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Readers
Firstly, what are Church Readers?
From the Church of England’s Readers website :
“Readers are lay people in the Church of England, from all walks of life, who are called by God, theologically trained and licensed by the Church to preach, teach, lead worship and assist in pastoral, evangelistic and liturgical work.”
“The office of Reader is the only lay ministry in the Church of England which is voluntary, nationally accredited, Episcopally licensed and governed by canon. There are now over 10,000 Readers, with men and women represented almost equally.”
In the Parish of Aston and Nechells, the readers are regularly involved in leading services and preaching. Some of them do this mainly in one of the churches, others help out at all three.
Readers in the Parish
Please click on the reader’s name (below) that you want to read about or scroll down to browse.
Geoff Miller
Geoff was licensed as a Reader in January 2013. Geoff and his wife, Hilary, worshipped at St Matthew’s church until its closure when he began attending St James Church. Geoff worked for many years in Environmental Health for Solihull Council. Geoff helps run the Aston & Nechells Foodbank.
He was elected to the post of warden at St James in 2021 and as interim Parish Treasurer on behalf of the Church Wardens in October 2023. He also helps with the vegetable raised beds at The POD in Nechells and a vegetable plot by the bus stop outside St Matthew’s Church, where his protégé Norman Nechells is often seen sat on the wall with a message.
David Fletcher
David has been a Christian since his teenage years, and he enjoys being actively involved in the life of this parish. Nowadays he usually worships at Aston Parish Church; as a Reader he sometimes leads services or preaches there, or in one of the two other churches in the parish.
David retired in 2013. Before then, for seven years he worked part-time in the St James Advice Centre, which used to offer free advice on immigration, welfare, and other matters. Together with his wife Juliet, he used to lead the Lee Abbey Aston Household Community in Albert Road. They really appreciate the way Christians in Aston work together creatively to present the message of the Gospel to local residents.
David’s particular passions are singing in a local choir, umpiring cricket, working in his allotment, and making “proper” wooden jigsaws!
