Ordained
Priest-in-Charge - Adrian Thompson
Summarised Introduction: Who?: Adrian was born in Cheshire (in November 1968), raised in Oxfordshire and has since lived in many places, including Aberystwyth, Bristol, Oxford, Lancaster and Blackburn. Adrian arrived in this Parish - and Herefordshire - fairly recently, after spending the last 12 years as a Team Vicar in and around the west Lake District town of Cockermouth in Cumbria. Adrian is married to Revd Lucy Thompson, who works as the Senior Science Technician at Wigmore School, and they have both a grown up daughter and son. Adrian says: “It’s great to be here and now in my second year in post to be not only knowing more and more people but enjoying serving alongside so many others who are also dedicated to sustaining the life of our churches and sharing a warm welcome - and the faith and hope we know thorough our faith in Jesus Christ - right across this large Parish!”
If you want more detailed information, then please read this fuller version as well: Detailed Introduction: I was licensed as ‘Priest-in-Charge’ of the Parish of Wigmore Abbey back in September 2023. I have been a vicar in the Church of England since 2005, first serving in a Parish in Blackburn, Lancashire. I then became a chaplain of a Church of England state secondary high school in Preston, before then serving as Team Vicar of the Grasmoor Mission Community , centred on the Georgian market town of Cockermouth in the north-western Lake District. When my wife, Lucy (now also a C of E minister in this Parish) and I visited this Parish together, back in late January ’23, we so enjoyed the warm welcome of all the people we met, the beauty of the area and learning of the hopes and plans of each church community, that we discerned we should come and serve in this Parish! Regarding a little of our past lives ahead of coming to Herefordshire: Lucy and I met as science undergraduate - and then PhD - students at Aberystwyth University. We were married in May 1995, at St Michael’s, Aberystwyth, the seafront church where we both worshipped. We have since lived in Bristol, Lancaster, Oxford, Blackburn and Cockermouth, some of these stops being linked to the ministries I mentioned above. Whilst we were still in Cumbria, Lucy, after being a Reader (or lay-preacher) for more than a decade. Then, in recent years, Lucy became licensed as a self-supporting ‘Distinctive Deacon’ – an ordained ministry with a focus on engaging with people in our local communities, beyond our churches. Here in the Parish of Wigmore Abbey, Lucy offers this ministry alongside her employment as a full-time secondary school laboratory technician. Our ministries in Cockermouth involved a good range of both traditional and more ‘all-age, contemporary-shaped’ approaches to worship and outreach, including to school children and families. We see this Parish as offering good opportunities for worship and outreach to our wider communities through both traditional and more ‘all-age’ contemporary approaches to worship and service. Regarding some of our other interests, Lucy sings in local choirs, enjoys hill-walking, gardening and engaging in various art and craft projects. I enjoy cycling in beautiful countryside, whilst feeding my growing interest in French life and culture though listening to French language podcasts, whilst I pedal! Another delight during a fairly recent year in Cockermouth was being invited, along with a couple of other adults, to take on a part in ‘By Jeeves’, a musical, alongside our son, William, and a main cast of other young people. Our two adult children, Eleanor and William, are recent university graduates and now live away from home in York and Bristol respectively. We are praying that God will use our leadership, in His local churches to allow the light of Jesus Christ to be ever more visible, within our congregations and - through their lives - amongst our wider local communities. |
Pastoral Care & Lay People
As well as our Priest-in-Charge, we have a large group of volunteers taking up roles of Church Wardens, Pastoral Care, and as Lay Worship Leaders. These wonderful volunteers help us keep all the churches in our Parish open and functioning. They conduct roles such as opening and closing the churches every day, taking care of finances, cleaning, set up, rota management, website management and design, etc.