New Southsea vicar excited to step out in faith

The Bishop of Portsmouth, the Rt Rev Jonathan Frost, has appointed the Rev Steve Clarke to be the new vicar of St Jude's Church in Southsea. He is currently vicar of St Andrew’s, Whitehall Park, in North London and was previously a pioneer minister at Gloucester Cathedral.

He said: “Having the opportunity to join in with what God is already doing in Southsea is exciting. I feel that St Jude’s is a place where we can really share the hospitality of God with those around us. I love how the church shares the good news of Jesus in both words and actions, confidently and with compassion.

“I’m excited that St Jude’s is committed to Jesus being the heart of Southsea and am looking forward to seeing all that the Lord will do through St Jude’s and the local church partnerships.

Steve originally came from Cheltenham, however the south coast has always been a special place as he met his wife Min at Southampton University. He also regularly visited family living in Portsmouth.

He began work as a student pastor at Trinity Cheltenham, where he worked with young adults, led courses for those on a discipleship year, and led a team outreach into the night-time economy. They ran a club night in a local venue with a vision of this becoming an Fresh Expression of church.

Steve trained for ordination at Trinity College, Bristol, and became a curate and pioneer minister at Gloucester Cathedral. Among other things, he led ‘Feig’, a Fresh Expression that had been started years previously, to provide a space for those who wouldn’t normally come to a traditional church setting, to journey towards Jesus in a way that felt more authentic to them.

Steve became vicar at St Andrew’s, Whitehall Park, 12 years ago. It is in the most northerly part of Islington, and is a place where young families have been welcomed and nurtured in faith.

During this time he has prioritised hospitality, throwing open the church to provide space for those from the local community to meet, both young and old.

He said “One of the things we launched was ‘Brunch and Bounce’, a Saturday gathering for local families, with a bouncy castle, good coffee and pastries. It was a first contact people had with church that led some to connect with faith.

“This inspired us to launch Messy Church to provide a place of belonging, faith and growth as a next step in people’s journey towards Jesus."

Steve and Min have two children, Adam, who is 17, and Hannah, who is 15. Min works as an early years teacher. Adam is sitting A-levels this summer and Hannah is sitting her GCSEs.

Steve will be licensed as vicar of St Jude’s on July 20th.