The Parish Church of St James descends from a broad catholic tradition with vestments and Reservation. It is a diverse and growing parish with a congregation that sees itself as having an outreach ministry accepting of all whatever the creed, class or racial origin. St James with Good News Asian Church is one of the most dynamic and culturally varied parishes in the Church of England. The population consists of White, Afro-Caribbean, Asian, Vietnamese and Chinese people. The parish is a major centre of Black, Sikh, Hindu and Punjabi Christian life and faith, and, increasingly of Bengali speaking Muslims. Along with responsibility for St James’, the priest of this parish also acts as Pastoral Lead for the Good News Asian Church, a proprietary chapel of wholly Asian membership using Punjabi, Urdu and English in its worship and life. They celebrated their silver jubilee in June 2008.

More about the Vicar

Father David came to Handsworth from Bedford where he was Vicar of the Parish Church of the Transfiguration, Kempston. He is no stranger to urban ministry having been a parish priest in inner city Bradford and then in the former mining community of Brereton just outside Rugley.Father David also has experience as country parson when he served in a rural area where he ministered to seven churches in Peterborough diocese.  He trained for ministry at Westcott House Cambridge and completed his curacy at St Mary’s Abbey Nuneaton.

Father David, who is 52, was born in Windsor, studied at Liverpool for his first degree, and worked as a Social Worker in London before ordination. He continued to study part-time and complete a Master Degree at Warwick University and a Doctorate at Bradford. Father David is an Honorary Research Fellow at the Queen’s Foundation for Ecumenical Theological Education and has recently joined the Editorial Board of Black Theology – An International Journal. He has published “Black Theology, Englishness and the Church of England,” in Postcolonial Black British Theology, eds Michael N. Jagessar and Anthony G. Reddie (Peterborough: Epworth Press, 2007)And more recently – “Buying the Poor for Silver and the Needy for a Pair of Sandals (Amos 8:6): The Fit between Capitalism and Slavery as Seen through the Hermeneutics of the Eight-century Prophet Amos” in Black Theology, Slavery and Contemporary Christianity, Ed. Anthony G. Reddie, (Farnham: Ashgate, 2010)

Father David is married to Linda, who is also a priest but they don’t work together as the couple say they want to stay married. When they are not working, the Isiorhos can be found in front of the fire enjoying a glass of wine and animated conversation.

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