Meet The Clergy

Paul Carr’s Bio

Few Personal Details: I'm originally from Sunderland and still support the only team that matters in the North East - I’m disappointed that we didn't manage to avoid succesive relegations but I’m feeling optimistic under a new manager! I've been married to Paula, who is a specialist health visitor, for 32 years, and have two  children, Benjamin and Annabel.

Prior to ordination, I worked for ten years in sales and management in the Timber and Building Trade followed by several years in the Prison Service (Wormwood Scrubs and Liverpool). My spiritual roots are in the Independent Methodist Church. I then joined a House Church, became involved in planting a church; and then (as I moved around the country, from Sunderland to West London and then the Wirral) found myself worshipping in a number of Evangelical Churches before responding to a ‘call’ to ministry in the Church of England in the early 1990’s. My ‘sending’ church was Saint Mary’s in Upton, Wirral.

After training for ordination at Oak Hill Theological College, North London (and playing for the Saracens Rugby Club whilst I was there - for the veterans, I hasten to add!) I was ordained in 1997 and served my curacy at Saint Chad's in Handforth. I moved to the Chelmsford Diocese in April 2001 to become Vicar in Chadwell Heath. I arrived in Billericay as Team Rector in June 2008. I serve as a Trustee for a number of Christian charities (including Schools Ministry Billericay and I founded Billericay Street Pastors). I try to be a 'lifelong learner' and graduated with an MA in Missional Leadership in July 2013.

I relax through listening to music (I appreciate many genres, though I have a soft spot for rock and blues) and particularly enjoy live music and organise regular local gigs in my garden, house and church. I enjoy watching most sports (even attending Super Bowl XLIX - it's a long story) and find a spot of gardening extremely therapeutic. I love to spend time on holiday with my family - somewhere nice and warm and sunny!

Visit my personal website for random thoughts on Faith, Music and Sport.

Margaret Fowler's Bio

Margaret was born in Germany where her father was in the British Army. After a number of moves the family settled in Romford and she grew up there. Soon after her marriage she moved to Billericay where she has lived since 1970. Margaret was married to her late husband Malcolm, and she has four adult children.

After the birth of her twin girls Margaret set up the Billericay Twins Club  in 1977 to support parents of twins and multiple births. The Twins Club Nursery Group meets in the Christ Church halls on a Monday morning where Margaret helps out when she can. She retired in April this year after 14 yrs with a City Law firm where she was a Team Co-ordinator and  Secretary.

Margaret has been involved with Christ Church, Billericay for almost 40 years and was licensed as a Reader in 2008. She has visited Kenya a number of times as the Christ Church representative in the Diocesan schools link programme.

She has co-led a “Lost for Words” course, led a Lent course on workplace ministry, and been a Home Group leader since 1989. She will serve as Assistant Curate at Christ Church Billericay.

Rupert Hankey's Bio

My roots are south of the river, where I enjoyed a very happy childhood growing up in the Kentish countryside (near Westerham) as an only child. I managed to mess up my 20s with two poor choices: after gaining a Law degree at Sheffield University I joined a firm of solicitors in Epsom, Surrey, but was rubbish at Law and never qualified as a solicitor. I also married the wrong person at 24, and was divorced before I was 30 – easily the most unpleasant and traumatic period of my life.

I found faith in my mid-teens. My parents suggested it was about time I got confirmed, and I was happy to do so, having been influenced by my father`s faith. I was confirmed at boarding school where we had two excellent clergymen, who both explained the gospel clearly and ‘walked the talk’. About halfway through the course I was ready to ask Jesus to come and be at the heart of my life. At my confirmation service the Bishop preached on “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus” (Hebrews12:2), which has become something of a ‘life verse.’

At around the same time as I realised my legal abilities were grossly insufficient for purpose, I began to sense God might be calling me into ministry. This, too, however, got off to a bad start: I went to an ACCM (as it was then) selection conference in 1985, but was roundly rejected. Yet the call to ministry stubbornly persisted, so I applied to the Church Army, and was accepted for training.

My first post was as Parish Evangelist with St. Andrew`s & Holy Cross, Basildon, where I loved it. We had a steady trickle of people coming to faith. Basildon was followed by three years as a Parish Evangelist at St.George`s, Worthing and then seven years in Aylesbury, which included leading a church plant in a community centre.

It was while in Worthing that I met the love of my life, Maria, on an Oak Hall holiday to the Tatra mountains in Slovakia. Suffice to say we celebrated 20 years of very happy marriage last year. We have one daughter, Emily, who leaves us at the end of September 2020 to study Sociology at Loughborough University.

I had another crack at going for ordination training while at Worthing, but failed even to make a selection conference. It was third time blessed, however, (I must love the church!) when I applied in 2004. A curacy at St. John`s & St. Leonard`s, Bedford followed by an incumbency at St. Andrew`s, Sidcup finds me now excited to arrive in Billericay – which is Maria`s home town!