- Deborah Westerby
- 4 days ago
- 2 min read
EAST DARTFORD ANNOUNCEMENT
The Bishop of Rochester, in consultation with the Patron, is pleased to announce that The Revd Rachel Claire Wilson is to be appointed Vicar of the benefice of East Dartford.
Rachel is currently Vicar of St Thomas, Southborough, a post she has held for almost 10 years. She also serves as the Bishop's Adviser for Disability, and as a Vocations Adviser. She relishes opportunities to help others flourish and to advise on matters of disability and inclusion.
Rachel will, of course, be well known to many of you, having served her curacy at St Edmund's from 2014 until her appointment to Southborough. She trained for ordination at St Augustine's College and has since achieved a post-graduate diploma in Mission, Ministry and Theology at St Mellitus.
Prior to ordination, Rachel worked for the Job Centre, supporting people into employment. Away from her priestly ministry, she enjoys reading and writing poetry, and going to the cinema and theatre. She is also not afraid to test her own fears and boundaries by tandem skydiving and more recently having her first skiing experience - and you may well hear her practising her trumpet!
Rachel says: "I am so pleased and excited to be returning to the benefice as your Vicar and being part of the parish, Deanery and wider community. I am hugely looking forward to getting to know you and sharing in the great community that thrives here. Above all I want to listen and discern the next steps that God’s guidance will reveal for the mission and ministry which we are all called to be a part of in this part of Dartford. I value your prayers as I prepare to join you.
Please pray for Rachel as she draws her ministry to a close at St Thomas's and prepares for her move and new role amongst us. She hopes to move into The Vicarage with her trusty dog, Daisy, in the first half of October. A date for her licensing is awaited from the Bishop's Office, but we expect this will be in late October/early November. You will, of course, be kept updated.
