Congregation

Revd Dr Sam Wells

Revd Dr Sam Wells has been Vicar of St Martin-in-the-Fields since 2012. Here he oversees the whole organisation – congregational life, public ministry, commercial and site operations, fundraising and charitable outreach – while exercising regular ministry as a parish priest and maintaining a wider profile as a public theologian. In particular, with colleagues, he has been responsible for launching Great Sacred Music, Theology Group, HeartEdge, Being With, Sermon Workshop and the Noon Service, and supporting the development of the International Group, the Nazareth Community, the Companions of Nazareth and the Autumn Lectures.

Sam has served as a parish priest for 27 years – 10 of those in urban priority areas. He also spent 7 years in North Carolina, where he was Dean of Duke University Chapel. He is a widely known preacher, writer, broadcaster, institutional leader and lecturer.

Sam is also Visiting Professor of Christian Ethics at King’s College. He is a regular contributor to Thought for the Day on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. He has published 50 books, including works on Christian ethics, mission, ministry, scripture, liturgy, and preaching. Sam is married to Jo Wells, who is Deputy Secretary General of the Anglican Communion. They have two adult children.

sam.wells@smitf.org

Revd Richard Carter

Revd Richard Carter is Associate Vicar for Mission.  He was ordained in 1992 and has been a full-time priest at St Martin’s since 2006. He has special responsibility for the education programme, international links and hospitality of the church and links up with the Connection at St Martin’s for services, events and to lead the Spirituality Group.

Before coming to St Martin’s Richard was Chaplain to the Melanesian Brotherhood in the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and Papua New Guinea.

richard.carter@smitf.org

Revd Andrew Woodward

Andrew trained for the ministry at the South East Institute for Theological Education whilst working for Lloyds Bank – a career spanning 35 years, culminating is his position as Relationship Director specialising in Commercial Property Investment and Residential Development across the Surrey Hants Border Area. He was ordained deacon in 1999 and served his title at St James’s Church Weybridge in the Diocese of Guildford. He has subsequently completed a Masters in Theology, Ministry and Mission from Durham University, and is currently studying for an MA in Christianity and the Arts at King’s College London.

From 2003, he served as Assistant Curate at St Botolph’s Aldgate, London and in 2007 was appointed Honorary Priest in Charge of St Mary’s Kemp Town, a large Victorian Urban Church, scheduled for closure in 2006, becoming the incumbent in 2019.

In 2015, he was appointed Rural Dean of Brighton and in 2017 took on the additional role of Bishop’s Liaison Officer for the LGBTI Communities.

From 2019 he became Chair of the Chichester Diocesan Audit Committee. He served on Bishops Council and was a member of Chichester Diocesan Synod.

Andrew is in a civil partnership with Neel and has two grown up children. He enjoys travelling, spending time with family and friends, and in particular with Magnus, at 10-year-old black Scottish Terrier.

andrew.woodward@smitf.org

Revd Catherine Duce

Revd Catherine Duce is Assistant Vicar for the Nazareth Companions. She is a founder member of The Nazareth Community that gathers at St Martin-in-the-Fields, seeking God in contemplation and prayer and learning to live generously and compassionately. It follows a simple seven-fold contemporary rule of life. The Companions of Nazareth, led by Catherine, follow the same contemporary rule of life but come from all parts of the country and world and gather online for times of prayer and contemplation and each year for retreats. St Martin-in-the-Fields is the motherhouse of the community. For more details visit: https://www.nazareth.community/ Her appointment was initially made possible because St Martin’s was designated a resource church by the Diocese of London.

Catherine served a four year curacy at St Stephen’s, Rochester Row in the diocese of London. Before ordination she worked in theological action research at Heythrop College and Ripon College Cuddesdon. She has co-authored two books: Researching Practice in Ministry and Mission: A companion and Talking about God in Practice: Theological Action Research and Practical Theology.

Catherine is married to Matthew Harbage who is Vicar of St Paul’s New Southgate in north London.

Mel Adams

Mel has been an active member of St Martin’s since 2018, enjoying stewarding for services, and serving on the Sunday International Group team and coffee rota. As a member of the Nazareth community, she regularly leads group discussions and has also been a group leader on the Lent course and away days.

With a career in education, the past 30 years being in educational leadership and inspection, she is enjoying working a reduced timetable and having a little more time. Married to Steve and with three adult children and five grandchildren, she enjoys family time, particularly kitchen discos with the pre-schooler, along with walking, playing and listening to music, and theatre.

There are two churchwardens, who are elected yearly by the congregation, and are the most senior lay people in the congregation. They are responsible, alongside the clergy, for the running of the church. For more info go to: https://www.london.anglican.org/kb/churchwardens/.

Jeff Claxton

Jeff was first elected churchwarden in April 2021. He has worshipped at St Martin’s since Lent 2000 and is also one of the Readers/Licensed Lay Ministers. He previously served on the PCC, and the Church and Worship Committee, and was also churchwarden from 2003-2009 during the Building Renewal Project.

Jeff cooks regularly for the Sunday International Group, a community based around St Martin’s including refugees and asylum seekers. Jeff retired a few years ago from a role managing large IT projects and now wonders how he found time for that alongside everything else. His passion is cooking and entertaining and he has a very small business catering for events, mainly for churches and church contacts.

There are two churchwardens, who are elected yearly by the congregation, and are the most senior lay people in the congregation. They are responsible, alongside the clergy, for the running of the church. For more info go to: https://www.london.anglican.org/kb/churchwardens/.

Kristine Wellington

Contact: safeguarding@smitf.org

Sherry Taylor

Contact: safeguarding@smitf.org / 020 7766 1131