About me
What can I say…
I’m a 40-something (early-40-something!) Methodist Minister in Swansea, South Wales. I have pastoral oversight of Sketty Methodist Church and am the Superintendent Minister of the Swansea & Gower Circuit. I also serve as a chaplain to Swansea University.
I’ve moved from Swansea, and got a year or two older since I wrote this! My current post is Deputy Director of the (deep breath now) Methodist Church in Wales Training Network. The network is responsible for responding to the training needs of the Methodist people in Wales. (I prefer the word ‘education’ to ‘training’, but let’s not get into that here) My particular responsibilities include the continuing development of ministers, introducing a new training scheme for lay people, and developing the network’s internet presence.
I am married, with 2 children, 2 dogs, 3 degus (think gerbils on steroids and you’ll be close!) and a little collection of stick insects. I play the tin whistle (badly), enjoy science fiction and have been blogging since February 2002.
I got a degree in physics (and the philosophy of science) from Sussex University in 1984 and worked for 6 years in the workers’ co-operative (or common ownership) movement before beginning my ministerial training at The Queen’s College, Birmingham. I served in North Wales, in the Buckley & Deeside Circuit, from 1993 to 1998 and then went south to Swansea. I now live in the village of Caergwrle in north-east Wales.
I look nothing at all like this…
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
nancy 12.13.08 at 5:30 am
my oldest daughter is in her senior year in college, her major being physics. and i see that your photos keep changing…hum…nice.
laurence 12.29.08 at 1:45 am
lovley sight.
Never heard of the degus critters afore now.
i like stick insects but got none
Micky 01.06.09 at 4:48 pm
Hope the new job is going well Richard! I’m in the madness of Superintendency now. Finally re-entered the world of Blogging, you can find the new site at sacredwells.blogspot.com the Singing Colours blog had to go when I lost use of my Methodist Team email.
Anyhow, the new site is pretty thin as it was only born today - but who knows where it will go…
x
Bob Crick 03.10.12 at 1:06 pm
Dear Richard, This is the first time I have ever commented on a web-site and was drawn to yours because I did a google search for Dr Barry Orford’s article on homosexuality in Church Times. Then I came to read the about you bit and how you triggered thinking between education and training. This led me to the most recent article by the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity which asks “What is Education” and should you find it steers you back to the root word of disciple, “to train/follow my example.” I spent 27 years in the Royal Navy and more recently the past 14 years supporting education in two large secondary schools: one independent, one state and have been a bystander on this wonderful debate. Their lordships in the Admiralty saw training as the equipping to do the job in hand by those that did the task (the practitioners). For education they saw any opportunity to broaden the mind, thinking, emotions and for some, dare I say, the soul. On the other hand the professional educators had as many views as successive governments over the past 40 years. I guess there is just part of me that says you are clearly doing a great job straddling both whatever tag you give it.