New vicars start ministry after ordinations

Jimmy Young, Stephanie Gardner, Martin Mills and Chris Sutton were among 17 men and women ordained by the Bishop of Chichester Dr Martin Warner last month.

Rev Young, 33, has started his curacy at Horsham St Mary’s after spending 10 years as a full-time youth-worker im the church elsewhere. A proud Welshman and Arsenal football fan, he is married to Debs and loves sport.

Rev Sutton, 54, is a father-of-three, who has a keen interest in the recent CofE initiative boosting the work of credit unions. He has started his ministry at St Mary’s, Slaugham and St Mark’s, Staplefield where he will serve the people of Handcross, Pease Pottage, Slaugham, Staplefield and Warninglid.

The parishioners of Bolney and Cowfold have welcomed the Rev Mills to their community. A resident of Horsham for 50 years, some of his passions include social justice and the persecuted church.

The only woman ordained to serve in the Horsham district was Rev Gardner.

She has begun her ministry at Beeding and Bramber with Botolphs, which comprises three parish churches.

Also ordained with them on Saturday June 28, was former Metropolitan police detective Steve Burston from Ashington. He has started at the Parish of Worth, Crawley.

The event officially marked the start of their CofE ministry. They join nearly 1,000 other new reverends being ordained into the Church of England this year.

They are now ordained deacons equipped to serve the church and wider community. Most will go on to be ordained priests next year and some will continue as distinctive deacons.