazine. I write regularly on the Arts for national arts and church media and my journalism has been published by: AM; Art+Christianity Journal; Artlyst; ARTS Journal; ArtServe Magazine; ArtWay; Church Times; Epiphany; Expository Times; Faith in Business Quarterly, Franciscan Magazine; Gods' Collections; Ilford Recorder; Image Journal; International Times; Journal of Theological Studies; Muslim Weekly; National Churches Trust; New Start; Seen and Unseen Magazine; Strait; Stride Magazine; Transpositions; and Visual Commentary on Scripture.
My publications include: ‘The Secret Chord’ (Lulu, 2012, with Peter Banks); ‘Finding Abundance in Scarcity’ (Canterbury Press, 2021, ed. Samuel Wells); ‘Liturgy on the Edge’ (Canterbury Press, 2018, ed. Samuel Wells); ‘Living with other faiths’ (Contextual Theology Centre, 2006 / Greater London Presence & Engagement Network, 2009); ‘Christians in the workplace’ (Diocese of Chelmsford, 2007, with C. Ball, P. Ritchie and P. Trathen); and ‘Despair and Hope in the City’ (Alistair Shornach, 1990, with Philip Evens). I have poems that have been included in two anthologies: 'Thin Places and Sacred Spaces' (2024); and 'All Shall Be Well: Poems for Julian of Norwich' (2023).
My previous roles in the Church of England have been as: Associate Vicar for HeartEdge at St Martin-in-the-Fields (including three years as p/t Priest-in-charge at St Stephen Walbrook), Vicar of St John’s Seven Kings, and Curate at St Margaret’s Barking.
At St Martin-in-the-Fields I led the development of HeartEdge from its launch in 2017 to become a growing international and ecumenical movement of churches, organisations and individuals from Australia, Canada, England, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, Scotland, South Africa, USA, and Wales. The movement includes Baptist, Church of England, Church of Scotland, Episcopal, Independent, Lutheran, Methodist, Presbyterian, Protestant Church of the Netherlands, Remonstrant, Roman Catholic, Salvation Army, United Reformed, and Uniting Church.
Initiated by the congregation at St Martin-in-the-Fields in 2017, HeartEdge is a movement for renewal, fuelled by people and churches sharing their assets, experience, resource and need. As an ecumenical network, HeartEdge brings together people to share ideas and experience, do theology and develop their church and community. HeartEdge is about churches developing four Cs: Commerce - Generating finance via enterprise, creatively extending mission. Culture - Art, music, performance re-imagining the Christian narrative for the present. Congregation - Inclusive liturgy, worship and common life. Compassion - Empowering congregations to address social need.
I also had three main areas of responsibility in relation to the congregation at St Martin’s. First, I created an artists’ and craftspeoples’ group involving participants of all abilities which organises art workshops, a monthly drawing group, exhibition space in the Crypt, annual exhibitions, and a lecture series. Second, I was the clergy lead for the Disability Advisory Group, Disability Cross-Site Working Group, and annual conference on disability and church organised in partnership with Inclusive Church. Among other outcomes the support and facilitation I have provided enabled delivery of a full organisational Access Audit, six conferences, and two publications. Third, I was clergy lead with the Global Neighbours Committee which, as a sub-committee of the PCC, enabled St Martin’s to support their neighbours around the world by contributing to the funding of projects, through prayer, raising awareness and other activities. In this period I also led on their partnership with St Mary’s Cathedral Johannesburg. For three years I was also Chair of Westminster Churches Together.
I supported a curate as a team member at St Martin’s and undertook the setting up and preparation for a second curate who began after I had left. I was also a Post Ordination Training Tutor for Two Cities & Stepney – attending and contributing to POT (IME4-7) meetings in order to provide continuity of pastoral care and contribute to teaching. I also became an Associate Tutor for St Augustine’s College of Theology, teaching a module on The Arts, Culture and Christian Ministry and Mission.
At St Stephen Walbrook I created in ‘Start:Stop’ – reflections for those on their way to work - a mission model that worked in its context (creating a new sustainable congregation and drawing new people into the wider life of the church) and is replicable. I demonstrated the viability of a new Monday lunchtime service, now being taken forward as Choral Classics. I set and demonstrated the value (in terms of visitor footfall and deepening spirituality) of ongoing arts programming in a City church context. I revived the relationship between the church and Mansion House and introduced a new annual service to the City which was enthusiastically embraced by the Livery Companies and Ward Clubs. I also addressed the issues which were holding back the missional development of the church - and put viable, high-quality alternatives in place, often using the partnership with St Martin’s to do so. I was a training incumbent to one curate at St Stephen Walbrook.
St John’s Seven Kings aimed to grow together as a community of God's people, filled and empowered by the Holy Spirit to follow Jesus Christ's example and teaching. I sought to lead us as a community (including a team of reader emeritus and authorized local preacher) in that aim and enable us to live it out through worship, love, inclusivity, growth, service, witness, healing and prophecy.
I sought to do so, in particular, by: addressing financial issues through stewardship and hall usage; an ongoing programme of building maintenance; community engagement through community campaigns and groups (including the chairing of Seven Kings & Newbury Park Resident's Association and the Management Committee of Downshall Pre-School Playgroup, plus serving as a Community Governor at Downshall Primary School); further development of the St John’s Centre as a community hub; development of a community garden; schools ministry; development of a Ministry Leadership Team; use of a variety of styles of service; establishment of a youth club; delivery of a Sunday School and annual Holiday Club; clustering with three neighbouring Anglican churches; establishment of a local Scriptural Reasoning group; establishment of a social enterprise project (Seven Kings & Newbury Park Sophia Hub); and publicizing of our engagement with the Arts (including the creation of a local Art Trail) and the wider community.
I began the development of these initiatives with a review of the existing Mission Statement for St John's and we reviewed progress by means of a worship survey, a mystery worshipper, and ongoing discussions in Ministry Leadership Team meetings. From 2008 I was a training incumbent contributing to the training of two curates.
I had wide ranging and varied experience during my title post, including a 15 month interregnum when I was the sole priest in the ministry team based at St Margaret’s Barking. In addition, to pastoral, preaching and teaching ministries, the occasional offices and leading worship, I set up and chaired the Faith Forum for Barking & Dagenham, organized an ecumenical programme of SOULINTHECITY initiatives across the borough, set up and supported a support initiative for self-harmers, organized the delivery of ESOL courses from the St Margaret’s Centre, and organized church involvement in a range of borough-led Arts projects.
My ministry has involved a focus on the following:
- The Arts i.e. organisation of concerts, performances, events, exhibitions and study days in each Parish and through commission4mission; oversight of contemporary Church Art commissions in each Parish and through commission4mission; delivery of Arts-related courses in parishes, through commission4mission and as part of Diocesan Lent and Eastertide programmes; painting/creative writing; arts-related journalism with a national profile, and publication of ‘The Secret Chord’. For my sabbatical I visited significant sites connected to the renewal of religious art in Europe during the twentieth century in order to reflect on the significance of these sites both for art history and good practice for commissioning.
- Inter-faith engagement i.e. managed a project which introduced a Faith Communities Toolkit to three Jobcentre Plus regions and piloted new approaches to Jobcentres working in partnership with their local faith communities, including design and quality assurance of a comprehensive Information Pack (the Faith Communities Toolkit) and delivery of training in the use of this Toolkit; set up and chaired the Barking & Dagenham Faith Forum including: agreement of aim, objectives and statement of commitment; preparation of constitution; planning of Launch Event; chairing of Organising Committee; development of Faith Forum programme; and fundraising; planned, publicized and run, through Faith in London's Economy (FiLE), seminars on Ethics in a Global Economy and Re-negotiating ‘value’, using speakers such as Saif Ahmad, Jay Lakhani, Dr. Edmund Newell, Mannie Sher and Baroness Uddin; undertaking of consultancy work for Faith Regen Foundation; development of the Living with other Faiths Resource pack; involvement in Greater London Presence & Engagement Network (PEN) and Chelmsford Diocese Presence & Engagement Group; development of a local Scriptural Reasoning group and of Seven Kings Sophia Hub.
- Training i.e. as a trained Trainer I have: taught a module on The Arts, Culture and Christian Ministry and Mission for St Augustine’s College of Theology; delivered the Living God’s Future Now online programme of workshops for HeartEdge; written and delivered ‘Inspired to Follow: Art and the Bible Story’ sessions and courses through St Martin’s and HeartEdge; designed and delivered the ‘Living with other faiths’ congregational resource pack for CTC (later revised for Greater London PEN), including delivery of training for individual parishes, as part of the Diocese of Chelmsford’s Lent & Eastertide programme, and as a unit in Stepney Area Reader’s Training; designed and delivered (with others) the Christians in the Workplace resource pack for the Diocese of Chelmsford, including delivery of training using its materials for individual parishes, as part of the Diocese of Chelmsford’s Lent & Eastertide programme, with St Mellitus College students and SSM curates in the Diocese; designed and delivered (with others) ‘The Big Picture’, ‘Living the Story’ and ‘Christian Art – fallacy or fusion?’ series of courses on faith and popular culture for the Diocese of Chelmsford’s Lent & Eastertide programme; delivery of Lent Courses; leadership of home groups; POT Tutor for Two Cities and Stepney Areas; and contributions as a speaker to a wide variety of conferences, seminars and workshops.
- Workplace ministry i.e. Weekly email to work-based email group; Christians in the Workplace courses; development of Christians in the Workplace Parish Resource pack; planned, publicized and run, through FiLE, seminars on Ethics in a Global Economy and Re-negotiating ‘value’; set up 'Start:Stop' at St Stephen Walbrook and 'Contemplative Commuters' in the Wickford and Runwell Team Ministry.
I have been: Trustee and Chair of Trustees for the Voice of the People Trust; Trustee and Elder of the New Life Church Centre, Dagenham (originally Grieg Hall Evangelical Church); Consultant, then Director of FRF; Consultant for MADE in Europe; Chair of Trustees for Downshall Pre-School Playgroup; Community Governor for Downshall Primary School; Chair of Seven Kings & Newbury Park Resident’s Association; Secretary of commission4mission; and Director of Sophia Hubs Limited. I am currently a Director of FRF and a Local Advisory Board member for Wickford Church of England School.
Prior to ordination I worked in the Employment Service/Jobcentre Plus for 18 years and held a range of policy and operational posts primarily at management levels including: policy development work on New Deal 50+ and New Deal for Disabled People which included researching US approaches to Welfare to Work and organizing a national consultation event; managing a team of 14 delivering an assessment and rehabilitation service for disabled people; setting up a pilot Personal Adviser service and leading a consortium bidding to deliver a Job Retention service; and managing a project which introduced a Faith Communities Toolkit to three Jobcentre Plus regions and piloted new approaches to Jobcentres working in partnership with their local faith communities. During this time, I trained as a trainer.
I have BA (Hons) degrees in Modern English Studies and Contextual Theology. In a gap year after Further Education, I led a British Youth for Christ voluntary youth work team which organized a mission, holiday club, Youth Services and took assemblies/lessons in schools.
