The Churches Regional Commission :: Biographies

The Churches Regional Commission for Yorkshire and the Humber

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Biographies

Available online for CRC’s Chief Executive, Board and Commission members.

Revd Liz Carnelley, Chief Executive

Board

Revd Canon Tony Parry Chair
Ms Margaret Halsey Vice Chair
Canon Roland Clark Treasurer
Revd Mike Roberts Vice Chair

Revd. Ian Drummond Secretary

Revd. Elizabeth Clark Board member

Dr John Beal Board member

Mr David Kay Board member

Commission

Revd David Arblaster

Mr David Bagchi

Mr Paul Bridges
Revd Stephen Burgess
The Ven Peter Burrows

Revd Timothy Bywater
Mrs Jenny Carpenter

Revd Edith Dawson
Ms Shelagh Fawcett
The Ven Robert Freeman
Revd Brenda Hill
Revd David Humphries

Mr Michael Noble
Mrs Jane Perkins

Revd David Perry

Mrs Ruth Smith
Mr John Wardle

Revd Liz Carnelley (Chief Executive)
Born in Sheffield and studying in Durham and Cambridge, Liz first became interested in other faiths whilst teaching in India. Ordained in 1990, Liz became a curate in Sheffield and was active in a church campaign to combat racism before moving to the Isle of Dogs during the election of the first BNP local councillor. More recently, Liz worked in Manchester as parish priest, Director of Reader Training in the Diocese of Manchester and latterly as Chaplain at Manchester University involved with inter-faith activities with international students there. Joining CRC as Policy Officer in September 2002, Liz is author of Keynote reports on social cohesion, the social economy and wellbeing, and co-authored Sowing the Seed report on rural issues. She also co-founded the Faith Matters faith awareness and diversity training programme. Liz was appointed as Acting Chief Executive on the departure of Graham Brownlee in November 2005 and was confirmed Chief Executive in May 2006. Liz is particularly interested in urban theology, inter-faith, new religious movements and contextual theology.

Board Members

Revd Canon Tony Parry
Tony is Pastor for the New Testament Church of God in Bradford, the largest black majority church denomination in England and is a former chair of the West Yorkshire African Caribbean Council of Churches. He has been Justice of the Peace since 1996 and is active in racial justice, youth and social enterprise. Tony is a Children’s Services Manager for the Barnardo’s Churches and Neighbourhood Action Project in Leeds which promotes community development and young people’s achievement projects. He is an Ecumenical Canon of Bradford Cathedral. Tony was consecrated and ordained a bishop in the New Testament Church of God in June 2009.

Revd Elizabeth Clark
Although not from a rural background, Elizabeth is passionate about rural ministry. As well as being a circuit minister in the Thirsk and Northallerton Circuit, she is rural officer for the York and Hull District and the Leeds District. Before full time ministry, Elizabeth was a nurse.

Canon Roland Clark
Roland is an Anglican from Bradford, West Yorkshire and has a background in regeneration from a business perspective. He is a board member of Bradford Chamber of Commerce and Bradford Vision. He is a lay canon of Bradford Cathedral.

Revd Ian Drummond
Ian is one of two Mission Fieldworkers for the Yorkshire Baptist Association. He was a teacher of physics for 6 years before becoming involved in Christian Ministry and was more recently Minister of Bramley Baptist Church, Leeds where he helped develop the Bramley Family Support and Sure Start projects. Ian is also a member of One City Projects and Leeds Voice, as well as being vice-chair of Spirit in the City.

Margaret Halsey (Vice Chair)
Margaret was appointed Director of Leeds Church Institute in 2004 and is vice-chair of Leeds Churches Together in Mission. Previously, Margaret was a chaplain for the Industrial Mission in South Yorkshire before becoming Director of Laity Development with the Diocese of Manchester. Margaret has published works on the theological aspects of education, working life and pastoral care.

Revd Mike Roberts
Mike is the minister of Milnsbridge Baptist Church in Huddersfield – a church that is seeking to be a community of hope within a community which has been identified as a deprived area. He is chair of the Neighbourhood Renewal Group for the locality involved in the formation of the local strategic plan, and a community governor of a local primary school seeking to increase community provision for adult literacy, health, education and numeracy.

Dr John Beal
Dr John Beal is semi-retired and active in both church affairs and community based activities. He was a long standing member of General Synod and a member of Ripon and Leeds Bishop’s Council. He was awarded an MBE for services to dental health in 2004 and has a strong sense of vocation to the laity and his work advocating improved health in disadvantaged communities.

Mr David Kay

David is a Catholic from Sheffield in the Diocese of Hallam. For many years he has been involved in the practical mission of the church, often on an ecumenical basis. He is a Chartered Member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development and has worked in staff development in industry, the NHS and the Department of Health. Other interests include politics and the media; he has been Catholic advisor to two local radio stations and the editor of the diocesan newspaper, Hallam News.

Commission Members

Revd David Arblaster
Revd David Arblaster is a Catholic deacon for the Leeds Diocese and is Director of Services to Students at Leeds Metropolitan University, a role which encompasses liaison with the Leeds Universities Chaplaincy and other faith groups. He has been involved in ecumenical work and local Churches Together groups for many years and is a volunteer mentor with Leeds Asylum Seekers Network and is an active CAFOD campaigner.

Mr David Bagchi

David is Senior Lecturer of the Department of History at the University of Hull. He is an licenced Anglican Lay Reader and a member of the York Diocese Reader Selection Panel. From 1997 he has been President of the Hull and District Theological Society.

Mr Paul Bridges

Paul is the Regional Development Officer for the Development Trust in the Yorkshire and Humber Region and is currently training to be a Methodist Local Preacher in Penistone.

Revd Stephen Burgess
Stephen is Chair of the York and Hull District and holds many other posts in local community groups such as North York Moors Churches Together, Selby Communities and District Industrial Mission and the Ecumenical Network in the Vale of York. With a background in science teaching and school chaplaincy, Stephen continues to work with young people as a skipper with the Rona Trust (London Sailing Project) – which provides sail training opportunities for young women and men.

The Ven Peter Burrows

Peter is the Archdeacon of Leeds. He is concerned about the regeneration of the city and is involved with the public sector. He is concerned about social concern issues, inter faith issues and culture.

Father Timothy Bywater
Father Timothy Bywater is a Catholic priest from Malton, North Yorkshire. In addition to his work as parish priest, he is Ecumenical Officer for the Diocese of Middlesbrough, a member of Selby Communities and District Industrial Mission and active in rural and migrant worker issues.

Mrs Jenny Carpenter
Jenny is a Methodist from Sheffield, South Yorkshire, a geographer and chartered Town Planner. She is a former field office for Churches Together in England and former National Rural Officer for the URC and Methodist Church. Currently Jenny is a trustee of Epworth Old Rectory, Nth. Lincs. and the Churches Tourism Association, and serves on the steering group for the Sth. Yorks. project, Heritage Inspired. She was involved for a long time with East Midlands Churches Forum and in the setting up of CRC and is currently chair of the Culture Group.

Revd Edith Dawson

Edith is a Baptist minister in Normanton working part time at the hospice in Pontefract. As well as being minister and chaplain she is also chaplain for South Yorkshire and Humberside Army Cadet Force. Before ministry she was a missionary in the Congo and worked in the NHS in Scotland and England.

Ms Shelagh Fawcett
Shelagh is coordinator for Leeds Diocesan Justice and Peace Commission as well as many voluntary positions with organisations such as West Yorkshire Community Chaplaincy Project, St Vincent’s Centre and Church Action on Poverty. Her work brings her into contact with community groups, particularly in relation to debt, social exclusion, asylum seekers and refugees.

The Ven Robert Freeman
Robert Freeman is Archdeacon of Halifax and was formerly the National Adviser in Mission and Evangelism for the Archbishops’ Council. In addition to extensive experience in the church, Robert is active in the community sector, showing his strong commitment to the development of the church’s role and enthusiasm for working collaboratively. He is Chair of rejesus.co.uk and of the Christian Enquiry Agency.

Revd Brenda Hill
Brenda is a member of the United Reformed Church in Sheffield. Now retired, Brenda was a teacher of children with special learning needs for many years and has been an ordained minister for 22 years. She was also a magistrate on the South Yorkshire bench and Chair of the Youth Court. She also has experience in social housing and believes that regeneration and development projects are so large and affect communities beyond one city or town that we need to think regionally.

Revd David Humphries
Revd David Humphries was minister at Scapegoat Hill Baptist Church and is now at Blenheim Baptist church Leeds where there will be a significant ministry to students and staff of Leeds Universities. Through his experience as an NHS Health Visitor in former coal mining communities he gained insight into the realities of deprivation and has also worked on a number of medical teams overseas developing community health programmes. He is also a JP, chair of school governors and chair of trustees for a local charity.

Mr Michael Noble

Michael is the District Development Enabler for the Leeds and West Yorkshire Districts of the Methodist Church. His work includes developing the strategic direction of the Districts, working with Circuits and Churches to review their mission, strategy and use of resources, and collaborating with ecumenical, social and government partners. He has extensive experience of regional working. A Methodist local preacher, he worships at a joint Methodist/URC church.

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Mrs Jane Perkins
Jane is an experienced business leader with 26 years experience in the food retail industry and a commitment for ensuring that faith groups are not kept on the outside of issues such as economic regeneration. An active member of a Christians in Consultancy group linked to Faith in Business, linking faith with the work place is both a goal and a personal passion. Jane is also a Reader in her local Anglican parish .

Revd David Perry

David is Chair of Lincoln and Grimsby District and President of Churches Together in All Lincolshire

Ms Ruth Smith

Ruth works as Community Mission Advisor for Livability (formally the Shaftesbury Society) supporting and equipping Churches in urban neighbourhoods to engage effectively with their communities. She has extensive experience of living and working in areas of urban deprivation and with groups of marginalised people. She has a particular interest in encouraging churches to work through partnerships and to adopt and use community development as a foundational approach to mission.

Mr John Wardle
John is a trustee of SEARCH (in Hull and the East Riding). He is an Anglican and a member of St Nicholas Church Beverley. He is currently on the Executive of KEY Churches and the Deanery synod. John retired from the NHS as Director of Planning, Partnership and Primary care in the former Hull and East Riding NHS Community Trust in 2003. After retirement John helped voluntary and church organisations with their marketing and business plans..

© The Churches Regional
Commission 2004