A NEW priest is set to join a Flintshire town's clergy team this coming weekend.

Sunday, November 28 is Advent Sunday and the start of the Church year.

It is therefore an appropriate Sunday for Canon Martin Batchelor to begin his new ministry in Mold Mission Area and to be licensed at a special service by the Bishop of St Asaph.

The service of Holy Eucharist and licensing will take place in the Church of St Mary the Virgin, Mold, at 10am that day.

Martin Batchelor is originally from Swansea and worked as a technical programmer before training for ordination.

He served as a curate in the Diocese of Swansea and Brecon for 5 years, before moving to Hawarden where he had responsibility for St Francis’, Sandycroft.

Martin has been the Vicar of Bistre for the last sixteen years and for the last decade he has also served as Area Dean and Mission Area Leader of Borderlands Mission Area.

Alongside these roles, Martin has also served as Lead Chaplain at Deeside College, establishing the chaplaincy at the college.

Martin will be based at St Mary’s, Mold, and will have a particular responsibility for creating a Mission Church Hub in Mold for the whole Archdeaconry of Wrexham that will help resource the local churches for mission and outreach.

He said: "I am looking forward very much to taking on this new ministry at St Mary’s. It is a great opportunity for the church to develop its ministry serving the town of Mold and resourcing the mission of the Church."

Speaking ahead of the service about Martin Batchelor’s move from Bistre to Mold, Bishop Gregory Cameron says: "It is good to be able to welcome an experienced and successful priest to ministry in Mold and the surrounding area. Our new initiative in the Church in Wales is to invite Martin to develop a growing and faithful congregation, building on all the good work on the existing congregation and ministry team."

Also, at the service on November 28th, the bishop will renew the commission of The Rev’d. Carole Poolman as Mission Area Leader of Mold.

Over the last five years Carole has been offering a dedicated and effective ministry as Mission Area Leader and will be re-commissioned in her work of coordinating the life of the Anglican churches in and around Mold.