East Anglia - New Region, New Convenor
Simon Ward is the new East Anglia Convenor for the MCN and has served as Team Rector at Great Yarmouth Minster since 2017
What are the main opportunities and challenges for major churches in East Anglia, and how can the MCN best support them?
My contact with and through the MCN in recent times has been a great encouragement and I have appreciated the growing voice of MCN. Major parish churches serve as custodians of the most remarkable treasures, offered with love and generosity in communities across East Anglia but we need all of the help and alliances we can find. I have found MCN to be a haven of sensible thinking. So often there is someone else who has already explored the possibility you are thinking of and learned a lot along the way and that is valuable support.
What are you most looking forward to in the East Anglia Convenor role?
I enjoy bringing people together. A gathering of people with a similar challenge will inevitably lead to thought-provoking conversation and there is great opportunity to come together in a local region. Sharing of information happens more naturally within a diocese but our knowledge frequently stops at a diocesan boundary, therefore the Eastern Region Convenor has a chance to widen the vision while remaining local.
What do you hope members will gain from the MCN over the coming years?
I have attended the MCN summer conferences for the last 2 years and have welcomed the opportunity to be in a room which offers so much experience and insight. Very often PCCs, wardens and clergy feel like we are alone and isolated with a building which everyone appreciates but few really understand the extraordinary challenges we face day by day. Within the MCN there is a wealth of activity and experience and people who are on the same journey. You’ll find kindred spirits, pragmatic partners and experienced journey friends. If you’re wondering about coming along I encourage you to give it a try.
Outside ministry, what would you like MCN members to know about you?
Having been born in Great Yarmouth I am very passionate about my parish which I fondly describe as the East Coasts’ premier resort. I enjoy running, often along the beach and road cycling; frequently with a bit of church hopping mixed in.
The Inaugural East Anglia Region Network: Tuesday 10th November 2026. Venue TBC