Who’s who at St James - Staff
Kim Swithinbank
Vicar
Kim has been Vicar at St James since February 2008. Before that he and his wife Penelope spent five and a half years living in the US. For three years they were both on staff at the Falls Church, in Northern Virginia, part of Metropolitan Washington DC. Latterly they lived in South Carolina while Kim travelled extensively working for Alpha USA.
Early ministry in England included 12 years as Rector at St Georges Stamford, time as Director of Evangelism at All Souls Langham Place, a brief Chaplaincy at Monkton Combe School and a first Curacy in Norwich. His first book "The Natural Touch", on personal evangelism was published in 1988. A new book on "Integrating Alpha into the Church" is due to be published in 2009.
Outside of church life Kim and Penelope enjoy their transatlantic family, three married children, two living in London with their spouses and one in Virginia. They are all producing grandchildren as if they are going out of fashion. As church and family allow, Kim spends most of the rest of the time on the golf course, watching sport or going to the theatre or cinema. As a Spurs fan since 1961 (year of the double), he finally gets to go and see some games!
Will Hunter Smart
Associate Vicar
Before moving to St James’ Will spent three years at St Mary’s Church in Watford as a curate, and prior to that trained for ordination at Wycliffe Hall in Oxford. He grew up on a farm in Gloucestershire, so North London still feels a little cramped to him. He loves the country and the sea, and is not-at-all embarrassed about being a bird watcher.
Apart from being a vicar, Will’s best job was as a builder’s labourer - he has wielded many a shovel in his time. He is happiest with either a power drill or a pair of binoculars in his hand. Will is married to Ellen, who was the first person he met at St James’ when he arrived three and a half years ago!
Gaz Daly
Curate
Gaz has been Curate at St James since July 2009, having studied for 2 years at Wycliffe Hall in Oxford. Married to Susie they have 4 children, aged 5 and under, including one born in June 2009.
London is very much home for Gaz, having lived in London since 1982, even living in Crouch End in the mid 1980’s. More recently as a family they have lived in Vauxhall, attending St James the Less in Pimlico for many years, where Gaz and Susie ran a home group, prayer ministry and helped with a weekly meal for the homeless.
Previous work has included being a Director of a charity, fundraiser and actor. In each of these professions Gaz has learnt much about himself and other people.
As well as being passionate about his family, and people, Gaz is a keen cyclist and skier and enjoys owning and driving his 1972 Volvo.
Clare Hendry
Minister for Pastoral Care
Shortly after completing a Masters in Marriage and Family Therapy at a seminary in the States, Clare moved to London to join the staff at Oak Hill Theological College in 1986, as lecturer in Pastoral Counselling. During her time there she married Steve, joined St James as a member of the congregation, had her first child, Kate, went forward for ordination, became honorary curate at St James, had her second child, Alistair. Interspersed in all of that she did some visiting lecturing at King’s College, London and London School of Theology. Finally she found the escape tunnel out of Oak Hill and became Minister for Pastoral Care at St James.
She loves teaching and keeps her hand in by doing some visiting lecturing at Oak Hill and Wycliffe Hall, as well as running various courses here at St James. She loves being in a job which lets you spend lots of time with people.
She has become adept at juggling family, ministry and other things but Steve has still not taught her to say ‘No’ yet. In any spare time (what’s that?) she enjoys seeing friends, travelling, cooking and gardening.
Joel Payne
Minister for Worship and Prayer
Joel has been at St James since 2007, having spent the previous nine years with St Michael le Belfrey in York where he progressed through various roles before becoming Music Coordinator. Prior to this, Joel was at York University studying theoretical physics.
As well as leading the worship and prayer teams in St James, Joel co-leads the RESOUNDworship.org songwriting project, resourcing churches worldwide with new songs for worship. When not involved in such worthy pursuits, he can usually be found running the streets of Muswell Hill, either to feed a marathon obsession or chasing ‘nice light’ for a photograph. Otherwise, he’ll be slumped in an armchair watching cricket, or his beloved Norwich City, or any sport available. He also plays in a band that has been recording an album for some years and keeps threatening to do a gig.
Ellen Hunter Smart
Children’s Minister
Ellen was born in Scotland and grew up in sunny South Africa. She returned to the UK to study, and became a Christian at university. After graduating, she came to St James as a ministry assistant and she's never looked back. She loves working with international students and after a year at St James went on to teach English as a foreign language. She's now back on the staff as the children's worker, much to her surprise and delight! Ellen is married to Will who is educating her in the ways of bird watching and his other hobbies which aren't as boring as she thought.
Penelope Swithinbank
Honorary Curate
Chaplain to St Mellitus College
Penelope loves encouraging women to reach their God-given potential, and has spoken at conferences around the world, both for Alpha International and for women’s conferences and pilgrimages, and church retreats. Author of “Women By Design”, she has been involved in ministry for over 25 years, as a clergy daughter, then a clergy wife, a volunteer, and now as ordained clergy. She has been on the National Board of Willow Creek UK, with particular responsibility for the ‘Network’ Spiritual Gifts course.
Penelope was Director of C2 Ministries (Community and Connections) at The Falls Church, Virginia, and then became Interim Rector for The Church of Our Saviour near Charleston, South Carolina, where she and Kim still have a home. She now divides her time between “Ministries by Design” (speaking on conferences, writing, leading pilgrimages and Quiet Days, and being a Spiritual Director) and volunteering at St James, where she helps with services and in other areas. She is also Chaplain to St Mellitus Theological College in London.
Penelope has a Master of Theology from St Andrews University, and degrees in both Education and Pastoral Theology from Cambridge University. But she loves being a granny to three young grandchildren, to travel, read, and walk!