First and foremost, I am a Christian. A believer in God, a follower of Jesus and a receptacle for the Spirit. What is known as the Trinity, three in one?
Yep, an unusual concept but this is the foundation of my life and shapes my views.
I was born in 1960 to Gloria and George Biles, mum and dad, and my hometown is Weymouth but, I did work away from home for a number of years. I’m married to a wonderful lady and mother of our four children, Jacky. You can find more about the family here.
In 2012 I was working for Church Army, a medium sized charity and at that point based in Sheffield. I was working Monday to Friday and travelling to and from Sheffield each week. I had worked for them for 11 years. Firstly, as a Corporate Planner and Personal Assistant to the Chief Executive and then as Operational Director. I had the privilege of developing future strategy with the Board and Senior Management Team then implementing that strategy. It was challenging and great fun.
Then I was made redundant in October 2012. I knew this was coming so I was prepared and had started to apply for similar positions. In Christian terms you push doors to see if they open and where God wants you to work. To cut a long story short God wanted me to work as a Community Chaplain on Portland working out of St John’s Church Hall in Fortuneswell. There was funding in place for the first two years, then after that I had to raise my own funding, as I do today.
I was there for three years then moved to Weymouth and was based at Ebenezer Church, Abbotsbury Road and in these last two years I have been working between Ebenezer Church and St Mary’s Church in the Town Centre.
As of 1st September 2019, I work full time at St Mary’s Church as Town Centre Chaplain. My role is to bring Good News to the Town Centre. I’m sure you are asking the question “What does he mean by Good News?”, I would!
Well, the answer starts with my belief as a Christian.
You see we all believe in something or someone, even if it is ourselves, and that belief shapes who we are. I have a love for all people which stems from knowing that I am loved by God. This may be an alien concept to you or just sounds crackpot, but I have genuinely experienced the love of God in my life and believe that God loves people. Because of God’s love for me, I want to share that with others.
In my role I do practical things and get alongside people. To encourage them, to support them, to pray for them and to offer them hope in the present. That life is worth living even when life is tough or seems meaningless.
How did I get into Cooking?
I use my cooking skills to bake cakes, make soups, provide lunches and suppers for people and to encourage hospitality and community. Add to this, crafts in various forms, from angels to doves, I find ways to gather people together to share life and build a community of friendships.