Rev. Ian 


My background is one steeped in the Church of England! Both of my parents were Church Army Officers and worked in various capacities for the mission across their working lives. Often taking us, as children, to different churches where my Father would be preaching and encouraging involvement in Church Army. I was born in Wolverhampton but moved, when I was a toddler, to Worcester Park in Surrey, where I spent the rest of my childhood. I met my wife, Mandy, at Kingston in the early 1980’s where we were both studying for our degrees (geography and music respectively). After getting married in 1984, we lived for a short while in Surbiton and Luton before moving to Birmingham in 1988 where we raised our family of four sons and one daughter.
 
Mandy is a retired primary school teacher and I worked as a self-employed property renovator. Whilst knowing that God had called me to ministry, I always had the knowledge that it was “Yes, but not yet” until I had a God-moment, in my tent during New Wine!
 
Subsequently, in 2012 I was accepted for ordination training and spent two years at Queen’s Foundation Birmingham. I was ordained deacon in 2014 and priest in 2015 and served my curacy at St. Germain’s, Edgbaston in the Birmingham Diocese.
 
I have extensive pastoral, preaching and worship leading experience (the latter usually with a guitar) and  a commitment to growing and enabling people as worshippers and disciples. I also have specific interests in issues relating to social justice and the environment, being involved in the eco-church movement and also working actively with the Churches night shelter project each winter.  We are both active in the New Wine Summer conferences where we volunteer as stewards, enabling delegates to attend worship sessions, talks etc knowing the site is in safe hands!
 
Our children, now all adults along with two young grandchildren, remain in Birmingham. However, we have a rather loopy Cavalier King Charles Spaniel called Scampi and at times have a varying number of chickens – this being a bit dependent on the local foxes!!
 
I enjoy gardening and walking and have been involved with the Scout movement since our children were quite young. I believe that God speaks into every aspect of our lives, but that we need to give time in our busy lives to hear His voice and that we have a responsibility, as Christians, to share God’s love with those around us.