Meet the Team
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John Vincent
Priest in Charge
John, a native of London, pursued a degree in Religion and Ethics at St David's Lampeter. After graduating, he worked at St Christopher's Hospice in Sydenham before training at Chichester Theological College. John served as a priest in the Diocese of London for 16 years.
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In 2003, John commissioned into The Army as a Chaplain, serving in various locations across the UK, Germany, and Cyprus; his service included operational tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. John joined St Martin's in October 2021.
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With a deep interest in bereavement, particularly within the military community, John's Masters dissertation focused on this subject. He continues to serve as a chaplain to The National Professionals branch of The Royal British Legion, maintaining a strong connection to the military.
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John enjoys a diverse range of interests, including jazz, writing and recording music, rescue greyhounds and real ale.
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Sarah Kilbey
Sarah, originally from Hertfordshire, pursued a career as a primary school teacher, but her path took an unexpected turn when she married Brian, a scientist, and relocated to Scotland in 1960. Together, they raised three daughters and an adopted son.
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In 1970, Sarah embarked on a new academic journey, enrolling as a mature student at Edinburgh University. She graduated with an MA in Politics in 1975. In 1983, she began the Edinburgh Diocese's 3-year Training for Ministry course, though ordination was not initially her goal.
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Concurrently, Sarah pursued training as a lipreading teacher through the Manchester Course, as Scotland lacked qualified lipreading teachers at the time. Upon qualifying, she became Lothian Region's Organizer for lipreading, establishing a region-wide service of classes. She also played a pivotal role in developing and teaching a Scottish Course to train more lipreading teachers for Scotland. Additionally, Sarah trained as a deaf awareness Consultant, educating many professional groups on compliance with the Disability Discrimination Act. She retired from these roles in 2000.
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Despite her initial lack of intention, Sarah was ordained as a Deacon at St Columba-by-the-Castle in 1994 and as a Priest at St Martin's in 1997, where she has served ever since. In 1997, the Bishop of Edinburgh appointed her as Chaplain to deafened and hard of hearing people, a role particularly meaningful given her own profound hearing loss.
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Stuart Robertson
Stuart, a native of Glasgow, pursued a degree in Russian and Spanish at Glasgow University. Following his academic pursuits, he lectured in Russian at York University. After training for church ministry at St John's Nottingham and ordination, Stuart served as a curate in Liverpool.
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His ministry has taken him to various chaplaincies across Europe and Russia, including serving as an Honorary Assistant Chaplain in St Petersburg and an associate Chaplain in Barcelona. Stuart spent 12 years in The Diocese of Edinburgh, retiring from full-time ministry in 2005. Even after retirement, he has continued his connection to Europe, working as a chaplain in Kiev, Ukraine.