New Chaplain in Versailles

We are delighted to announce the appointment of The Revd Stephen March as the new Chaplain of St Mark’s Versailles and St Paul’s Chevry. Stephen comes from the Diocese of Leicester and will be licensed in Versailles on 31 August. Please pray for him and his wife Sharon as they prepare for the move , and for the church in Versailles as they look forward to welcoming their new Priest. (Please read on below as they introduce themselves.)

From the Diocese in Europe: "The Bishop in Europe is pleased to announce that he has offered the post of Chaplain to The Anglican Church of St Mark’s, Versailles, with St Paul’s, Gif-sur-Yvette, to the Revd Stephen March, currently the Ordained Pioneer Minister in the Hexagon Benefice, in the Diocese of Leicester. He has accepted this, though of course the offer is subject to completion of the usual formalities. Stephen and his wife Sharon expect to move to Versailles once these necessary formalities have been finalised and Stephen has completed his notice period with the Leicester Diocese.”

Sharon and Stephen March

Stephen and Sharon write...
Hi! We thought it might be helpful for you to have a brief insight into who we are!
We were raised in Scotland in the Evangelical tradition. As we approached the end of our 20’s, we sensed God’s call into ministry. In our time at Bible college, we requested that our college placement be with a small team who were planting a new church in the village where we lived. This involvement proved to be as formative for us as our college studies. It was the leadership of this emerging congregation who walked with us on our discernment journey as our time at college came to an end. Eventually God opened the door for us to serve as self-funding volunteers in a Roman Catholic parish in Burgundy, France, where we remained for 15 years. Two of our sons still live in France and our middle son lives in Scotland. We expected to remain in France definitively and have French nationality. However, after 15 years, and very unexpectedly, we felt God call us back to the UK to work as Lay Pioneers in an Anglican parish, working to create a Fresh Expression of Church. Stephen then worked for the diocese as a ‘Pioneer Development Worker’; championing lay ministry and fresh expressions. Working in this role in Leicester gave the opportunity for many enriching conversations with senior leaders. In one such conversation the subject of ordination was raised, and Stephen found himself saying, ‘Well, that question has never been properly settled.’ Within 30 minutes he was in the DDO’s (Diocesan Director of Ordinands) office and in a discernment process moving towards ordination! Due to his age and prior theological qualifications Stephen was ‘fast-tracked’ and quickly found himself deaconed and priested and assigned 6 traditional, rural village churches that were in vacancy. Sharon was also recruited by the diocese to be involved in Lay Training. In this part-time role she has planned, organised, and led over 7 years and has seen many lay people grow and be released into ministry in their local contexts. Sharon’s other role is as a Lay Pioneer Minister in a vacant benefice of 11 churches and 4 C of E Primary Schools; she mainly works in the community and with those who are not regular church-goers.
As Stephen’s curacy had the potential to extend until May 2026, we were not really looking yet for a permanent post. But by accident(!) we came across your advert in Church Times and were excited! This was especially true as we read about your desire to move forward in discipleship and mission. We believe wholeheartedly that if you make disciples, you get worship and mission ‘for free’. This is why Jesus’ ‘Great Commission’ to the apostles in Matthew 28 is focussed entirely on gospel proclamation, baptising converts, and making them into disciples. True disciples are people who make disciples.
We are convinced that God is calling us to come and serve the churches in Versailles and Gif-Sur-Yvette, but that doesn’t mean it is not scary for us! Responding to God’s call is always an adventure into the unknown and you have to jump off the cliff and trust that God will catch you.