What are you most looking forward to about your new role as Dean of Durham?
"I am looking forward to joining a community of prayer and worship which has for centuries invited people to encounter Jesus Christ. Durham Cathedral is a wonderful and inspiring place, and I am looking forward to leading and serving its historic mission in the next chapter ahead."
What are your memories of Durham Cathedral from when you were a student at Durham University?
My first memories are of a (cold) Galilee Chapel where we spent a quiet day in my first week when I was training at Cranmer Hall. It struck me then as a place where it was easy to reflect and pray – albeit with at least two pairs of socks! We had numerous special services during my three years studying in Durham, and I also remember walking through the cloisters when they were set up for filming the first Harry Potter film!"
What are your hopes for the future of Durham Cathedral, and what do you see as the challenges?
"Durham Cathedral has a unique place in the hearts of so many people in the North-East and beyond, and my hope is that God continues to use this in HIs mission. In particular, in its worship and hospitality I pray that Durham Cathedral continues to be a place of prayer, pilgrimage and proclamation, not least so that alongside existing worshippers a younger and more diverse community is built who find in the Cathedral a place to meet with God. Like many cathedrals, Durham faces challenges with regards to its financial sustainability; however, my experience has been that under a united vision it is possible to navigate this sort of challenge and face the future with confidence."
What do you love about Durham and what are your favourite places in the County?
Quote from Dean of Durham
My wife and I always said that if the Lord was going to call us back to the North-East, he wouldn’t have to shout very loud! It has been great being back here for the last six years, and we are delighted to be staying in Durham for this new role. The people in County Durham are the best thing about this area: they are friendly, warm, faithful and funny. But the countryside comes a close second. I love walking in Weardale: it is wonderful in every season, but in the spring, with the lapwings, oystercatchers and curlews circling, it is a taste of heaven. And then a tight third is the cricket ground at Chester-le-Street. I’ve spent many a happy day there enjoying the cricket while catching up with friends."
Dean of Durham
What do you like doing in your spare time?
"Watching cricket will be obvious from the above, but I follow lots of sports: my teams are Brighton and Hove Albion (in Europe for the first time), Sussex County Cricket Club (not having a good season) and Harlequins RFC. I also took up running in lockdown and can’t seem to give it up. I love travelling by train, something that started when I was a teaching assistant in Germany and my weekend started at 11am on a Thursday. Which brings me on to the other thing I love doing which is speaking languages: German, Russian and French to varying standards."
Durham Cathedral welcomes pilgrims from all over the world. Can you tell us why pilgrimage is special to you?
"I walked the St Cuthbert’s Way in Holy Week of 2001, and ever since then I have loved going, and leading others, on journeys which seek an encounter with God. Pilgrimage for me is about journeying in the steps of others who have sought and witnessed to Christ. I have led six pilgrimages to the Holy Land, and one to Greece in the steps of the apostle Paul. What was wonderful in each of these was seeing the different ways people met with God in places where our Lord and the saints have walked. Some of those people came with a strong faith; others were very much exploring. Yet all of them made significant steps in their journey."
What path has your ministry taken since you were ordained in 2001?
"I was a curate at an ecumenical church in Basingstoke for five years before becoming Vicar of Claygate in Guildford Diocese in 2006. There we saw some great new things happening, including moving from three to five Sunday congregations, and sending a team of people to lead a church plant elsewhere in the deanery. We also launched a seniors outreach initiative called Connections, and the team from that ministry went on to lead the Daily Hope phone line which was such a blessing through the Covid pandemic. I was also Area Dean for five years and we started a Deanery Growing Leaders course supporting churches in their lay leadership development. Then in 2017 I came back to Cranmer Hall, this time as Warden. At Cranmer Hall I have led the community and taught and supervised in the areas of New Testament and Christian Leadership."
What have been your personal highlights in this journey over the past 20 years?
"I have loved seeing people of all ages and backgrounds encounter Jesus Christ and grow in faith and service in the world. It has also been a joy to build and lead teams and see people flourishing in their giftings which are very different to my own. More recently I have deeply valued the privilege of preparing people for church leadership and ordained ministry, and have loved teaching and supervising people as they bring their academic learning and ministerial formation together. Most significantly, it has been a joy seeing God at work in some surprising places – in times of challenge and hardship both in my own life and that of others."