BISHOP Jonathan has appointed island priest the Rev Sandra Matthews to take charge of the Meon Valley parishes.

She will switch from being the rector of Whippingham with East Cowes and priest-in-charge of Wootton to become the interim priest-in-charge of Swanmore, Soberton, Hambledon and Newtown, and the Meon Bridge Benefice, subject to DBS.

Sandra will work alongside the three recently-appointed associate priests – the Revs Jill Kingston, Liz Quinn and Emma Andersen. And she will replace the Rev Andy Davis, who retired earlier this year due to ill health.

She said: “I have really enjoyed my time on the island, working with three great parishes and supporting them as they become more mission-focussed. They have a great heart for their local communities.

“In my new role, I’ll be pleased to be working collegially, and collaborating as part of a team of ministers. It will be exciting to discern where God is leading these churches next.

“My continued focus will be on ministry with the oldest and the youngest, with the aim of being truly cross-generational. And I hope my experience in rural ministry on the island and elsewhere has helped me to prepare to minister in these amazing villages.”

Before her work on the Isle of Wight, Sandra lived and worked in Israel for just under two years, where she ministered as cleric and headteacher to the local community through her role as director of the Anglican International School in Jerusalem.

She was attracted to that role due to her commitment to reconciliation ministry, and her pastoral desire to help people in conflict connect through respect and greater understanding. She has spent much of her professional career working with children and young people in the education sector.

Her long-standing commitment and work with children has not, however, been to the exclusion of other age groups, as seen by her voluntary work as chaplain with hospitals and residential care homes.

Sandra has a great passion for multi-generational ministry, and for discerning new ways of ‘being’ church, but as a strong believer in balance, she also enjoys the richness of tradition and the sense of timeless stability this brings to many worshippers.

Bishop Jonathan expects to licence Sandra to this new ministry on Wednesday 25 February at St Barnabas Church, Swanmore.