#NewRevs 2020 - Gareth Ingham

Gareth was born and raised in Telford, and he returns almost 30 years later as Curate for the East Telford Benefice, which includes the Church where he was baptised 48 years ago. He is married to Liz and they have two teenage boys. Prior to training at The Queens Theological College in Birmingham he was employed as the Verger at St Chad’s in Shrewsbury. As well as a career in public finance he has worked in gardens, factories, shops, and a couple years volunteering on nature reserves. He hopes this broad range of life experience will help ground his future ministry.

The welcome and hospitality of a loving God, nourished through sacramental worship and reflected in the community life of the Church, is an aspect of ministry that Gareth finds exciting. His journey to public ministry has been a long one and included being evangelised by a truck driver whilst hitching a lift in Tasmania. At the end of the journey he was given the man’s pocket bible, something he feels was a beautiful gesture of God’s welcome and hospitality.

Gareth’s advice for anyone exploring God’s call on their life, would be to remain open to the unexpected and be prepared to do things in God’s time.

Gareth is heading to Telford, to serve his title with Debbie Loughran in the benefice of Oakengates, Priors Lee and Wrockwardine Wood