Mattishall

Mel became a Christian as a teenager. She was licensed as a Lay Minister ( Reader) in 2017 and has attended All Saints Mattishall since 1999 when she moved to Norfolk with her family. She lived in Mattishall until 2018 when they relocated to a nearby village but continued to feel called to minister in the Mattishall and Tud Valley Benefice. She worked as a Speech and Language Therapist until 2016 and now works for the Alzheimer's Society as a Dementia Adviser. She has two grownup children, one currently living in Australia. She enjoys running, reading and going to the theatre.

Mark grew up in rural Norfolk before being ordained in Surrey in 1994. Before coming to lead the Mattishall and Tudd Valley Benefice in 2012 he was Vicar of St. Andrew’s, Lowestoft for fifteen years. Mark is married to Fiona, who is a teacher with a vocation for working with children with special needs, and together they have four children. They now have two grandchildren as well. Mark has a particular interest in Luke chapter 15 and its meaning for the contemporary church.

Mark and Fiona have moved the Barton Mills benefice in Suffolk (think roundabout on the A11) and their last weekend in our benefice was Sunday 26th May, when we had a united benefice service and a shared lunch afterwards.

Mark will be licensed at St. Mary's, Barton Mills (IP28 6AP) on Wednesday 19th June at 7.30pm and all are very welcome. Lifts can be arranged. If you are thinking of coming, please let Mark or Fiona know so that the St. Mary's people know rough numbers.

We'll miss you...

I started attending ASM (All Saints', Mattishall) in 2002 when my daughter was invited along to children’s church by a friend from school. I joined an Alpha Course some months later, feeling somewhat sceptical and a little scared that ‘they’ might try to brainwash me, to be honest. As it turned out, it was to be life-changing for me in a way I could never have foreseen.

I began to train as a Licensed Minister, having felt a very unexpected call to preach, teach and pastor and was licensed in 2009.

I am blessed with a wonderful husband Steve, two daughters and two step-daughters and two grandsons all of whom I adore. Jesus is absolutely central in my life and was the missing piece of the jigsaw for me for many years. I am just very, very thankful.

Alan became a Christian while studying Natural Sciences at university when he was dragged along to a discussion group by a friend. A turning point came when they looked at what happened the first Good Friday and Easter Day. Eventually he found it took more "faith" to believe that Jesus was not who he claimed to be than accept his claims about himself. Rather falteringly, he started out on what has become a life of following Jesus Christ.

Alan became a Licensed Lay Minister (aka LLM, aka Reader) in 2013 and, amongst other things, looks after the home groups in the benefice (leading two of them), heads up the monthly Who Let The Dads Out? group and organises the monthly men's breakfast, which is a time for good food (full English breakfast) and witty banter . He is also one of the churchwardens at All Saints, Mattishall, along with Sue, his wife.

He was born in Hellesdon near Norwich and, apart from a gap year and university, has lived and worked in Norfolk all his life, working for a chemical company for 24 years and from 2024 ran his own small software business. He retired from that job in April 2024. In March 2024 he was appointed Bishop's Adviser for Licensed Lay Ministers (BAFLLM or baffle 'em!).