Clergy
Priest in Charge
Revd Margaret Jones joind us on 3rd of May 2011 and we will be ading a fuller CV shortly together with picture(s).
Curates
Shirley Small
Having worked as a hospital nurse and midwife, Shirley then moved into the pharmaceutical industry, where she eventually managed medical information and drug safety departments. She now works from home, providing medical/clinical information on drugs via a telephone helpline to clinicians, pharmacists, nurses and patients – as well as preparing reports, abstracting clinical papers and drug safety reporting.
Shortly after moving to Pontesbury, Shirley began to explore a vocation, went to a national selection conference and following their subsequent approval, trained with the West of England Ministerial Training Course (WEMTC). She was ordained deacon in 2009, priested in 2010 and now works as a part-time priest within the ministry team at St George’s.
At home, Shirley and husband David foster donkeys from the Donkey Sanctuary in Sidmouth, Devon – as well as looking after their dogs and family horses. She occasionally works on a scoring team for British Eventing.
Shirley and David have two married daughters and two young granddaughters living here in Pontesbury, and a married son and two small grandsons in the Netherlands, together with a son, daughter and grandson in Wales.
It goes without saying that life in the Small household is very much a team effort, with David providing a great deal of support and much needed sanity to his wife!
Caroline has always been a regular churchgoer and was secretary of the Deanery Synod at 22! She was brought up in rural South Bucks and moved to
Since 1997 when she moved to her present home, between Dorrington and Picklescott, Caroline has carried out a variety of jobs, including being PA to a Financial Advisor, various secretarial jobs, cleaning and being a waitress in her local pub, and is currently working three days a week looking after her grandson Ziggy who is a regular member of Little Dragons.
She has been an organist in her local church, and worked extensively with
Caroline runs a thriving Bed & Breakfast business and is training for the ordained ministry at WEMTC alongside Shirley.
She has four grown up married children and a number of grandchildren, all of whom are strongly supportive of her vocation.
One son is about to move to
Reader
David was licensed and admitted as a Reader in 2001, following training with Philip Harratt, then Rural Dean. As a lifelong Christian and churchgoer (though with several attempts to get away) he has lived through the huge changes in the Church that have taken place over the last 60 years. As a boy, going to church four times on a Sunday as a member of the choir and a server at Holy Communion. As a 'senior citizen', it's now just the once. Matins and Evensong have long since disappeared from St. George's corporate worship, and from much of the rest of the Church of England, though once a month a small group continues to lead Evening Prayer at Cliffdale Residential Home in the village.
In becoming a Reader DC was attracted mostly to pastoral visiting rather than preaching, and this is helped by being able to empathise with the elderly. However, he also finds it a wonderful privilege to be able to preach and try to get over to congregations large or small (and himself) just what it is that makes Christian faith relevant in the 21st century.
Now fully retired from paid employment – after a lifetime in the forest products industries – DC finds the diary is busier than ever. Apart from church activities he organises an Age UK Day Centre, does local footpath maintenance and stile building and is a trustee & director for the Pontesbury Project charitable companies. He occasionally finds time to cut the grass at the home he shares with Alison his wife in Longden. They make regular trips to keep up with family and friends, especially now both children live in the UK, and continue to enjoy walking holidays at home and abroad.
dcw/9th June, 2011