Rev Bob Mitchell writes:
When I took up the appointment as priest in charge of Tillington and Duncton it was a return to my home county and diocese. Let me just fill you in with a few biographical details to give you some picture of what to expect from the new Rector!
I was born and brought up in Hastings, one of four boys, my father a local fruiterer and florist, some of which he grew in the sizeable acreage of a “back garden” he cultivated. I was educated at the local Grammar School, and enjoyed sport, (soccer, cricket, athletics), as much as the academic bit, where the “Arts” subjects were definitely my stronger side. I attended the local parish Church, which boasted a particularly lively youth fellowship; it was largely through this group, and a faith awakening conversion experience at Earl’s Court in summer 1967, that I began my Christian journey – which led eventually to Ordination in 1975. Along the way, in a post university year in Leeds, as an assistant warden at St George’s Crypt, I met Jill, and we married in 1973. She too hails from Sussex, (Brighton), though was born in Nairobi, and spent her early years in some degree of transit, with father working for the MOD.
So when I offered, after an extended curacy in the Rochester diocese, (Tonbridge), to become an Army Padre, the prospect of regular moves around the world was nothing too daunting for Jill. Just as well, as we went on to stay nearly 28 years and moved 14 times! It was a positive and enriching experience, if at times emotionally and physically tiring. We lived in Hong Kong, Cyprus, Germany, Belgium, N. Ireland, and several different parts of Britain. Our three sons benefited from the opportunity of travel during the holidays from boarding school, besides making the most of the extra mural and sporting activities in term time. They are now spread around the globe, with one in Australia (married), one in Italy, and one in Leeds.
I retired from the Army Chaplaincy on the 1st June, and was delighted to be offered the post of priest in charge of Tillington and Duncton by the Bishop of Horsham. It will be a big change from Service life, but Jill and I are looking forward to being part of a more stable community for a number of years. What we’ve seen so far has greatly encouraged us – small but vibrant churches, with much potential for moving forward together in the Lord. I am personally more than grateful to all those faithful folk who’ve kept the “fires burning” over the past 11 months, and to a variety of colleagues, mostly retired, who’ve maintained the pattern of Sunday services.
As I return to civilian ministry, I look forward to a new challenge, to some changes that I believe must be accommodated in any forward looking church congregation, and to serving two communities in such a delightful part of my home county.
Rev Bob Mitchell
ThePriest in Charge
