The Bishop of Rochester is pleased to announce the appointment of Revd Mark Montgomery as the new Vicar for the Benefice of Paddock Wood.
Bishop Jonathan is grateful to Mark for all his work as the Mission Leader of St Gabriel’s. Archdeacon Nick Cornell is also looking forward to keeping in close touch with the parish to explore how best to continue to support and grow the important work Mark has begun in Kings Hill.
Please pray for Mark, Kirsty and Bella as they get ready to move house, for a good ending at St Gabriel’s, and for Mark preparing to begin this new ministry. The Montgomery family expect to move into the new Paddock Wood parsonage in the new year.
Archdeacon Nick Cornell is delighted to welcome Mark to this new role within the Paddock Wood Deanery. Nick also sends his love and prayers to those at Gabriel’s as they start the process of saying Goodbye to Mark and his family.
Whilst this will come to a shock to many, please pray for Mark, Kirsty and Bella at this time as they are praying for St Gabriel’s. There will be plenty of opportunity to chat over the coming weeks.
Rev Marks last Sunday will be 4th January and a special service will be held on that day.
So what does the announcement of Rev Mark leaving St Gabriel’s mean for the church, what will happen next, who will replace him, how soon?
There have been lot’s of questions and worries around the departure of Rev Mark and what it will mean for St Gabriel’s, and even some wild thoughts/rumours! So below we have tried to dispel some myths and answer some questions;
What will happen to St Gabriel’s and all the activities once Rev Mark leaves?
Not much to be honest, everything should still go ahead as normal. There will be the normal regular Sunday services, mid week activities will continue, food parcels will still be made etc.
The Leadership team and trustees will still be in place to continue to guide and lead the church.
Just because Rev Mark is leaving, doesn’t mean the church is ending, Vicar’s moving on is a natural process, and whilst a few have experienced it at St Gabriel’s, many have experience of it taking place in other churches.
St Gabriel’s is much more than Rev Mark, and it should be, there are countless volunteers that make St Gabriel’s what it is, and that will still happen.
What will happen next?
As announced, Rev Mark and family will be with us until the beginning of January, he will lead all the Christmas services and activities as normal, and then a farewell service will take place on January 4th.
The church then enters what’s known in the Anglican church as an interregnum, which is the period when a parish is without a priest, a time between ministers.
Who will replace him and how soon?
We don’t know! After Rev Mark leaves the leadership team will then work with the Diocese (as it does already) to appoint the next church leader. This normally includes a church survey, the creation of a parish profile and a recruitment process. We don’t know how long that will take.