New vicar inducted into parish
ALL Saints Church Appley Bridge and Christ Church Parbold has a new vicar, the Rev Sue Timmins.
Sue was inducted into her new parishes on Sunday evening November 13 at Christ Church by the Bishop of Blackburn, the Rt Rev Julian Henderson, and the Archdeacon of Blackburn, the Ven Mark Ireland.
Following the service in front of a congregation from both churches, a welcome gathering took place at All Saints School in Appley Bridge.
Sue, 52, was born and bred in Prestwich, North Manchester.
She was a civil engineer with ICI before hearing the call to be ordained when she was 30, leaving and training for the priesthood at St John’s Nottingham. She then became curate at Iver in Buckinghamshire.
She returned to the North West, serving, in her own words, “for 15 happy years as vicar at St John’s, Pendlebury, in the Manchester Diocese”.
Sue left St John’s at the end of July 2015 to follow a call to live and work with a Christian organisation in Nigeria, an experience she describes as “an inspiring and formative time”.
She returned to England at the end of 2015 to continue voluntary work with the same organisation in Europe, and ministering to churches in the Manchester Diocese that were between parish priests.
Sue described her excitement at her appointment to Parbold and Appley Bridge: “We have a strong focus in our Diocesan Vision 2026 to make disciples, to witness and to grow leaders for Jesus Christ, and I am looking forward to seeing how God will lead us on together in our own part of that journey.”