Geoff Johnston
Geoffrey Stanley Johnston (called Geoff; born 7 November 1944) is a retired Church of England priest serving as Archdeacon of Gibraltar, in the Diocese in Europe.
Education and training
[edit]Born in 1944, Johnston entered Kelham Theological College in 1964, beginning to train for the priesthood at age 20. He has since gained a Certificate in Education (CertEd) from Birmingham University in 1978 and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Aston University in 1981.[1]
Ministry
[edit]He was ordained in the Church of England: made a deacon in Advent 1968 (22 December) by Richard Clitherow, Bishop of Stafford, at St Luke's Church, Blakenhall[2] and ordained a priest the following Advent (19 December 1969), by William Parker, Bishop of Shrewsbury, at St Matthew's Church, Walsall.[3] He served his first curacy at Blakenall Heath (in Walsall, Staffordshire) until 1972, when he went for a year to serve St Buryan with St Levan and Sennan (at Land's End, Cornwall), before returning to Blakenall Heath.[1]
Remaining in the West Midlands, Johnston next served as priest-in-charge of St Stephen's Church, Willenhall, from 1975, until the next year, when he moved to West Bromwich: he served All Saints and St Mary Magdalene until 1977, and became a lecturer at West Bromwich College of Commerce and Technology in 1978. From 1982, he served in Dudley borough for 26 years: first as an industrial chaplain and Team Vicar of St John the Baptist, Halesowen until 1994. He became a self-supporting minister at St Francis, Dudley, where he became priest-in-charge in 1999; he additionally served as priest-in-charge of the Church of St Edmund, Dudley from 2004, until his retirement in 2008.[1]
Retirement
[edit]On first retiring, Johnston became Chaplain (i.e. parish priest) of Nerja and Almuñécar, Spain, for the Church of England Diocese in Europe.[1] He became one of the Area Deans of Gibraltar Archdeaconry in January 2013, and was (additionally) commissioned Acting Archdeacon of Gibraltar and collated a Canon at Gibraltar Cathedral that November.[4] On 17 October 2014, around the time he resigned the chaplaincy, he was re-licensed to the Archdeaconry, this time on a more long-term basis.[5] In February 2019, he took on the extra role of Acting Archdeacon of Italy and Malta.[6] On 6 November 2019, the eve of his 75th birthday, Johnston retired again.[7]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d "Geoffrey Stanley Johnston". Crockford's Clerical Directory (online ed.). Church House Publishing. Retrieved 15 February 2019.
- ^ "Advent ordinations". Church Times. No. 5524. 27 December 1968. p. 13. ISSN 0009-658X. Retrieved 15 February 2019 – via UK Press Online archives.
- ^ "Advent ordinations". Church Times. No. 5576. 24 December 1969. p. 13. ISSN 0009-658X. Retrieved 15 February 2019 – via UK Press Online archives.
- ^ Nerja and Almuñécar Anglican Church — A Brief History of our Parish (Accessed 15 February 2019)
- ^ Diocese in Europe — Continuing Ministry — The Same Work But With New Authority (Accessed 15 February 2019)
- ^ "Appointments". Church Times. No. 8135. 15 February 2019. p. 32. ISSN 0009-658X. Retrieved 15 February 2019.
- ^ "The Retirement of our Archdeacon". 2 November 2019.
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