ORCHARD BAPTIST - Key Persons
I am married to Linda; we have three grown up children, two of whom are married, and one grandchild. I have been teaching Maths for nearly forty years and been at the Sixth Form College in Colchester since it opened in 1987. I cycle to and from work and it is often as quick if not quicker than trying to drive. I enjoy longer cycle rides occasionally and walks with Linda regularly. I play guitar in church and have been the treasurer for a while but I did have a break for three years from this. I also help with odd jobs and Toddlers which fits in to my timetable at work as I am now part-time.
Spare time:I am a keen reader and enjoy most authors including Thomas Hardy. I enjoy SciFi films and series as well as action, comedy and murder mystery. My favourite author is Terry Pratchett who manages to mix mystery with humour and very bad puns. I am happy to try most DIY and have found YouTube videos a good source of advice when tackling an unusual task. I prefer to try to fix things that are brokenrather than bin them straight away but this means that there is a store of spare parts which might come in useful one day in our house (or our children's for that matter!).
Favourite meal:I think I would go for Christmas dinner, especially if I didn't have to cook it myself.
I have recently enjoyed trying to experiment to recreate some recipes where we had pre-prepared packs and a list of ingredients (but no quantities) which results in some interesting meals.
I am married to Ronnie, have 2 grown up daughters and am now a proud grandmother to Poppy. I was brought up in a Christian home and gave my life to Jesus when I was 14. After travelling around while Ronnie was in the RAF we came back to settle in Colchester in 1989 and I started to worship at Orchard and have been here ever since. There have been many ups and downs at Orchard but I have always felt it to be my spiritual home. I teach in the Sunday School and am part of the Welcome team.
I work for Beacon House, a Christian charity that supports homeless people in Colchester. I find this both challenging and rewarding. Meeting people there, often at their lowest point, reminds me that Jesus came to save the whole world and that he loves each of us the same. The passage that inspired me to work at Beacon House is Matthew 25, v34-46, and it reminds me that what I do for the guys who come to us I do for God and that is truly humbling.
In my spare time I love to sew and am interested in all things textiles, I am also a fair weather gardener and enjoy walking and reading.
My vision for Orchard is to share the good news of Jesus with the local area and for the Church to become the hub of the community.
I was born in Colchester in 1946. I had a career as a painter and decorator for 50 years including a 5yr indenture. I met my soulmate Christine in 1967 we married in 1969 we have been married for 53 years we have three sons and 6 grandchildren. I had an encounter with Jesus when I was 5 years old (another story). I did not make a commitment to Jesus until I was 45 years old. I was baptised in 1991. Since then, we have been homegroup leaders, have done a lot of evangelism and outreach even as far as Antwerp in Belgium. My wife Christine was part of a singing group and recorded a CD to raise money for Kids behind Bars in the Philippines. I was a Sunday school teacher for 14 years and assisted Christine in many other outreach programmes. In 2011 I was diagnosed with aggressive cancer and had major surgery, but through all of this I had lots of prayer and the presence of Jesus never left me.
Hi, I'm Kate. I'm married to Bill with two grown up children who live separately from us.
I am the Pastor of this church, being a relative newcomer to Colchester, though I was born in Essex. I have lived and worked in each of the East of England counties over many years. My previous pastorate was in a small village in Bedfordshire, out in the countryside.
I became a pastor after a long career in nursing. As a nurse, I worked in a wide variety of clinical roles in hospital and in the community, and then moved to teaching, research and management. Nursing aims to provide holistic care of people wherever they are and helps to form a good foundation for ministry. Being a pastor is challenging and exciting as you walk alongside people as they journey with God and see him at work in their everyday lives.
I'm keen to make church more accessible to all ages and backgrounds and truly become a place where people can be themselves and have fun - but do this remembering ‘that the Lord, he is God. It is he who made us and we are his' (Psalm 100:3).
Hi, I'm Linda; I was born in Watford but have lived in Colchester for over 30 years. I'm married to Brian and we have 3 grown up children, a son in law, a daughter in law, and a lovely granddaughter who exhausts us when she visits!
I am a Learning Support Assistant, having worked in both a local Junior School and for the last 7 years at Colchester Sixth Form College. I enjoy working with individuals and helping them to do their best.
For most of my life I have been involved in going on Scripture Union holidays for young people, and for 30 years I led a sailing holiday which happens every summer on the Norfolk Broads. It is something really special seeing people have amazing fun and exploring their faith in a non-threatening atmosphere.
I come from a family that has always encouraged me in my faith and I made a significant step of faith whilst at another Christian holiday when I was 12, being baptised when I was 18. Jesus has always been important in my life, and I seek to know His peace and presence in all the ups and downs of everyday living.
My favourite bible verses include Isaiah 40 which talks about how amazing God is, and Philippians 4 v 13 which says "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."
At church I am the Secretary, sometimes play the piano or lead worship, and lead a homegroup. For fun I enjoy walking, knitting and puzzles.
Leadership
I am a teacher and have been for twenty eight years. I am married to Julie and have a son called Samuel and a daughter called Anna.