Julie and I are looking forward to coming to the Nene Valley with lots of hopes and a little trepidation.  As still newlyweds, the manse at Rushden will be the first home we have really made together.  The move means new roles for us both.  Julie has a new full time job with Northamptonshire Library Service and for me this will be my first superintendency and a new circuit with seemingly a great variety of churches.  For both of us (and my dog Rusty) there will be a multitude of new people to meet and get to know.

In order to help you get to know us, my background before entering the ministry was in computing and later in the print industry.  My church background is very varied.  I grew up in a large (600 member) middle class suburban Methodist church and later moved to Cornwall to work with a little rural chapel on the edge of St Ives with only a dozen or so active members – the sort of church where people told one another if they were to be away so they did not worry.  My ministry has been in a variety of churches too – rural Wiltshire, a comfortable middle class church in a former village now a small town, a semi-rural church on the edge of Southampton Water, a church trying to minister on one of the most deprived council estates in Southampton and to add spice to the mix I am currently part time chaplain at the Southampton University.  Julie has been a librarian all her career specialising in equal access services (to people who find libraries difficult to use).  She is also a Reader in the Church of England.

I am passionate about developing the ministry of the whole people of God.  In Jesus we are called together to be the body of Christ in worship, witness and service.  I also believe that the reality of our spiritual life is reflected not primarily in the fellowship we enjoy together but in the way we share beyond our doors the love of Jesus in compassion and faithfulness.

I enjoy photography, especially of animals and have taken a large number of photos in Kruger National Park in South Africa in recent years.  I also enjoy sailing (though Northamptonshire seems a long way from the sea), messing about with computers and life in general.  I’ll have a go at making almost anything from chocks for the caravan, simple electronic gadgets and computer programs to my own shirt.  I also love to cook.  I enjoy reading and trips to the theatre (I’ve done my share of amateur dramatics!)  Julie and I have and interest in history and enjoy visiting historic places.

Peter