Vicar of Bistre starts new ministry in Mold

A new Vicar will begin ministry in Mold on Sunday. Canon Martin Batchelor will move from Bistre to be based at the Church of St Mary, the Virgin in Mold and have a particular responsibility for creating a Mission Hub Church, which will help to resource other local churches. The Bishop of St Asaph, the Rt Revd Gregory Cameron will license Martin at a special service on Advent Sunday (28 November) in Mold at 10am.

Martin Batchelor is originally from Swansea and worked as a technical programmer before training for ordination. He served as a curate in the Diocese of Swansea and Brecon for five years, before moving to Hawarden where he had responsibility for St Francis’, Sandycroft. Martin has been the Vicar of Bistre for the last 16 years and for the last decade he has also served as  Area Dean and Mission Area Leader of Borderlands Mission Area.

Alongside these roles, Martin has also served as Lead Chaplain at Deeside College, establishing the chaplaincy at the college. Martin is married to Jill, a teaching assistant at a local primary school, and they have three teenage children. Martin enjoys walking in his spare time, is a keen parkrunner, and is a Welsh learner.

Martin Batchelor said: “I am looking forward very much to taking on this new ministry at St Mary’s. It is a great opportunity for the church to develop its ministry serving the town of Mold and resourcing the mission of the Church.”

Speaking ahead of the service, Bishop Gregory Cameron said: “‘It is good to be able to welcome an experienced and successful priest to ministry in Mold and the surrounding area.  Our new initiative in the Church in Wales is to invite Martin to develop a growing and faithful congregation, building on all the good work on the existing congregation and ministry team.”

Also, at the service, the bishop will renew the commission of The Revd Carole Poolman as Mission Area Leader of Mold.  Over the last five years Carole Poolman has been offering a dedicated and effective ministry as Mission Area Leader and she will be re-commissioned in her work of coordinating the life of the Anglican churches in and around Mold.

Mold Mission Area is one of 20 Mission Areas in the Diocese of St Asaph, one of the six dioceses of the Church in Wales.