A service has been held to welcome a priest into her new role as one of the most senior members of the Church of England in Suffolk. The Revd Canon Samantha Brazier-Gibbs has been appointed Archdeacon of Ipswich and Director of Inspiring Ipswich.
She was collated on Tuesday at Ipswich Minster, a legal act to confirm her transition from parish priest to archdeacon. She will be installed at St Edmundsbury Cathedral in Bury St Edmunds on Sunday 20 July at 3.30pm
She is part of the senior management team supporting Bishop Graeme as Acting Bishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich.
Archdeacon Samantha, moving over from Essex, said Suffolk has held a special place in her heart since childhood, when she holidayed in the county every year and she is excited to join the team in Ipswich to further build relationships with fellow ministers and churches.
Samantha said, "I am delighted to have arrived in the Diocese where it was a honour to have a joyful service at Ipswich Minster enabling me to meet so many clergy and members of the community. I now look forward to getting down to work, meeting more people not just in the Diocese but throughout this beautiful county, and to understand what makes the Diocese such an invaluable part of so many people’s lives – and how we can work together to proclaim Christ and serve our communities and see people and places flouris".
Archdeacons provide pastoral care for clergy and they link the bishops with the wider church in Suffolk – there are more than 480 churches and 440 parishes in the diocese. Their role is to ensure the smooth running of the church and includes responsibilities for clergy discipline, filling vacant posts, building works and a wide range of other tasks.
Bishop Graeme said: "We were delighted to welcome Samantha into the Diocese with a special service at Ipswich Minster. She has not moved far, coming from the Chelmsford Diocese in Essex, however, she will bring with her a wealth of experience in urban and rural settings which will be invaluable to our diocese. The way in which she has balanced tradition with growth will inspire us to ensure that the Church in Suffolk remains relevant to all age groups."
Samantha was parish priest for three rural churches: Blackmore, Stondon Massey, and Fyfield in the Chelmsford Diocese. She led a team of ministers responsible for 14 parishes around the market town of Chipping Ongar.
The previous Archdeacon of Ipswich was the Rt Revd Rhiannon King who became suffragan Bishop of Southampton.