The Bishop of Croydon, the Rt Revd Jonathan Clark, will ordain 24 people as Deacons on Saturday 26 June at 11.00am at Southwark Cathedral, to serve in the Diocese of Southwark. They will each serve their curacy in the parish indicated.
Henry Akingbemisilu Thamesmead Team Ministry
Jane Andrews Putney Team Ministry
Simon Asquith Merton Priory Team Ministry
Dr Charles (Charlie) Bell St John the Divine w St James the Apostle, Kennington
Gemma Birt St John the Evangelist, East Dulwich
Timothy (Tim) Brunt Christ Church, Streatham
Daniel Burton All Saints, Carshalton
Dr Sylvia Collins-Mayo Mortlake w East Sheen Team Ministry
Louisa Davies St Michael & All Angels w St Stephen, Wandsworth
Luke Demetri St Michael & All Angels w St James, Croydon
Leigh Engeham St Anne & All Saints, South Lambeth
Harry Frost Holy Trinity, Wallington
Christopher (Chris) Gaul St Peter, Brockley
Katie Kelly St Edward the Confessor, Mottingham
Capt Nicholas Lebey CA Tolworth, Hook & Surbiton Team Ministry
Carolyn Madanat St Paul, Kingston Hill
Max Marsh St Mary the Virgin, Lewisham
Jack O’Grady All Saints w Holy Trinity, Wandsworth
Dr Francesca Perlman Cheam Team Ministry
Janice Price St Andrew & St Mark, Surbiton
Charlotte (Charlie) Smith Richmond Team Ministry
Luke Whiteman Christ Church, Gipsy Hill
Susan Wright Parish of Herne Hill
Helga Zunde-Baker All Saints, Hackbridge & Beddington Corner
The service will be livestreamed and can be accessed via https://cathedral.southwark.anglican.org/worship-and-music/worship/live-service-stream/.
Paul Adlington was ordained Deacon on Sunday 9 May by the Bishop of Southwark, the Rt Revd Christopher Chessun, at the Good Shepherd, Lee and will serve his curacy in the same parish.
Note: Some of these deacons will serve in stipendiary ministry, which means they receive the equivalent of a salary, and some will be unpaid for their work as priests.
Short Biographies
Paul Adlington was born in London and brought up in Crawley as the son of a pastor. He returned to London to read Landscape Architecture at university, and subsequently became a teacher in Greenwich. In 1999 Paul left teaching to take on the leadership of The Bear Church in Deptford. He lives in Lewisham with his wife, Emily, three children and a dog. Paul is never far from a DIY project, always planning an outdoor activity, a fan of two-wheeled transport and usually thinking about what the Bible means for us today.
Henry Akingbemisilu was born and brought up in Nigeria, coming to the UK to study. He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Mathematics with a major in Statistics and later obtained a Master’s Degree in Telecommunications & Computer Network Engineering. Henry has worked mainly in software developments, data engineering, data science and analytics, data centre migrations, infrastructure programmes, hardware and network implementations and desktop upgrades. He has three children. He enjoys travelling, playing the tenor saxophone and reading the latest in artificial intelligence.
Jane Andrews hails from St Albans where she grew up in a large and bustling family. She moved first to Cambridge, where she studied Archaeology and Anthropology, before coming to London more than twenty years ago. After finishing her degree she worked in financial services and later retrained as a biology teacher, working primarily in further education. Jane enjoys walking, singing, low-brow television, board games, Terry Pratchett, cooking, good coffee, catching up with friends and being married to Andy.
Simon Asquith studied Music and French at the Universities of Bristol and Bordeaux and enjoyed a career in opera production and casting, and concert management, in Paris and Venice. He was born in Wakefield, West Yorkshire and sang in church choirs from an early age and has particular fond memories of singing with Northern Cathedral Singers and at Bishopthorpe Palace, York. He is excited for his ministry at Merton Priory Team Ministry and on his day off is looking forward to running in Richmond Park and visiting museums with his godchildren.
Dr Charles (Charlie) Bell started out as a chorister at Chichester Cathedral, and has since lived in Sussex, West Yorkshire, Cambridge and now London. He will be a self-supporting curate and will continue his work as a Fellow in Medicine at Girton College in the University of Cambridge, and as an academic psychiatrist at South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and King’s College, London, among other academic appointments. He enjoys travel, music and theatre, and is particularly keen on encouraging underrepresented groups to think about medicine as a career.
Gemma Birt was born in London and grew up in Singapore. She is half German and half Singaporean and is bilingual in German and English. Gemma studied law at university. Prior to starting ordination training she worked as a solicitor and more recently as an Assistant School Chaplain. She is married with four children and a dog. In her free time Gemma enjoys travelling, running (slowly!), cooking (by instinct and not by recipe), and drinking lots of tea.
Timothy (Tim) Brunt was born and bought up in Merton, South West London and moved to West Yorkshire to study. Having gained a degree in Mathematics, and a Master in Computing, he spent 18 years in the IT industry working and living in Ilkley, London and Sydney. Following a career change, Tim has spent the last 17 years working for local authorities in adult education. He is married to a Vicar and lives in a vicarage in Croydon. He enjoys a good murder mystery, walking, talking politics, has a qualification in Sports Therapy and is pleased with his wild flower ‘meadow’.
Daniel Burton was born and brought up in Wiveliscombe, Somerset. He moved to Cambridge to study at St John’s College, Cambridge, where he completed a degree in theology. After graduating, Daniel came to the Diocese of Southwark where he became a Pastoral Assistant at St John the Divine, Kennington. He trained for ordained ministry at Westcott House, Cambridge, where he did a Master of Philosophy Degree in Church History. In his spare time, Daniel loves cooking and eating of all sorts of foods, reading, walking, and spending time with friends.
Dr Sylvia Collins-Mayo was born and brought up in Winchester. She studied Applied Psychology and Sociology at the University of Surrey and went on to gain a Doctorate in the Sociology of Religion. She has spent her career as an academic at Kingston University London, where she continues to work as Professor of Sociology. Sylvia is married and has two wonderful dogs. She enjoys walking, visiting gardens and spending time with family and friends.
Louisa Davies grew up in the countryside of East Sussex where she learned to love the outdoors. After completing a Short Service Limited Commission with the British Army she went to university in Durham. She then moved to London to work in recruitment and careers advice before finally settling on working for the Church of England. She is married, with two boys. Louisa’s favourite things are long walks with friends, lazy lunches, anything competitive and hot baths with a good book.
Luke Demetri was born and brought up in South London. He gained a Philosophy Degree from the University of Lancaster before completing PGCE at the University of Cumbria. He then taught in two secondary schools, taking on several key pastoral roles. He completed his training at St Stephen’s House, earning a Degree in Theology and Religion from the University of Oxford. During this time, he particularly enjoyed studying the works of Saint Augustine.
Leigh Engeham grew up in London and studied Nursing at University, initially working with adults in acute settings, and then holding various team and management roles elsewhere. He has a keen interest in ecclesiastical history, spirituality, politics, and the work of the anthropologist René Girard. Leigh enjoys the theatre, arts, music, and travel adventures with friends. When out and about, he also enjoys a nice beer or some good coffee and cake.
Harry Frost grew up in South London and has had brief periods of living in Norwich and Durham for his undergraduate and theological degrees. Prior to ordination he was a lay minister at his local church. He is married to Lucy and has three young boys whom he enjoys spending time with. His other interests include running, reading, and playing table tennis.
Christopher (Chris) Gaul was born in Oxford, raised in West Devon, and moved to London in his early twenties. He enjoyed an enriching career in the UN Migration Agency (UNMA) for more than 10 years, working in refugee resettlement; counter human-trafficking; project development and implementation; and as the Head of External Relations in the UK, where he developed partnerships between the UNMA and the private and community sectors, most notably with the English Football Association. Chris’s favourite pastimes are pursuing the presence of God, and watching football.
Katie Kelly was born in South London and has spent almost her whole life in Southwark Diocese. For the past 25 years, she has lived in Bermondsey with her husband and four daughters. She loves London life and has been involved in various community ventures, both in and outside of Church. Prior to Ordination, she worked with women who were coming out or trying to stay out of prison which was a huge privilege. When not working, she enjoys walking, reading, and good food with friends and family.
Capt Nicholas Lebey CA was born and raised in Ghana and moved to the UK 14 years ago as a Missionary, serving in Northern Ireland. He trained with The Church Army in Sheffield and was commissioned as a Pioneer Evangelist and worked with young people in Bradford and South East London. Nicholas is married and has three children. He enjoys playing and watching football, and is a big fan of Chelsea Football Club.
Carolyn Madanat was born and raised in the South of England where her two passions were music and social justice. Coming to faith as a young adult, she worked for a time as a youth leader at her parish church before being sent by them to Israel/ Palestine to minister with Youth for Christ. She spent 20 years living and serving in the Middle East before returning to the UK with a husband, five children and a cocker spaniel. When she is not cooking large quantities of Arabic food, she enjoys reading, nature and watching re-runs of Poirot.
Max Marsh was brought up in Sheffield, coming to London to study. He gained a degree in Drama and Theatre Studies. After studying, Max went on to work as a pastoral assistant at St George the Martyr, Borough High Street and then spent a year working at St Albans Cathedral. Max trained for ordination at the College of the Resurrection, Mirfield. During his time at Mirfield, Max gained a Degree in Theology from the University of Sheffield. Max is Married to Hannah and together they live with Bonnie, their house rabbit.
Jack O’Grady was born in Bath and brought up in nearby Bradford on Avon. He has had a varied career that has included market research and teaching, as well as serving as a ministry apprentice at a church in South West London. In his spare time, he enjoys contemporary art, film, listening to an eclectic range of music and cooking East Asian food.
Dr Francesca Perlman grew up in London and Surrey. She studied medicine at St George’s Hospital, and it was during this time that she came to the Christian faith. She subsequently trained and worked as a GP and also in public health, including research into health in Russia and Eastern Europe. In her spare time, she plays flute and piano, and particularly enjoys making music with others in orchestras and chamber groups. She is engaged to John, and they are busy preparing for their marriage in August 2021.
Janice Price until recently was World Mission Adviser for the Archbishops’ Council of the CofE and has taken early retirement to follow her vocation as a Distinctive Deacon. She has had a long career in the Church working in mission enabling and education. She was licensed and admitted as a Reader in Southwark Cathedral in 1988 and has since worked in urban, suburban and rural parishes in Southwark and Worcester Dioceses. Janice holds a BA in Humanities, an MA in Theology and Education and an MSc in Theological and Ministerial Research.
Charlotte (Charlie) Smith was born and raised in Surrey. She studied English Literature and then Library and Information Studies. She worked as an academic librarian in London for six years. She is married to Andy. Charlie enjoys running and wild swimming, reading, board games, painting, drawing and crochet.
Luke Whiteman was born and raised in Eastbourne, studied in Norwich and worked in London. He has a Degree in Mathematics, and enjoyed a year studying in Australia. He trained as a chartered accountant, working first in corporate accounting and then in international development. He began working as a Parish Missioner at All Saints, Clapham Park in 2016, while also taking on the role of treasurer for the homelessness charity, The Robes Project. Luke is married and loves spending time with his new-born son. In his spare time, he can be found reading, watching rugby and changing nappies!
Susan Wright was born and grew up in the South of England. Her first degree was in Economic and Social History. She came to London via Edinburgh with her husband Robert and their two children. She lived in Budapest and New York before settling back in Southwark. Susan worked in social policy and public service before following her calling to ordination and work as a Parish Assistant. Susan enjoys travelling around London by bike, cooking something new and debating the state of the world.
Helga Zunde-Baker grew up in Sheffield, where she was a chorister at her local church. She went to Edinburgh University, taking an MA in Linguistics, and began her publishing career there. Later moving to London, she married her husband. He was diagnosed with MS soon afterwards, later retiring. They have two daughters. Helga has enjoyed senior international publishing roles at The Lancet, Palgrave Macmillan, and SpringerNature, and currently works for The BMJ. Her interests include art, singing, and growing things.
