My husband, James Rowley, and I moved to Salisbury in September 2022. I stopped working in my previous circuit on 31st August 2022 and started work as the Minister of Amesbury Methodist Church on 1st September 2022 until January 2024 . I have now retired except that from April 1st to July 8th, 2024, I have been asked to be Acting Superintendent of the Salisbury Methodist Circuit, during the Reverend Dr Mark Cheetham’s Sabbatical.
We moved from St Albans, where for 9 years I was the Superintendent Minister of the St Albans and Welwyn Circuit, and minister of the largest Church in the Circuit (Marlborough Road Methodist Church) and, before that, I was Superintendent of the North Lambeth Circuit in London.
As an adult, after graduating I lived in the West Midlands and worked as a Civil Servant for 9 years (in what is now called the Ministry of Justice) before being called to ordination. My jobs included 4 years as a Personnel Officer, Deputy Manager of West Bromwich County Court and, before leaving, my last job was the Manager of Kidderminster County Court.
I trained ecumenically at Queen’s College in Birmingham 1987-90, and from there I have worked in Swindon (6 years) Reading (8 years), back to Birmingham for one year, then for 5 years (2005 to 2010) James and I were Mission Partners, serving on the staff of the Theological College in Sri Lanka (where Anglicans, Methodists and Baptists were trained for ministry). I was Faculty Secretary as well as teaching various subjects on the theology degree programme. On return to Britian, we were in Kennington and Vauxhall in London, then 9 years in St Albans, and now back to Wiltshire.
I have always worked ecumenically, and I look forward to being a member of Salisbury Methodist Church and also sharing in the ecumenical life of Salisbury. Our “forever” home is in Harnham, and we have made local links with the churches of All Saints and St George’s. James continues in full time IT work with the Charity Missing People.