New Vicar for Kirkham St. Michael's

From one St Michaels to another - Kirkham welcomes new vicar!
A special service will be held this weekend to mark the official start date of Kirkham’s newest vicar.
Reverend Richard Bunday will be welcomed as Priest-in-Charge at Kirkham St Michael CE church with an official licensing service on Sunday 17 January at 4pm.
The service will be led by the Right Reverend Geoffrey Pearson, Bishop of Lancaster, and attended by parishioners, local dignitaries, and community leaders. Members of the public are also warmly invited to the special event.
Rev Bunday – known as Rick– joins the Kirkham church from St Michael and All Angels Church, Ashton-on-Ribble, where he was first Priest-in-Charge before becoming Team Rector in 2006.
He is married to teacher Nicola and they have a baby daughter Alice. Rick joked: “I was delighted when the Bishop appointed me to serve at Kirkham Parish Church. As a Yorkshire lad I never expected to marry a Lancashire girl and then conduct my ministry in the Red Rose County!”
Rev Bunday has also served as Curate at Redcar St Peter, Teeside, and Marton St Paul, Blackpool. His licensing service on Sunday will end Kirkham Parish Church’s ‘interregnum’ – a period between vicars – which began last year on the retirement of the Reverend Keith Brockbank, who served as Priest at the Church Street church for 16 years.
Rev Bunday described himself as “a straight forward kind of person with a protestant work ethic” and who enjoys wine, stout and sport, especially rugby, golf and football (he supports York City).
He is clearly looking forward to rolling up his sleeves and getting to work in Kirkham. He said: “What I have learnt is that clergy and laity working together with love, humour, affection, honesty, openness, trust and care can transform communities for the glory of God.
“I hope and pray that I will be able to build upon the good work that has gone before me, and I look forward to working in partnership with the whole church family in order to serve the good people of Kirkham in Christ’s name.”
Ends.
Notes for editors:
1. Kirkham St Michael parish church’s website address is www.stmichaelskirkham.org.uk. Sunday services are held at 8am (Holy Communion – prayer book) and 10am (Parish Eucharist). Choral Evensong is held at 6pm on the second Sunday of the month. The church also hosts Guides, Brownies and Rainbows groups, a choir, Hobbycraft Group, Mothers Union and Sunday School.
2. For more information about the church, or to arrange an interview with Rev Bunday or a photograph, please contact him on 07518 786012, or try the Churchwardens: Jane Cairns (01772 672316) and Maralyn Nott (01772 686179).

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