The Bishop of Rochester is delighted to announce that The Revd David Green is to be appointed the new Vicar of the parish of St Luke’s in Tunbridge Wells, with a plan to be licenced in the early Autumn. David served his curacy at St Philip & St James, Walderslade, and for the last 13 years, David has lived in West Malling and served first as Priest-in-Charge of West Malling, Offham and Kings Hill, then as Vicar to West Malling and Offham and, since 2022, as Team Vicar to the Kent Downs & Malling team ministry. David trained for ordination at Ridley Hall, Cambridge. He holds a BA Honours degree in Biblical Studies from the University of Sheffield and gained his Masters in Pastoral Theology while at Ridley. Prior to ordination, David worked in publishing and new media.David writes: “I am looking forward to building on the good foundations already present at St Luke’s, while also helping St Luke’s to fulfil its missional calling in our post-Pandemic world. I thrive on being able to reach out in the local community through schools, community groups, and with baptisms, weddings and funerals. As a keen liturgist and member of the Society for Liturgical Study, I am also enthusiastic to grow and equip the local church through the importance of the church’s worship and service. I am interested in new media. I am a movie buff and have written and spoken about the use of moving imagery and films in church worship and outreach, and during a recent sabbatical explored the impact of online worship during the Pandemic. I am also a keen sports fan and particularly enjoy football and American Football. I am a former season ticket holder and long-suffering fan of Tottenham Hotspur and hold a coaching qualification with the British American Football Coaching Association!” Please pray for David and Kerry, and their teenage children Bethya, Nathanael and Josiah, as they prepare to move house and for David to begin his new ministry in Tunbridge Wells. David’s final Sunday in the Kent Downs team will be the 28th of July. The Green family hope to move into St Luke’s Vicarage during August. The following message from David Green was also read to the congregation:“As much I feel the sense that the Lord is calling me to something new, and that it’s the right time and the right post, and that makes it an exciting moment and a new challenge, it will also be very hard to leave the Kent Downs & Malling Team. Our children have grown up here and they will always call it ‘home’, we’ve made a great many friends and made some wonderful memories, and it has been a privilege to try and lead (variously) Kings Hill, West Malling, Offham, and more latterly to work alongside Helen and Kelly amongst the other parishes of the Team in mission and ministry. I know some will hear this news with some shock or sadness. Perhaps for others there will be rejoicing! You can’t please all the people all the time. There will be many more opportunities to say goodbye and talk at greater length in the next three months, but perhaps it’s just good to remind everyone that if the Lord is calling me to something new, that must also mean He is calling someone new to work with you. I am sure they will bring fresh energy and gifts to the role of Team Vicar, working with Helen and supporting her as Rector, and I am sure they will help to lead you all forward in faith and in hope."
The Bishop of Rochester is delighted to announce that Carol Bridge has been appointed as Assistant Curate to the Benefice of Kent Downs and Malling Team, subject to the completion of her Phase 1 training as an Ordinand. Carol joins us from the parishes of Ash and Ridley which are part of the Rural North West Kent Group of churches, where she was an LLM before commencing training. We feel blessed that God is calling Carol to serve in our Team. It is anticipated that Carol will begin with us in autumn 2024 after her ordination to the diaconate in September. She will serve her title in our Benefice as a Self-Supporting Minister for at least three years under the supervision of Revd Helen Burn, who will be her Training Incumbent. Please pray for Carol as she prepares to leave her current context and join us.
