Parish Priest: Rev David Biggs
David was born and educated in Hawke's Bay, New Zealand, near the city of Napier with its great Mediterranean climate, orchards, sheep and vegetable farms. He studied at Massey University and Palmerston North Teachers College, working as a teacher before his ordination.
He trained for the priesthood at St John's Theological College, Auckland, and was ordained a priest in St John's Cathedral, Napier, in 1982.
In 1986 David came to England to work as a priest, starting off in Stevenage. He moved to Brighton in 1989 and was team vicar of the Holy Nativity Bevendean in the parish of Moulsecoomb, for six years as Chaplain of the Sussex Beacon. In 1999 he was appointed chaplain to the Chapel Royal and in 2002 took up the post of Priest-in-Charge of St Peter's and the Chapel Royal.
Julie was born in 1960 in Dunstable, in Bedfordshire. When she was quite young, she moved to a small village called Shillington and here she grew up in a Manse, her Father being the minister of the Congregational Chapel.
In 1978 she came to live and work at St John's School in Brighton. Her full time job is that of Care Manager at St John's School and College. She employs her professional training as a Social Worker in managing a large staff team who care for young people with learning disabilities and emotional and behavioural problems.
Julie was deeply influenced by the discovery of South Coast Anglo-Catholicism and was confirmed as an Anglican in 1983. She was ordained as a Distinctive Deacon in 2003 after a very long and arduous testing of vocation. Her diaconal role is multi faceted, but she has an interest in working with the bereaved, and particularly grieving children.
Originally from New Zealand, Michael trained at Chichester Theological College and was then Curate at St James Elmers End from 1966, the year of his ordination. A year later he married Susanne and they have two daughters, one of whom lives in Brighton. During the early seventies he was in Papua New Guinea followed by an eight year spell in the Diocese of Truro.
In 1984 he moved to London to become the Vicar of St Philip's Earls Court. During his 20 years ministry at St Philip's he saw the church completely redesigned and restructured. Michael is the Chairman of the William Temple International Students House and of the Papua New Guinea Church Partnership.