In the Bible, the shepherds followed a star to find Jesus. In Brighton, the Church of the Good Shepherd has found an astronomer to lead the flock.
The Reverend Alice Smith, formerly a curate in Moulsecoomb then a vicar in London, has returned to the area to become the incumbent of the church in Dyke Road.
Tomorrow (Monday 17 February), the church said, a service is due to take place for the “institution and collation of the Reverend Alice Smith as incumbent of ‘Brighton the Good Shepherd Preston’”.
The service “will be undertaken by the Right Reverend Dr Martin Warner Bishop of Chichester with her induction by the Reverend Sam Carter Acting Archdeacon”.
The church said that Alice Smith née Whalley was born on the west coast of Scotland and, after an early childhood in various places, went to secondary school in mid Wales.
She studied for a degree in physics and astronomy at UCL, in London, then worked for two years at St Michael’s Camden Town, also in London, during which time she was selected for ordained ministry.
The church said; “She spent three years at St Stephen’s House, in Oxford, doing, among other things, a BA in theology.
“She was ordained deacon in Chichester Cathedral in 2014 to serve in the, as then, Moulsecoomb Team Ministry in Brighton.
“She finished her curacy at St Swithun, East Grinstead, before spending the last six and a half years as vicar of St John the Evangelist, Brownswood Park, London, adding on St Thomas Finsbury Park for latter two and a half years.
“In her last parishes, she had a particular ministry to those suffering from food poverty, as well as focusing the parishes’ energies into growing its children’s and families’ ministry.
“At the Good Shepherd, she is particularly looking forward to working with local schools and groups of young people.
“Mother Alice is married to Harry, who is a solicitor, and has two young daughters, Martha, 3, and Anna, 1.
“Her hobbies are slightly theoretical (what with the shepherding of two small ones) but they would be running, cycling, baking and knitting.”
