Staff and Leadership

Please find below an introduction to our church leaders and staff members.
 

Revd Mark  Vicar Rev Mark has been Vicar at Bishop Ridley Church since January 2016.  He is married to Helene and they have five children.  Mark was raised in Germany and has one of the most interesting life stories you will ever hear. In his early 20s, Mark had become a Christian. In 2006, after some years working in business in Germany and the Ukraine, Mark and Helene decided to move to London so Mark could study further then go travelling around South East Asia. However God had other plans. Mark began to feel called to ordained ministry.  Mark took up a position as a lay assistant at a local church. When the call to ordained ministry became stronger, Mark started a two year apprenticeship at All Souls Clubhouse. The Diocese of London then sent him for ordination training at Wycliffe Hall Oxford. In June 2012 Mark started his curacy in the diocese of Portsmouth at St. Mary’s Liss.  Naturally inquisitive, Mark likes to keep busy and is can often be found studying, researching or finding out about something new. He enjoys a good glass of wine but enjoys less the runs he does to counter the effects of wine and good food.		Karen Freeman PCC Secretary/Ministry Team Karen has been a secretary/administrator all her working life. She has worked at the Royal Borough of Greenwich as the support officer to the Educational Psychology Service for more years than she can count! Karen has attended Bishop Ridley for more than 20 years. She began serving at the church by producing and delivering the PowerPoint for Sunday morning services. She has served on the Parochial Church Council (PCC) since 2010, and became PCC Secretary in 2012. Recently she has joined the Ministry Team and has begun to lead and preach at services. Karen has begun the Bishop’s Certificate which will, hopefully, lead to Licensed Lay Ministry. Karen is widowed with two grown up children. Karen has been researching her family history for more than 40 years. She also enjoys needlecrafts of all sorts and loves her garden, but is disappointed that the weeds do too!
Pat Waters Church Warden		Derek Sears Church Warden Derek is one of our two churchwardens. Whilst the role has a number of responsibilities in the main it involves ensuring that the church building and its contents are maintained in good condition so that it is a safe and welcoming place for everyone to come and worship. He is now retired having worked in the public sector for more than 40 years in a wide variety of roles mainly in a managerial capacity. He and his family have attended Bishop Ridley Church for more than 30 years with both his children having been baptised here. He enjoys DIY and history and since his retirement, apart from wondering how he ever found time to go to work, he has begun to trace his family tree, something he always promised himself he would do once he retired.
Jayne Runacres Church Communicator and Administrator Jayne is our Communicator and Administrator. She has worked in PR, communications and marketing for more than 15 years, in industries as diverse as computer games publishing, construction, education and the third sector. She currently also co-partners a marketing agency. Jayne has been attending Bishop Ridley for around 10 years. She became a Christian aged 5, she’d love to tell you more about why she’s still a Christian more than 30 years later. Jayne is married and has two young sons. Her hobbies include eating cake, Pilates and according to her eldest son, “listening to podcasts while putting the laundry away”!

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