The Church of St Peter, Peebles and the Church of St Andrew Innerleithen

New Rector Annouced!

The Vestries of St Peter’s Episcopal Church, Peebles and St Andrew’s Episcopal Church, Innerleithen are delighted to announce the appointment of the Rev Jim Benton-Evans as the next Rector to our Episcopal Churches in Tweeddale. This follows the retirement of the Rev Robin Lee from the charges last summer and comes at an exciting time for all the churches in Tweeddale, with a number of churches appointing new ministers. Jim is enthusiastic about the potential he sees for our churches to grow and continue to improve our impact on, and support to, the local communities that we serve.

Jim will be moving up from Camelford in Cornwall and will Instituted in our churches towards the end of April. Jim will be joined by his wife, Claire, along with their 3 children: Tabitha, Phoebe, and Tobias.

Jim spent most of his childhood in Cornwall. He studied classics at King's College London and was a civil servant and then a primary school teacher before studying for the ordained ministry at Ripon College, Cuddesdon. For the past five years he has been Priest-in-Charge of a cluster of five churches in North Cornwall and chaplain to a secondary school.  He is passionate about community action, social enterprise and church that gets its hands dirty. He is a lifelong Plymouth Argyle supporter and enjoys playing golf and cricket, listening to contemporary obscure music and is learning to play the ukulele.

Tabitha is nearly 14. She enjoys acting, singing and dancing. She is a massive Glee fan, and is hoping to discover many performing opportunities in and around Peebles. She also plays golf and is looking forward to beating her dad again on the courses up here. As a singer and drummer, she is hoping to find people to start a band with.

Phoebe is 12. She enjoys swimming, netball and hockey. She is a keen artist, especially in the 'manga' style and is very fond of animals, especially dogs. She is looking forward to taking advantage of the wide range of opportunities that Peebles and the surrounding area offers.

Tobias is 9. He likes lego, reading, ninjas and writing. He wants to learn to ride a horse and he plays guitar. He is looking forward to moving house.

Claire grew up in Bath and studied English at Oxford before teaching English and Drama in London and Devon. After a welcome career break spent at home with the children, she is now a full-time writer for the church publisher, Kevin Mayhew, specializing in all-age worship resources. She also leads workshops and conferences on children's spirituality and all-age worship. She loves theatre, reading and walking in open countryside with the family collie, Gwen. In Peebles she is looking forward to making new friends, becoming involved in community life and getting around on a bike for the first time since university.

We are very much looking forward to welcoming the whole family into our churches and communities.

The Episcopal Churches are indebted to their non-stipendiary ministers; Charles, Colin and Derek and would like to express heartfelt thanks for their continued support of our churches over many years and also particular thanks to the Rev Jim Mein for his support and guidance during our interregnum period.

Tabitha, Jim, Tobias, Claire and Phoebe:

Jim Benton-Evans