We are delighted to announce that Rev Canon Malcolm Rogers was licensed as Priest in Charge of the Burnhams Benefice on Sunday February 9th. 

Malcolm writes, 
It is a huge privilege to have been invited to serve as the new vicar of the Burnham Churches, particularly as I have had a life long association with the area. My parents bought a holiday home in Burnham Market in 1970, my father Alan Rogers served as a lay preacher in the churches, and for a while lived here; and the Burnhams became our permanent home when Alison and myself returned from Moscow, where I had been serving as chaplain from 2017 to June 2023. Although I have been helping out with services, it has taken me a little time to hear God's call to come and serve here, but it does now seem very right. 
I have been a vicar all my working life. I was a curate in Ipswich where Alison and myself met. We were then sent, in 1993, to St Petersburg with the Church Mission Society, tasked with building up mission links with the Russian Orthodox Church. We returned to the UK and I was vicar for 10 years in Islington, and then 12 years at St Mary's Bury St Edmunds (the civic church next to the cathedral), before we went back to Russia. For the last year I was based part time at Lambeth Palace serving as Prior of the Community of St Anselm. We have three boys, two of whom are journalists in London and Andrew, who is local. Alison is a teacher by profession, but currently is developing a colour analysis business and also paints icons. 
The appointment is meant to be part time, which will be quite difficult to work out! My working days will usually be Sunday to Wednesday, but of course there are weddings etc on other days, and it does not mean that people cannot contact me, although you may not get an immediate response.
We owe a great debt to Brenda Stewart, Alison Massey, Andrew Davey and other ministers who have stepped in to support the churches over what has been a long vacancy, and particularly to the wardens and other non-ordained ministers who have done so much to make things run smoothly. 
At the licensing the Bishop likened me to a vintage car, which had quite a bit of mileage on the clock but still ran well! But this is new: I have never done rural ministry and it will be very different, especially having 5 remarkable mediaeval churches. So please pray for me, and I will pray for you. My deep passion is that each of us (lifelong resident, more recent resident, part time resident or visitor) is given the opportunity, as we hear the good news that the Bible teaches, to meet with the living God, and I believe that that encounter sets people free to become who we were created to be. 
I look forward very much to working with our churches, village communities and getting to know you.