News
Goodbye Colin
This February we say a very fond and grateful farewell to our
National Director of seven years, Dr Colin Podmore. The Rt Revd
Tony Robinson (Bishop of Wakefield), Chairman of Forward in
Faith, paid tribute to the part that Colin had played in establishing The Society and to his work as Secretary to its Councilof Bishops: ‘Colin has given confidence to our movement that there will still be a place for us within the Church of England...
He has deployed his great powers of organization to ensure that effective new support structures for traditionalist clergy and parishes have been put firmly in place.' At the same time, he had continued to show 'a commitment that is not just confined to our
constituency but really does extend to the welfare of the whole of the Church of England.’
In response Colin stressed that the work of taking Forward in Faith into a new era had been ‘a team effort, involving staff colleagues, trustees, Council members, bishops and a few
key individuals beyond those circles as well’. He expressed his thanks to Forward in Faith’s members and called on them to ‘guard the unity of our movement’. Much of the work in respect of structures and politics had been done, he added: ‘What is essential now is that we use the opportunities we have won, and been given, in order to bring people to Christ, and build up Christ’s Church in our parishes.’
Colin was a particular friend to us in our Guildford Branch, guiding us through difficult and challenging times and we were the only branch whose AGM he attended twice. Indeed we were the fortunate recipients of his talk which went on to form the magisterial two-part article on ‘Defending the Seven Sacraments’ to be found in New Directions. Colin, we wish you well for the future and hope that we shall not lose touch entirely.
Welcome Tom!
Forward in Faith is delighted to announce the appointment of Tom Middleton as Director. He will succeed Dr Colin Podmore, who is to retire in February after seven years in office.
As the Greater London Authority’s Assistant Director of Finance and Governance, Tom Middleton currently leads a team of 35 people at London’s City Hall, where he has worked worked for the last 18 years. He was previously on the staff of the Audit Commission and the National Audit Office. He holds a degree in theology from Durham University and a postgraduate diploma in public finance and leadership from Warwick University, He is a member of the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Administration (CIPFA).
Tom worships at St Silas, Kentish Town. He is Treasurer of the Society of Mary and has recently been appointed as Clerk to the Trustees of the Cleaver Ordination Candidates Fund.