A new Church Army evangelist for the Archdeaconry of Gibraltar and a new parish priest in Mojácar

Captain Edwin Bates CA
The Area Dean of Gibraltar, the Revd Geoff Johnston, had a busy week earlier this month when on Monday 9 September he licensed Captain Edwin Bates CA as an evangelist and Church Army Officer to serve in the Archdeaconry of Gibraltar. Captain Bates previously worked with the homeless in Birmingham and in Wormwood Scrubs prison in London. He has also done placements with the Army on the Rhine. We welcome Edwin to this diocese and look forward to his lay ministry among us. 

Captain Bates lives in the Anglican parish of Costa Almería and Costa Cálida, where, three days after his own licensing, the Area Dean licensed a new priest-in-charge, the Revd Pauline Williams. The parish of Costa Almería and Costa Cálida has 4 worshipping centres, but the principal one is in Mojácar, in an ancient hilltop Church which the Roman Catholic diocese has permitted us to use. As a sign of the warm fraternal relations with the Roman Catholic Church, the local priest came to the service of licensing for Pauline.

Pauline joins us from the Church in Wales and brings many gifts in children's ministry and in rural ministry. We welcome her to the Archdeaconry and Diocese.
Asst Priest Alan Bennett, Reader Duncan Burr, Revd Pauline Williams, Area Dean Geoff Johnston and Roman Catholic Colleague
The link to the parish website is here.

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