Anglican Communion News Service - Digest News

As Patron of the Benefice, the Bishop of Birmingham is delighted to announce the appointment of the Revd Dr Joshva Raja as Vicar. This appointment has the goodwill of the parish representatives.

Dr Raja has been a lecturer in Mission and Communication at the Queen’s Foundation in Birmingham for just over five years. This followed a period of service in the Church of South India. Before this, Dr Raja studied in England and was for one year a curate in a parish in Leicester Diocese and for four years a non stipendiary priest in Edinburgh for the Anglican Church (Episcopal) in Scotland.   He has sound experience of the Anglican Church in the UK as well as of village ministry in India.

Dr Raja welcomes this opportunity for service:

"It is a great privilege for me to take up this post in the parishes of Curdworth, Middleton and Wishaw. I feel that this is part of a plan for God's mission amongst these churches and an opportunity for me also to experience and learn while doing ministry together with the people. I have come from church traditions which are very smilar and close to the traditions of these three parishes.

My wife is Rachel and she has a degree in Mathematics and is a trained teacher. She has become qualified to work as a teaching assistant in this country.

We have two daughters: our first daughter is Angeline who is completing GCSE at Hill Crest School this Summer; our second daughter is Jessica who is in her first school currently in Harborne. We are looking for local schools for them both.

I have some duties to complete at Queen's and I am then to be licensed, probably on Tuesday 17th July. I look forward to joining in the parish ministry of Curdworth, Middleton and Wishaw."

Editor's note: the Revd Dr Joshva Raja is also a member of the Anglican Communion's Network for Interfaith Concerns and Communications Working Group