Meet the Team

Superintendent: Rev Dr Caroline Wickens

       

Caroline has been a Methodist minister since 1992. She has worked in the West Midlands and as a mission partner in Zambia and Kenya. She currently works as superintendent minister of the Manchester circuit, and is enjoying getting to know this amazing city and its people.

Rev. Ken Stokes

Brought up in Cumbria, Ken left the church as a teenager but came to faith as a student. A minister for 32 years, Ken has worked mostly in Manchester. Ken is married to Lesley and they have two adult children. Ken loves talking about Jesus; is interested in autism and mental health; writes poetry and cares about social justice, gender, sexuality and green issues.

Rev Sharon Read

Sharon has been a Methodist Minister since 2003 working in Liverpool, Wigan, Bury and now in Manchester. Sharon is married to Mike, an Anglican Vicar in Heywood, and they have 2 school-aged children. She loves finding creative ways to engage people with Jesus every day. 


Paula Collins

Paula is the Lay Pastoral Assistant for 3 churches in North Manchester. She works with the Minister and Pastoral Secretaries to maintain a link with the church for those who cannot attend services regularly, or are in hospital or are in need of the support of their church family. She is the Circuit Safeguarding Officer and Trainer.

Rev Joy Rulton

Originally from the south of the country, I have been blessed to work in the north of England, both in very rural areas and inner city. Married to Bryan, I have 3 children and 4 grandchildren. Our home is full of children’s books and toys! I love looking for creative ways to explore and to share our faith and am interested in Celtic theology, particularly from the Northumbrian Community. I enjoy gardening, although my fingers aren’t very green, and a guilty pleasure is watching Dr Who.


Rev. Catharine Hughes 

Catharine is a proud Yorkshirewoman, who came to faith through a Rob Frost mission in her teens. She was a local preacher for 20 years before giving in to the call to presbyteral ministry. In the meantime she married and brought up her two children, including a period living in Zambia. She is looking forward to sharing creative ways of worship, and has a particular interest in financial and environmental issues.  

 

Liz Stuart

Liz has been a Layworker in the Manchester Circuit for nearly 9 years, as a Church Community Development Worker. This is a varied and interesting role, working with all ages in both supporting and developing church activities, and seeking to provide opportunities for the local community to connect with the church.

Rachel Humphreys, Community Engagement Officer

Rachel began her role as Community Engagement Officer for the Circuit in November 2019. She is proud mother of two beautiful boys and has a degree in Psychology. Rachel’s role involves looking after the Circuit’s digital media platforms and working in conjunction with the Circuit Leadership and local church leaders to create and implement clear communication strategies; developing and maintaining an awareness of key issues across Manchester relating to the circuit’s mission priorities and building relationships with local groups sharing our priorities.

Daniel Raja, Circuit Administrator

Daniel moved into the UK in Jan 2020 with his wife and young son. His hometown is Tiruchirappalli, a city in the central part of Tamil Nadu state in South India. Daniel has an undergraduate degree in Electronics Engineering and an MBA in Operations and Marketing streams. He has worked with IT & Engineering services sectors for the past 10+ years in India and in the UK. His responsibilities were mostly around New Business Acquisitions, Account Management (Including finance), Customer relationship and Marketing initiatives. 

Julie Rowbotham, Community Worker @ Hope Methodist Church 

Julie is a steward at Hope Methodist Church in Failsworth and has been a member of the Methodist church since she was 16. Julie joined because she wanted to be part of the decision making at her local church. Julie was previously a Reception class teaching assistant but has recently become Hope’s Community Worker. Julie is passionate about making a difference to people’s lives without making any judgement as she knows sometimes life throws you a curve ball. Julie married to Derek (who has a lot to put up with!) and has two grown up daughters.

Julie’s role as Hope’s Community Worker is to assess the needs of the local community, especially after Covid-19, and determine how the church can best meet those needs. Hope recently had an exciting building redevelopment leaving us with a really useable modern building which we are keen to use to benefit those who need the most support.