On Tuesday 28 September, Araba Taylor, Deputy District Judge and Barrister at Law, was sworn in as the Diocese of Southwark’s Deputy Chancellor (Deputy Judge) at Southwark Cathedral’s Evensong. In his sermon, Bishop Christopher said, “Araba, it may not appear this way when you are bringing yet another run-of-the-mill faculty application to determination; but part of your work in the Diocese is to open the future for different parishes by good judgements and encourage change where it is needful. Wisdom is fed by regular prayer in season and out of season. Keep in your heart the childlike trust of one who knows that God loves her and be assured of our prayers as we together seek to enter the kingdom of God.”
Speaking after the service, Araba said, “I have served on PCCs on and off since 1999 and worked as a Deputy District Judge since 2013. It is a privilege to be able to put my legal and judicial skills at the disposal of the Church and to serve God in this new way.”
Araba, whose parents were born in Ghana, is the Diocese’s first Deputy Chancellor from a UKME background.