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Ken is a retired schoolteacher and a non-stipendiary minster.
He taught geography as a senior teacher for 36 years in four schools on two continents including four years in a remote corner of Zambia. For more than 20 years he taught at Glyn School Epsom where he had a senior role as Head of the Faculty of Humanities. He is passionate about Africa and taught it extensively in his professional career.
He has travelled to many parts of the world including Uganda where he was teaching at a clergy conference for the Diocese of Kampala and Malawi with Hope for Malawi. He has considerable experience of cross-cultural mission.
A graduate of the University of Sussex, he has a Diploma from All Nations Christian College and a PGCE from the University of London. He trained for the Anglican ministry at North Thames Ministerial Training Course based at Oak Hill College and holds an Advanced Diploma in Pastoral and Theological Studies from Middlesex University. He was ordained in 1998 and his ordained ministry has included 10 years as the part time Vicar of Albury near Guildford where he witnessed substantial church growth. His Grove book Growing Churches through House for Duty Ministry tells this story. He returned “home” to St Paul’s Howell Hill in 2011.
He has a lifetime’s experience of working with children, families and young people and uses his teaching skills and experience to make the Bible come alive.
He is married to Margaret (also a teacher) and they have two married children and four grandchildren.
Before joining St. John’s, Ken was the pastoral minister at St Paul’s offering two days a week in coordinating the pastoral ministry of the church including Mid Week Focus, Hendford Nursing Home and the work of the three pastoral assistants. He has an extensive funeral ministry with local funeral directors to families who may have little or no church connection but would like a Christian minister to take the service. Holding a “Permission to Officiate” Licence from the Bishop, he has often been away from St Paul’s on Sundays preaching at other churches in the deanery and beyond. That will now change as St John’s becomes his priority!
His interests are eating, golf, gardening, travel, cycling and Norwich City Football Club.