Flintshire: Bistre churches set to welcome new priest

On Tuesday (July 18), Emmanuel Church, Bistre, Buckley, will be the venue for a service to welcome the Rev’d. Christopher Lawton as the new priest for the Bistre Group of churches and the wider Borderlands Mission Area. 

The service, starting at 7pm, will be led by Bishop Gregory Cameron and Archdeacon Hayley Matthews.

The Rev’d. Chris Lawton will be joining the team of ordained and lay ministers in Borderlands Mission Area and will have responsibility for the Emmanuel Church, Bistre, All Saints’ Church, Buckley, and St Cecilia’s Church, Mynydd Isa.

Bishop Gregory Cameron said: "It is good to welcome Chris Lawton to this new role in the diocese. Chris brings enormous enthusiasm and expertise from years as a Church Army Evangelist and has flourished since his ordination in 2021. 

"I am sure he will bring new life to the churches and wider mission area."

Chris was born and grew up in the little village of Hartford in Cheshire and became involved in church life at the age of 19 when he met Christians at a youth club and heard about God’s amazing love through His Son Jesus Christ and the invitation to start a new life with Jesus as his Lord.

Accepting this invitation changed Chris’ life forever, and following training, Chris dedicated his life to a variety of roles with the Church Army for 27 years in various parts of England and Wales.

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It was whilst working in Wrexham that Chris felt God’s call to become a priest in the Church in Wales, and since ordination, has been working as a curate at St Mary’s, Rhuddlan, and St Margaret’s, Bodelwyddan.

This year Chris has been married to Ruth for 30 years, and they have two grown-up children and a rescue dog. In his spare time, Chris enjoys anything to do with trains, Meccano, and restoring and riding motorcycles.

As Chris looks forward to his new ministry, he said: "I am really excited by the prospect of becoming Vicar of Emmanuel, St Cecilla’s, and All Saints’ churches and serving the people of Bistre and Buckley."