REV BRYAN KNAPP HAS ARRIVED
Rev Bryan Knapp previously was the Vicar of St Paul with All Saints
Church, Chatham where he had been the vicar for 13 years.
With his wife Rachael, and sons James and Matthew, Bryan was
Instituted into our Parish on 22nd April 2009.
Bryan comes with a lot of very relevant skills and
experience. His last church had a smaller regular congregation than
St Andrew’s, but his achievements there are certainly not small. They
have a very strong track record in outreach, and run a Community Project
that has put All Saints and the Christian faith at the heart of the
local community. He is used to leading a team of lay and ordained /
licensed people, and amazingly they employ 10 people on full or part
time contracts. Some of the funding comes from regeneration projects,
and Bryan has developed excellent contacts with the various bodies
involved.
One of their projects involves an ‘Online Centre’, in which members
of the local community come and learn computer skills and can receive
recognised qualifications.
His music range is not dissimilar to ours, however he brings another
dimension in that before he entered the ministry, he actually sold
musical instruments. I also understand he wrote their church website,
though he leaves its updating to others. In 2006 they installed a
multi-media system, enhancing the preaching and teaching in the church.
Bryan also initiated a Link with Chennai in southern India, and they
have had similar objectives with that place as we have had with Bereko.
Like us, they have provided the funds to build a church.
Rachael is also ordained, and is the chaplain at Bennett Memorial
School which you will know is in Tunbridge Wells,
and I know that Rachael is pleased to have finally arrived at St
Andrew’s.
James is 12, and Matthew 9, they are both keen sportsmen and we are
delighted as they join our church family.
As with Chris’s children, Susanna and Jonathan, this is their first
move, so it is going to be both difficult but also exciting for them. We
need to make it more exciting than difficult. The family also have
a Border Collie called Skye who is already discovering how to escape
from the vicarage garden.
We have only given a taste of some of the things that Bryan and his
family have achieved in Chatham. We know that they are delighted to now
be fully part of the St Andrew's family, and we look forward to working
with them over the coming months and years.
|
