From the Parish Priest

Noreen, Tabitha, Benjamin, Rachel & Timon

Congratulations to St. George's Church - we've been asked to train an Assistant Curate.  Timon Singh is currently at college in Oxford, and he and his family will be moving to Waterlooville in time for his ordination in June. During his time at St. George's, he'll learn from Church members, Fr. Ray and myself what being a Parish Priest is all about. To begin with Timon will be very nervous and shy, but with our help, he'll grow into the ministry here and so be ready to lead his own Church in three or four years time.

 At the moment, Timon is not called Father or Reverend as he's not yet ordained. That will happen in Portsmouth Cathedral on Sunday June 29th in the afternoon, and he will then become the Assistant Curate of Waterlooville. It's a very strange piece of history that the Incumbent of a parish is technically the “Curate”, which means he has the cure of souls, so any additional ministers are known as “Assistant Curates”. In June the Bishop will ordain Timon as a Deacon, followed a year later by his ordination as Priest.

 This is very good news for St. George's Church. Timon is coming here, not because there's too much work for one priest, but because the Bishop feels Waterlooville is a good place for Timon to minister and to learn. The next four years are regarded as "training" and in many ways Timon will be like an apprentice. We look forward to his move here, and we pray that Timon, Noreen and their family, will quickly settle in and be a strong part of our Church.

 Fr.  Mike  Sheffield

 Timon has written to introduce himself to us.

 Greetings to you all at St. George the Martyr,My name is Timon, as you will probably  know by now. You have met most of my family. The one daughter who was not with us on the day when we visited you is Tabitha and she is studying nursing.  In the photo she is at the bottom, next to my wife Noreen.Altogether there are five of us in the family. Rachel our eldest and Benjamin the youngest. We are committed and devoted Christians, our lives are interwoven with Jesus as the vine around us.
Oxford has been our home for the past thirty four years. All three of our children were born and bred in Oxford. My father and mother with two of my brothers with their families still live in Oxford, two brothers are in Harrow and one in Luton, who is a priest. I have two sisters who are married, one in Bedford and the younger one in Banbury.We are looking forward to joining you in the very near future, with God's grace we shall spend time together in his presence praising, praying and rejoicing in him alone.

Please remember us in your prayers as we make this journey of transition from Oxford to Waterlooville.

Timon