- Revd David Perry
May I introduce myself? I was born in 1942 and grew up in the West Country and then went to St. Chad’s College Durham to read classics, followed by a diploma in Theology. Ordained deacon in 1966 and priest in 1967, I was probably the last man in the C of E to serve three curacies – south Leeds, Bedale and Middlesbrough. In 1975 I became Vicar of Skirlaugh with Long Riston, two villages north-east of Hull, and remained there till I retired in August 2007.
Throughout my ministry my twin passions have been baptismal reform and ecumenism. Believing that ecumenical progress was more likely than baptismal reform, I gave the ecumenical cause the priority from 1980, the first fruit being the Skirlaugh LEP (1982), which still survives today. I served as County Ecumenical Officer for Humberside and then Hull and East Yorkshire from 1984 to 2005. In 1985 I bought my first computer and as the need arose developed databases, spreadsheets and DTP for parish and countywide newsletters and directories. I also served for about eight years on the Churches Together in England Enabling Group.
With regard to baptism, my wife and I decided not to have our son and daughter baptised in infancy but to be blessed instead. They were baptised and confirmed as teenagers. In 1976 I introduced a motion at York Diocesan Synod that “those who defer the baptism of their children to years of discretion are not to be condemned”, setting out the virtues of an effective catechumenate. The outcome was a bit of debate, abruptly ended when Christian Howard proposed that the motion be not put and that synod move to next business. Such is life!
Now retired and freed from the constraints of incumbent status and thus far endowed with good health, I seek to make baptismal theology and the work of BI the focus of my time, energy and Christian commitment.
Over time the amount of material on this blog will increase. I hope that will in large measure be due to the number of comments sent in.
