Holy Trinity Church Aldershot is celebrating Revd George Newton’s 25 years of ministry as vicar this year.
Sunday 14 July saw Holy Trinity host a special service to celebrate George and his wife, Jane’s, part in the church’s ministry over the last quarter of a century. Friends, family and dignitaries past and present, joined the congregation to show their appreciation.
The service was opened by Holy Trinity’s curate, Revd Dean Pusey, whose welcome was translated into French by Churchwarden Joseph Ebot. Dean gave a heartfelt summary of the ministry George has helped lead by saying, “That’s the changing face of Aldershot over the last 25 years, where a Churchwarden can speak fluent French, English and another three languages on top.”
There has been a considerable transformation in Aldershot and at Holy Trinity since George took up his post as Priest-in-Charge in 1999. At that time, the church faced significant challenges and was at risk of closure. George quickly became aware that things needed to change.
In an interview with George and Jane, led by Holy Trinity’s newest curate, Revd Gabrielle Clarke, George said, “The building was very different. Inside you would have seen pews, vicar stalls and a processing robed choir. Outside, there were lots of trees and high hedges. I discovered that 90% of the people I met in town didn’t even know we were here.
“The town has also changed significantly, both physically and demographically. Our parish, which is part of the town, was high up the deprivation scale – low socioeconomic and almost all white.”
Very quickly George helped set up small groups, worship teams, prayer ministry and outreach, completing his three-and-a-half-year plan in his first seven months. However, people in the wider community still weren’t noticing the church.
George shared, “I found it quite perplexing going out into the parish with a dog collar on and being asked which church I was vicar of. People a hundred yards away didn’t know we existed. This led me, with some others, to pray quite aggressively, shall we say, around the building, shouting to the heavens. Within a week seven people came into the church saying, ‘I’ve never spotted this place before.’
“The year 2000 offered a great opportunity to engage people. We took donuts to the local offices, gifts to people around the parish and offers for prayer. And although there were some tough times, things got going.”
As the church began to grow George was installed as the vicar of Holy Trinity in 2003.
The 2010s saw a big change in Aldershot. Following the success of the Gurkha Justice campaign, involving celebrity Joanna Lumley, many Nepalese families moved to Aldershot.
“There was a lot of negative feeling on the streets.” said George, “However, my feeling, along with the then Mayor (Alex Crawford), was we really wanted to make this work. We could see there was a great opportunity for us to welcome those arriving into our community.
“We prayed against the negativity and over a few days saw an anti-Gurkha demonstration cancelled, anti-Gurkha Facebook groups closed and the local newsagent boards saying, ‘local churches speak up for the Nepalese.’”
Since then, Holy Trinity has seen the Nepalese church that it hosts on a Saturday grow from three families to a congregation of hundreds. The church continues to foster that partnership, alongside wanting to embrace and work with other ethnic groups in the local area.
As part of his ministry in the parish, George has supported many curates over his 25 years in Aldershot. “There are many things that I have found inspirational about George as his curate.” Says Dean, “His longevity and faithfulness in service to Jesus. His faith-filled prayers. His heart for the whole of Aldershot to meet and be transformed by Jesus Christ and encouraging and enabling others to do so as part of their discipleship.”
Over the last 25 years, Holy Trinity has changed beyond recognition through its works mentioned above. It also works with asylum seekers, has seen a major growth in engagement with children and families, works on the streets and the night economy, health centres and has many diverse chaplaincies. The congregation has grown significantly in size and continues to grow much more ethnically diverse.
The Archdeacon of Surrey, the Venerable Catharine Mabuza, says, “We are so thankful for George’s ministry at Holy Trinity over these 25 years. God has been at work in so many ways through George’s faithful, prayerful, wise leadership and those who have journeyed with him in that time. It’s a joy to see and we look forward to seeing all that is yet to come.”
Reflecting on his time at Aldershot, George says, “It has been an amazing journey to be at the helm of Holy Trinity for 25 years. The church has adapted and grown during that time seeing nearly as many through the doors to the various groups and services midweek as those that attend on Sundays. It has been a privilege to see a growing and competent staff team and to see God at work in so many different ways, as well as Jesus becoming known by many.”
Revd George Newton continues to serve as vicar at Holy Trinity Church Aldershot and we pray for many more years of fruitful ministry ahead of him.
