The new Moderator - An introduction

What an honour it is to be able to introduce myself to you all as the new Moderator of North Western Synod.  Although my induction is not until Saturday 5th September, I started in the role after Easter.  I shall share a little more about that in the next newsletter.

So, who is your new Moderator?  Call me Mike!

I was born and grew up in Swinton, Salford, and attended Worsley Road URC.  It was there that my faith developed and my involvement in all things church grew.  I started to lead worship and was involved as an Elder, offering a younger perspective to the meetings.  I gradually got involved with 'Fury' - as it was at the time - and then went on to spend time working at the National Youth Resource Centre in Yardley Hastings.  I was the District Youth Secretary for a period, and helped Leo organise a few events.  My faith grew and grew, following assessment, I trained for ministry at Northern College in Manchester and had placements in Bangladesh, Reddish, Leyland, Eccles, Fiji, Manchester Airport and Bury.  Being supported and trained by many (now retired) ministers still within the Synod.

I was called, then Ordained and Inducted in 2002 to the Bolton West Pastorate (Adlington LEP, Lee Lane LEP, New Chapel URC and Somerset Road URC), sadly during that time both Somerset Road URC and Lee Lane Church closed.  I was also honoured to be the Chaplain to Horwich Air Cadets and worked hard to help connect the Churches to the communities they served.

The next call was to Army Chaplaincy.  I had felt a sense of call to military chaplaincy for many years - having visited all 3 services it was the army where I felt God was leading me.  I joined as a Chaplain in 2006, and served over the years in the UK, Germany, Iraq, Afghanistan, Italy, Canada and New Zealand.  It was a pleasure to serve in a variety of different units.  My last post was as Senior Chaplain of 20th Armoured Brigade, leading a team of Chaplains across Germany and the UK as well as several deployments, supporting over 6,000 soldiers and their families.

In 2018, I was called to be the Minister of High Cross Church, Camberley, a Methodist / URC Local Ecumenical Partnership.  High Cross is a busy church with over 1,500 people a week passing through the buildings, with a variety of church and community groups using the premises.  I was also the Chaplain to several local organisations, including Camberley town centre and Camberley Air Cadets.  The vision of the church was to be 'A Church at the heart of community', and this was something that was achieved by building relationships and a strong presence in the town.  During this time, I served on a variety of Synod Committees as well as being the Denominational Ecumenical Officer for Surrey.

It was this time last year that someone (I can't remember who) suggested I should consider whether God was calling me to be the Moderator of North Western Synod.  I wasn't looking for a move at the time, but God clearly had a plan.

I would describe myself as a reluctant student, but have enjoyed studying over the years, gaining a BA (Hons) in Contextual Theology from the University of Manchester, a PGCE from the University of Southampton and a MTh from the University of Glasgow.  Studying has helped me to reflect more and develop my theological awareness and understanding.  I am also honoured to be a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, and a Member of the Order of St John.

I am married to Sue - a teaching assistant and forest school leader (we met through the URC Waldensian Fellowship and married at New Chapel URC), who is in the process of finding a new job for September.  We have 2 children; Alexander who is hoping to go to University and Eve who is hoping to join the RAF.

You may ask what gives me joy in Ministry?  Well, honestly all of it - I love the pastoral and the preaching, the challenges and the opportunities, and above all seeing how God acts in the lives of people and communities.  As the new Moderator, it is clear my role is to be the 'Minister of the Ministers' and the 'friend of the Churches', as we explore where God is leading us together.  I look forward to journeying with you in the coming years.

Mike

PS:  If you are on Facebook, please follow my page 'Revd Mike Thomason URC Minister' to keep up to date with all I have been doing.