It gives us great pleasure to announce that Revd Stephanie Couvela will be joining the Scargill community in September. She will be coming from a Guildford Diocese - yes, another southerner! Stephanie will bring so much. She is a gifted and enthusiastic teacher, a prayerful Christian with a pastoral heart. She also greatly enjoys leading worship. Most important of all, she is a lovely person. Stephanie is not scared to get stuck in and be closely involved with Scargill's pioneering stage. She is delighted to be a part of the adventure!

Stephanie introduces herself below...

It’s about twenty years since the first time I visited Scargill House, on holiday with a group from my church, and I’m very excited that I’m soon to join the Community there!  Officially I’ve been appointed as the Chaplain, but with such a small Community at present I’m fully expecting to also be cleaning toilets, chopping vegetables, mopping Phil’s fevered brow and anything else that needs doing…  Most of all I’m looking forward to being part of the team, and to the excitement and privilege of helping to create something new in this wonderful place.

I’ve been ordained for twelve years now, for the last six working as an Associate Minister for two churches not far from Guildford in leafy Surrey.  That’s been a marked contrast from my previous roles, as Curate and then Team Vicar in two inner urban churches in North London.  Before I was ordained I worked in broadcasting, first in radio and then in TV.

I have a longstanding interest in Intentional Community, and specifically in how single people can find different ways to be part of a family – we all have a God-given need for intimacy, for relationships in which we can be vulnerable and real and loved – and we shouldn’t have to be married in order to fulfil that need.  I’ve already done a little bit of writing in that area and I’m hoping to do more as a result of what I learn over the next few years.

I’m yet another southerner on the Scargill team, being from Surrey originally, but I have brothers in Manchester and Newcastle who I’m looking forward to seeing much more often, together with my wonderful niece, Molly.  So in August I’ll be packing up my various guitars, my bright pink sofa, my running gear and my worryingly large collection of Doctor Who DVDs and heading for the Dales ready for adventure!