Hi
I’m Alex the pioneer minister here in the parish, living and working in the village of Rode. Jessie, my border collie, and I moved here at the end of June 2020 and have spent the last few months settling in to life in a new community. As a pioneer my role is to be something of a bridge between the church and the community so, although I go to some church services and meetings, most of my time is spent in the community. Of course, Covid-19 has meant that I haven’t been able to meet people in groups so I tend to meet people on a one household basis, and I am currently transforming one of my garages from storage space to Covid-secure meeting space (for after lockdown 2.0). I also meet a lot of people when I’m out walking the dog or prayer walking – it’s great to be in a village as friendly as Rode! Another thing I’ve been spending time doing is looking at how social media can be used to create community – and at least that is something I can do even when we aren’t allowed to mix households!
Mine is a part time role, meaning I work around 20 hours a week, and I spend the rest of my time studying for a PhD which looks at how the Church of England could engage more with challenging social injustice. The church is very good at responding to those who are in need as a result of inequality and injustice, but not so good at tackling the root causes of injustice – and I am looking at trying to understand why that is and how we could do more.
If you want to know more about what I do, or why I do it then do be in touch – I’d love to chat!
Alex Holmes
revalexholmes@gmail.com
The licensing of Alex by The Venerable Anne Gell Archdeacon of Wells was held on 17 June using remote Zoom service.