New rector of Rowner The Rev Vickie Morgan grew up there
The Rev Vickie Morgan is delighted to be the new rector of Rowner – as she grew up on the estate herself.
The Bishop of Portsmouth, the Rt Rev Jonathan Frost, has appointed the Rev Vickie Morgan as the new rector there, subject to DBS, as well as being a diocesan enabler for ministry to housing estates.
She is currently spiritual care lead at the Mountbatten Hospice on the Isle of Wight and assistant area dean. Before that, she was priest-in-charge of Blendworth, Chalton, Idsworth and Rowlands Castle on the mainland.
Vickie will take over at Rowner in succession to the Rev Jude Greenfield, who led a group from Holy Rood, Crofton, that planted a new, more contemporary congregation alongside the existing traditional one.
She said: “I have been hearing God’s calling back to parish ministry for some time now. It took me a little while to discern where that might be. God had given me the word ‘home’ and when you work in palliative care, being called ‘home’ means something very different!
“But we have two adult sons on the mainland, and it was in conversation with them that I realised this might be in Rowner. God had firmly placed the people of Rowner on my heart and their story of transformation through a church plant really excited me. So, drawing close to God in prayer, I sought to discern his will.
“I grew up on the Rowner estate and ministry to those on the margins is something I feel passionate about. So I am encouraged by the role’s emphasis on a heart for ministry and mission in the estate and community, especially in this new chapter for the parish of Rowner.
“I believe my experience of growing up and beginning my adult life in this estate community means I will bring a unique lived experience to the ministry and in my leadership.
“I am looking forward to being and living in a community where we can pray together, eat together and be open to where God is leading us to serve his people in Rowner and to share in their joy.
“The rich tapestry of Rowner brings its own unique challenges and opportunities, something which brings me great joy, since it is a part of me. I was a teenager and young adult here, and so some people’s experiences are also my own experiences. To borrow a phrase from another of our estates, I am proud to be Rowner.
“I recognise that God and the Church have been doing great things for the Kingdom in Rowner, and with the help of the church plant the heart and foundation has already been established. There is great opportunity to ground what is already growing and nurture it further.
“Low-income communities need us to reach deeper in faith, to be bolder and more courageous, to lay ourselves open to learning and growing together with the people we have and those God gives us. And we do so in a social culture of poverty.
“In the coming months and years, we will have opportunities to learn from the stories of the people who make up the amazing community that is Rowner, to build relationships, and to join in where God and our community is already at work, through the Rowner Community Trust and the community-led Pride in Place programme.
“I am also keen and willing to take on a wider role within the diocese in advocating and celebrating estates ministry. I welcome the opportunity to bring estates ministry to the diocesan teams and raise the voice of the people living on the rich tapestry of our estates.”
Vickie will be collated as the new rector by Bishop Jonathan on July 5.