Dialogue and Unity Rev Andrew Edwards – A passion for ecumenism

Ultan Russell, Archdiocesan Ecumenical Officer

was a major centre of community activitya Local Ecumenical Partnership of Anglican, Methodist, United Reformed and Baptist. There was close collaboration with the Catholic parish which in those days had four priests. It was a time of great partnerships, sharing and friendships. Of particular significance was the involvement of Religious in ecumenical and community work – the convents welcomed ministers of all denominations – the ecumenical hospitality of the sisters left a profound impression on Andrew.

married in 2008 to Helen (the Revd Canon Helen Edwards) who was Vicar of Christ Church in Norris Green.

Rev Andrew Edwards is the Chaplain to the Bishop of Liverpool for ecumenism and currently one of the Trustees of Churches Together in the Merseyside Region and a member of the Archdiocesan Commission for Dialogue and Unity

Andrew moved to Liverpool 35 years ago having been ordained in 1980 previously serving in two parishes in Kent in the Rochester Diocese. He moved here because he was influenced by Bishop David Sheppard’s commitment to urban priority areas and his passion for ecumenism. He was concerned that too many clergy chose to minister in middle class areas and not to recognise the needs of the inner city and the outer estates.

Andrew moved to Skelmerdale in 1987; the new town had been inaugurated about twenty years earlier. Andrew was based at the Ecumenical Centre (the ‘Eccy’) which

Andrew’s ecumenical experience led to his appointment as Diocesan Ecumenical Officer in 1992, a post he continued to hold until 2009. This involved working with what is now Churches Together in the Merseyside Region and he valued working with his equivalent Ecumenical Officers in other denominations.

In 1994 Andrew moved to Netherton as vicar. There the ecumenical links he relished continued and he was particularly heartened by the robust links between the lay people from the different local churches who worked, prayed, and met together sometimes in spite of their ministers.

In 2002 Andrew moved to Southport with responsibility for two churches All Saints and St Philips and St Paul with Wesley (this was a recently established joint Anglican-Methodist Church where Andrew’s immense experience assisted in its development). While in Southport he

In 2011 Andrew moved to the Good Shepherd West Derby much nearer to his wife’s parish of Christ Church Norris Green. Andrew was delighted to move to an area where interchurch relations were so vibrant – links between the clergy and laity, regular joint events and a major focus on community action and social justice. St Teresa of the Child Jesus and Canon Chris Fallon were very involved in these initiatives – indeed the work in Norris Green was pivotal in the creation of ‘Feeding Liverpool’ of which Canon Chris is Joint Chair. Two major community projects existed. The churches’ charity Triple C focusses work with older people, and with children and families, and in offering debt advice, a food bank, and a food pantry through partnering with the ground-breaking work spearheaded by St Andrew’s Clubmoor staffed by expertly trained volunteers and paid workers from all the local churches. Andrew is now retired but relishes the ecumenical opportunities: so not believing that anyone in the Church retires Bishop Paul Bayes in 2019 invited Andrew to be his Chaplain for Ecumenism.

Andrew spoke movingly of the honour of being an Ecumenical Consultant in Synod 2020. ‘I was deeply impressed by the energy devoted to developing the Archdiocesan Pastoral Plan’, said Andrew, ‘it resonates well with the process within the Anglican Diocese entitled “Fit for Mission”. There are many areas where we can work together and one area has been working closely with Father Philip Inch on buildings (which is a challenge to all denominations as we take difficult decisions on refurbishment, closure and sharing of our Church Buildings). Another area is encouraging joint work at a deanery level notably as many of our Catholic and Anglican deaneries have a good geographic match to local authorities’.