Our Team

  • Rev Marg Mattocks - Priest in Charge +

    I was born in Wolverhampton at two minutes past midnight on 2nd April. I am one of fourteen children, my eldest sister is 91 and my youngest brother is 45. My father came from Ramsgate during the war and my mother was 40 years his junior. I did not come from a religious background but I once saw a book about Noah’s Ark which had been given to my friend from her Sunday School. As I wanted this book myself, I asked if I could go to Sunday School too but my father said NO!   I met my husband, Steve, when we were teenagers. We married at a very young age and I had two children early on in the marriage. Whilst the children were young, my father died and within 18 months of his death, my mother followed him. My two youngest brothers were still at school and still needed to be cared for.   A vicar came to the house to discuss the arrangements for my mother’s funeral and I was very angry at the time and all but threw the vicar out. After the funeral, the vicar returned to see if I was alright, and so began my journey to faith.   I became overwhelmed by an idea that I wanted to be a vicar but was told it ‘would wear off’ ……. I’m still waiting.  

  • Rev. Linda Hood (Associate Minister) +

    I was born in Shropshire but moved to the beautiful city of Oxford when I was only a few months old.  At 18 I went to university in Leeds, and have loved Yorkshire ever since.  I studied English, French, Russian and Philosophy – but most of that is a distant memory!  However, I did use the English and French as a secondary school teacher, in Yorkshire and then in Walsall and Staffordshire, finally retiring in 2007.     As a teenager, I had been challenged as to whether I really knew that God loved me, and after a lot of thinking about this, I came to a personal faith aged 16.  Over the years I have been a member of several different kinds of church – including HouseChurch, Strict Baptist, Independent Evangelical – but for the last 25 years I have been back where I started, in the Church of England.  In 2005 I became a Reader, but felt that God had even more for me to do, so I applied for ordination and began training in 2007 once I had left the teaching profession.  I was ordained in June 2009, and after 3 and a half years at Chase Terrace I moved in February 2013 to become Associate Minister at Hammerwich.  The people have made me very welcome, and I hope that together we will continue to minister in the local area, and see God’s kingdom extended and lives changed by knowing God’s love in our midst.      

  • Fran (reader) +

    I am married to Gary and we moved to this area on the day we married, over 30 years ago. We have been worshipping at Christ Church, Gentleshaw since our eldest son was baptised there in 1980. Our second son was born in 1982 and we moved into Cannock Wood in November 1983. The weekend that Gary was due to return to work, after the move, it snowed and snowed. Snow had drifted against the hedges and Cumberledge and Hayfield Hill had to manage with a single, cleared track for some while after that.Since then, despite ups and downs and varied weather, our stability and mainstay have been our church and church family. I spent many years on the PCC at Christ Church in various roles, before becoming Church Warden in 2004 and beginning Lay Reader training in 2006. I was licensed in 2008 and so joined the leadership team for Christ Church, Gentleshaw,  St Bartholomew, Farewell, and St John The Baptist, Hammerwich.  

  • Phil King (Reader) +

    Most of my life has been spent in and around this area, as did my parents and grandparents. I am married and have two grown up sons who are both studying at university, and of whom I am extremely proud. There are two other members of the King household who seem to take up any spare time that I have – Greyhounds! I have been a teacher for quite a few years and have taught a variety of subjects but mainly Geography and Science to secondary students along with other roles in the profession. I attended church regularly as a young boy but school, college, heavy rock and many other things took over for a while, but then in 1990 I felt the call to attend more regularly and I started to go to Hammerwich Church. As I became more involved with the church and serving on the PCC, the need for more spiritual involvement became stronger. During an unrelated conversation I suddenly asked the Vicar what he thought  of the idea of me becoming a reader. The rest is history. I was licensed at Lichfield Cathedral in 2011 and am still on a happy but steep learning curve.

  • Gary (reader) +

    I am married to Fran and joined the PCC at Christ Church, Gentleshaw in 1981 and learned to overcome my fear of heights by painting the Vicar’s Vestry ceiling (which was roof height!) I was Church Warden for eight years, retiring to begin my Lay Reader training. I was licensed in 1998 and have since been part of the Leadership team for Christ Church, Gentleshaw,  St Bartholomew, Farewell, and St John The Baptist, Hammerwich. God has been with us throughout our children’s growth to maturity, and we now have two grandsons and a granddaughter. We have had support through our short-lived efforts to run a local post office, and through redundancy for both of us at different times and we are looking forward to spending more time for our garden, in retirement.  

  • Carol Shelley (Reader) +

    Having grown up in London I made my way to the Midlands to train as a teacher in Birmingham. I met and married a ‘Shropshire Lad’; and the rest, as they say, is history. I worked as a teacher for thirty years (with time out to have my own two children)   The year I retired saw me make the commitment I had considered for some time, to take the two year training course to become a Licensed Reader in the Anglican Church. In September 2008 I was Licensed at Lichfield Cathedral. And am part of the worship team for Christ Church, Gentleshaw, St Bartholomew, Farewell, and St John the Baptist, Hammerwich.   My personal indulgences are cooking, travel, theatre, music, and reading; although quite a lot of time is given over to various crafts, some of which I am able to use as part of my life in faith.   I have been blessed with a wonderful marriage, two great adult children and their partners, and four delightful grandchildren. My only disappointment is that my daughter, her husband and their two children live on the west coast of America. My faith life has had its ups and downs; but the best moment I have experienced was when I fully understood for the first time that God loves me as I am; and that trusting in Him, with the guidance of Jesus and the strength of The Holy Spirit can only make every step through life more fulfilling.

  • Gill (Organist) +

    Born in Lichfield Victoria hospital, I was the first baby born to a family in the village of Wall for a very long time. We moved to the triangle in the parish of Hammerwich when I was 5 and I've been here ever since. I asked my mother at the age of 6 if I could have piano lessons and the rest is history. I’ve taught for 28 years privately and at school as a teacher in charge of music. I work as an instrumental teacher in Staffordshire now and love every minute. I started playing at Hammerwich in December 1995, both Organ and Keyboard.  

  • Ian (Church Warden) +

    My introduction to Christian life was as a choirboy at Gentleshaw Church in the nineteen fifties where I was confirmed . Sad to say I did not keep up my church attendance but still believed. I first came to Hammerwich church when I married for the second time. My wife, Lynne and I both joined the PCC not long after we married and together we help with the running of the ‘Here and Now’ club which is an out reach club for the church. I am the bell ringer for weddings etc and am registered server at communion services I have been a church warden for nine years.

  • Ron (Church Warden) +

    I originally came from West Bromwich, an industrial town about 20 miles  south west of Hammerwich. I attended a number of churches in West Bromwich, including Hill Top Methodist church, West Bromwich High St. Church, Ebenezer chapel Blacklake and Swan Village chapel. When I got married I moved to Hammerwich and have lived there for 45 years. I have always been a Christian and always kept my faith. Seven years ago my wife and I decided to return to regular church services at St John the Baptist church and we are enjoying the fellowship and the Christian spirit with our fellow church members. Five years ago my wife and I decided to be confirmed. I have been church Warden for six years and enjoy the opportunity to contribute to the service of the church. My wife is Carol Bates and we have two Daughters, a Son and five Grandchildren.

  • Carol Bates (Verger) +

    I originally came from Birmingham and attended my local church; St Luke’s before marrying and moving to Hammerwich. Although I did not attend church regularly after I married I never forgot my Christian values and teachings, and always kept my faith. I started to attend regular church services at St John the Baptist church seven years ago and my husband, Ron and I were confirmed five years ago.   When the opportunity arose for me to contribute and become Verger, I accepted the position and have been Verger for the past three years.    My husband, Ron and I have been married for 45 years and have two Daughters, a son and five grandchildren.

  • Sylvia (PCC Secretary) +

    I was born in Brownhills and baptised in a little Chapel which used to be sited where the ‘Rising Sun’ island is on Watling Street. I attended Watling Street Primary School and later Walsall Wood school after we moved to Shire Oak. In 1969 I married Malcolm at St Peter’s Church, Stonnall and moved to Chasetown, where we have lived ever since. We have a son and twin daughters and they, together with our four grandchildren, are our pride and joy. During my childhood I attended Brownhills West chapel as my grandmother still lived on Watling Street. After that I drifted from one church to another until my daughter moved to the village of Hammerwich and I started attending St John the Baptist on a regular basis. I was welcomed by the church family there and my faith deepened. I was confirmed at Hammerwich by Bishop Clive in 2007. For the past two years I have served as secretary to the PCC.

  • Jim (Magazine Editor) +

    I started life in Surrey, My earliest memories in the nineteen forties, are as a choirboy in St Nicholas Church Thames Ditton. I trained as a server and that, together with scouting must have had much to do with my development. After my national service, I left my original career in administration and spent three years as a student in the Forest of Dean where I met the girl who became my wife. We married in her Methodist chapel in 1957 and worshiped as Methodists for 20 years before becoming Anglicans, I had come home again. I spent forty happy years working as a forest manager in a variety of locations from Cornwall to Aberdeen, ending my working life in Atherstone.  We moved to Hammerwich to be closer to my daughter and two grandsons. The welcome we received at the “church on the hill” meant that we looked no farther for a church family. Now after nearly nineteen years of retirement, my principal interests are a renewed relationship with Jesus and the creation of Bonsai; in the latter, I show at Shrewsbury Flower show with some success, does it say something about me that both my interests are two thousand years old. I serve as lay chair of the PCC and edit the Parish Newsletter; as I judged (possibly foolishly) that I was not suitable material for reader training, I do what I can by leading bible study sessions.

  • Cilla (Treasurer) +

    I was born in Birmingham, and moved to Burntwood when I married John in 1966. I have attended various churches on and off all my life but am now very happily a member of St John the Baptist, Hammerwich and was confirmed there in 2007 by Bishop Clive. I have been a member of the PCC for five years now and treasurer for three of those years. We have two children and five grandchildren  and being a member of the church family at Hammerwich has greatly enhanced my spiritual and physical life. My wonderful friends at Hammerwich have carried both my husband and myself through his recent battle with cancer, and I know that the prayers of everyone we know helped to bring him safely through.
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Rev. Linda Hood (Associate Minister)

I was born in Shropshire but moved to the beautiful city of Oxford when I was only a few months old.  At 18 I went to university in Leeds, and have loved Yorkshire ever since.  I studied English, French, Russian and Philosophy – but most of that is a distant memory!  However, I did use the English and French as a secondary school teacher, in Yorkshire and then in Walsall and Staffordshire, finally retiring in 2007.

 

 

As a teenager, I had been challenged as to whether I really knew that God loved me, and after a lot of thinking about this, I came to a personal faith aged 16.  Over the years I have been a member of several different kinds of church – including HouseChurch, Strict Baptist, Independent Evangelical – but for the last 25 years I have been back where I started, in the Church of England.  In 2005 I became a Reader, but felt that God had even more for me to do, so I applied for ordination and began training in 2007 once I had left the teaching profession.  I was ordained in June 2009, and after 3 and a half years at Chase Terrace I moved in February 2013 to become Associate Minister at Hammerwich.  The people have made me very welcome, and I hope that together we will continue to minister in the local area, and see God’s kingdom extended and lives changed by knowing God’s love in our midst.