It has been announced today that Captain Paul Warren of the Church Army (left) is to be our full time Urban Missioner, working in the united benefice of St James and St Anne's, with a special Sunday responsibility for St Anne's Church.Paul and his family will be moving to Bermondsey in August with his wife, Mandy, and children Emily, Daniel, & Hannah and he will be licensed by the Bishop of Woolwich at a united service in St Anne's Church on September 22nd.
I first met Paul when I was vicar of St Peter's and Bishop Andrewes churches on the St Helier Estate in Morden and Carshalton. Paul had come straight from the Church Army College in Sheffield, and our parish of St Helier was to be the location of his first post as a Church Army evangelist. Prior to that he was a self-employed builder in the Weymouth area (where he comes from), specialising in home extensions.
Later I moved to Redhill and later still Paul moved to the parish of Whitnash in Warwickshire where for the last five years he has been the children's and family worker and a training enabler for the Church Army mission centre based there.
What's this new man like then? What you see is what you get, is what I think about Paul. Straightforward, hardworking, friendly, encouraging, passionate about sharing the love of Jesus with others. I'm thrilled he's coming to Bermondsey.
Here's a video from the Church Army website where Paul talks about the work he has been doing in Warwick:
Dear Gary, Great News.
ReplyDeleteLes
I write as a whitnash resident and mum, Paul and mandy have united the young families in the community with their amazing groups. Their caring and enthusiastic approach to life will be a wonderful asset to your community as it has been in ours. All the very best. Emily Brough
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