New Reader

To Southwark Cathedral last night to see Adrian Greenwood (left) licensed as a Reader after training for three years on the Southwark Readers Course.

'A Reader' is a kind of Church of England lay preacher. From now on Adrian is fully licensed to lead services or preach in St James or St Anne's.

When he is not doing that he keeps busy as a member of the General Synod, as lay chair of the Diocesan Synod, and as Chair of Trustees for the Salmon Youth Centre.

It was Salmon, then known as Cambridge University Mission, that first brought Adrian to Bermondsey over 40 years ago.

He was a Resi (or Residential worker) straight from Cambridge, but he and Marian have stayed in Bermondsey ever since and thrown themselves fully into the life of the church here, for which we thank God - and congratulate Adrian on the new phase of his service for God's kingdom - as a Reader.

Unfortunately, he had whipped his Reader's robes off too quickly for the sight of Adrian in a cassock to be captured for posterity by the Blog's Official Photographer (J. Downey, curate), but all is not lost - the wonders of modern technology have allowed the re-creation (right) of what the scene might have looked like, especially for readers of this blog.